5 year multiple entry DTV visa (Destination Thailand) from 2024-xx-xx

[gtrinbkk]

6 hours ago, Dart12 said:

Thank you for all that.

Last items you may be less likely to have any idea about:

Do you know.... is This is a one time 10,000 fee per 5 years? or annually 10k (both are cheap), but curious.  To me I read it as 10k one time and then 1900 for any re-entry (which is required at least once a year at minimum).

I'm also wondering if I choose medical now if being more nomadic in nature next year will be problematic.

On your visa... does it label you as 'nomad, concert goer, class taker, medical or such? 

 

or is it once you get it you are simply a "DTV visa holder" and there are no more labels than that?

This sounds better than retirement visa, but we know how they flip flop on these things in 6 months to a year and worry they give you problems in a year for a border run. VS retirement they seem to just leave you alone once you get it.

not clear on all that yet, believe you can do an extension after 6 months in country then a visa run at the 1 year mark, rinse-repeat for 5 years total. I received the visa earlier this afternoon, the visa just says DTV, no other label.

[littlesquirrel]

On 9/9/2024 at 1:18 AM, Briggsy said:

It will be interesting to see how this progresses. They may issue a lot of these visas. Will they either

 

a) stop issuing them

b) reduce the 5-year validity to say 1 year

c) make them harder to get

d) make them more expensive

e) have Immigration make entry difficult.

 

I just can't see it going on for a long time.

Yes everyone is rushing for it. At some point they'll want to close the door and they might stop issuing them. They probably have some sort of quota or something. I highly doubt they reduce its validity tho as it would be a very bad signal sent and received.

[GroveHillWanderer]

On 9/9/2024 at 12:31 PM, Liquorice said:

Certainly, for the 180 day extensions, he stated Immigration would request proof of an ongoing reason for the extension.

For remote workers, that could simply be a case of providing their initial documentation.
For those whose reason was for one of the softer options, Muay Thai, cooking classes etc, they are certainly going to have to book other courses in activities, which could be immensely expensive in the long run.
Immigration as always will have the final say and decision on the matter.

 

Or, you could just go for the option of getting the visa by booking a dentist's or doctor's appointment.

 

And then another one if or when needed. Which doesn't cost anything (at least not for the appointment itself).

[moana]

Entered back at Nan. I was their first DTV but they managed just fine. No issues at all. Friendliest border ever (probably because it's impossible to bounce there). 

[Rob Browder]

3 hours ago, moana said:

Entered back at Nan. I was their first DTV but they managed just fine. No issues at all. Friendliest border ever (probably because it's impossible to bounce there). 

No "Visa on Arrival" to Laos at that crossing, correct? 

It might be a good place to return, after entering elsewhere - or just get one's visa at the Laos consulate before crossing there.

[Jmacs]

DTV Apllication Australia . Online application 

Applied and payed . Status *Pending Document Check 

Stayed like that and entire week .

Updated status to * Pending approval 

Stayed like that for 4 business days .

Updated status back to *Pending document check again 

 

Not confusing or frustrating atall ... Grrrr

[MART]

Since it's not a non-imm visa/extension of stay, I'm wondering if one can own a vehicle, get a Thai driver's license, etc. I've seen a few people saying that it's possible but it did not seem to be backed up by some kind of evidence or their own experience.

[Caldera]

37 minutes ago, MART said:

Since it's not a non-imm visa/extension of stay, I'm wondering if one can own a vehicle, get a Thai driver's license, etc. I've seen a few people saying that it's possible but it did not seem to be backed up by some kind of evidence or their own experience.

 

As you can do all that even when entering visa exempt or with a tourist visa, there's no doubt that it's possible.

 

The only real question is whether DTV holders qualify for 5-year driving licenses or only for 2-year ones. I'd guess it's the latter, as the DTV is pretty much a special tourist visa.

[jack343]

I'm a Canadian citizen currently staying in Thailand.  I'm planning to apply for the DTV early next month.  Could anyone advise which city is relatively easier to get approved?  Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Vientiane or Phnom Penh?  I need to book my flight and hotel asap.  

 

Also, there's a previous online post saying that the bank statements have to be stamped by a bank officer.  It's impossible for me to fly back to Canada for this at this point.  Could anyone confirm whether this is true?

 

Thanks!

[MART]

1 hour ago, Caldera said:

 

As you can do all that even when entering visa exempt or with a tourist visa, there's no doubt that it's possible.

 

The only real question is whether DTV holders qualify for 5-year driving licenses or only for 2-year ones. I'd guess it's the latter, as the DTV is pretty much a special tourist visa.

Thanks!
I did not know one could apply for a Thai driver's license and own a vehicle with an exemption stamp or a TV. Can one get a certificate of residence with a TV for example? I thought one needs to do a 90-day report for such certificates and TH-holders cannot stay longer than 90 days for each permission of stay.

[Caldera]

55 minutes ago, MART said:

Thanks!
I did not know one could apply for a Thai driver's license and own a vehicle with an exemption stamp or a TV. Can one get a certificate of residence with a TV for example? I thought one needs to do a 90-day report for such certificates and TH-holders cannot stay longer than 90 days for each permission of stay.

 

I think only Chaeng Watthana makes 90-day reports a requirement for issuing a certificate of residence. In touristy places like Pattaya, Phuket and Chiang Mai, getting one as a tourist may be easier than elsewhere.

[Oku9]

1 hour ago, MART said:

Thanks!
I did not know one could apply for a Thai driver's license and own a vehicle with an exemption stamp or a TV. Can one get a certificate of residence with a TV for example? I thought one needs to do a 90-day report for such certificates and TH-holders cannot stay longer than 90 days for each permission of stay.

I have done boht bike and car whit VE just a few weeks ago. I stay in Udon Thani.

[Sumiyoshicho]

5 hours ago, jack343 said:

I'm a Canadian citizen currently staying in Thailand.  I'm planning to apply for the DTV early next month.  Could anyone advise which city is relatively easier to get approved?  Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Vientiane or Phnom Penh?  I need to book my flight and hotel asap.  

 

Also, there's a previous online post saying that the bank statements have to be stamped by a bank officer.  It's impossible for me to fly back to Canada for this at this point.  Could anyone confirm whether this is true?

 

Thanks!

Malaysia has a lot of complaints in various FB groups on the DTV process there. Vientiane, PP easier. Jakarta and Taipei are great choices also. Taipei same day approval with docs submitted in the morning. Malaysia requires bank statements stamped by your relative embassy, not needed for other SE Asian Thai  embassies.

[bbi1]

22 hours ago, Jmacs said:

DTV Apllication Australia . Online application 

Applied and payed . Status *Pending Document Check 

Stayed like that and entire week .

Updated status to * Pending approval 

Stayed like that for 4 business days .

Updated status back to *Pending document check again 

 

Not confusing or frustrating atall ... Grrrr

Are you applying through Canberra Embassy or Sydney Consulate? (Sydney Consulate is only for people in NSW)

 

When applying, did you have to provide Accomodation Name, Travel Booking Confirmation and Proof of Accommodation in Thailand as per Page 30 and Page 31 of: https://www.thaievisa.go.th/static/English-Manual.pdf I'm wondering what if people don't have their airline ticket booked or accommodation not booked yet, as it's best to wait for the visa to be issued first before booking these.

 

 

 

 

Edited Thursday at 11:11 PM by bbi1

[farrol]

On 9/11/2024 at 3:33 PM, moana said:

Entered back at Nan. I was their first DTV but they managed just fine. No issues at all. Friendliest border ever

 

Which checkpoint is that? Land border from Laos north of Nan? If yes how did you get there?

[moana]

5 hours ago, farrol said:

Which checkpoint is that? Land border from Laos north of Nan? If yes how did you get there?

Huai Kon in northern Nan, yes.

 

I entered with my car at Vientiane. Got the DTV there and then traveled around Laos for 2 weeks or so. On the last day I drove from Luang Prabang to Nan. Unfortunately the car ferry in Luang Prabang got cancelled due to flooding, so I couldn't use the short route (4B) and had to go the long way around.

[pres.yota41]

Hey everyone! 👋
 

I just wanted to take a moment to thank all the members here who contributed to this thread! Your input was incredibly helpful and guided me through the DTV-visa process. I’d like to share my experience too, I hope it might help someone else.
 

After reading through the thread, I decided to apply for my DTV visa in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam because (1) the requirements were clearly outlined earlier in this thread and (2) I had heard from a few buddies of mine who successfully obtained their DTV visas there. Here’s a quick overview of my situation:

• I'm a non-EU, non-American citizen working remotely for a large western IT company.
• Entered Thailand on a 60-day visa exemption a month ago and stayed until I traveled to Vietnam.
• I was aiming at the 'Workcation' type of the visa.

 

So I booked an appointment online through the Consulate website and prepared the following documents:

1. Visa Application Form
   Special for Ho Chi Minh Thai consulate, downloadable here, with a 4x6 cm photo glued in.
2. Certification of Work Letter
   Issued a week before the appointment date, mentioning my position, salary, and confirmation that I’m allowed to work remotely from Thailand.
3. Contract
   Quite standard and general, outlining parties' terms with the official signature and stamp.
4. Bank Statement
   A 6-month statement from my Wise account showing a balance over 15,500 USD, issued a week before the appointment date.
5. Proof of Bank Account
   Standard evidence doc from Wise proving I am the owner of the account.
6. Rental Agreement
   A 1-year lease for my house in Thailand, expiring in 10 months. I made right after I arrived to Thailand.
7. 340 USD in Cash
   The visa application fee. I exchanged the currency at one of the Vietnamese authorized currency exchange counters (see here).

 

Upon arrival at the Consulate at the appointed time I showed the email on my phone confirming my appointment to the guard, who let me in. At the counter, I informed them that I wanted a DTV visa. They first asked for my passport and then the documents. Although they didn’t specify exactly which documents they needed, so I went ahead and gave them one by one as if it were up to me. The staff member carefully checked that my first name, last name, and passport number matched across all documents—that was essentially the entire verification process.
 

Then I handed over $340, but there was a small issue. The staff thoroughly examined the banknotes and discovered some tiny pencil marks (which I hadn’t noticed when I received them from the exchange counter). The staff member said they only accept clean banknotes and returned them to me. Concerned because I didn’t have any other USD cash, I examined the notes and found the marks. I asked if they had an eraser, and they provided one. So I erased the marks, returned the banknotes and  they accepted then. Finally, I received a receipt with a date to collect my passport (in 2 working days). The entire process took about 5 minutes. Two days later, I came back and got my passport with the visa!

 

 

The strange thing though is the government sticker that was stamped right over the expiration year. I only noticed this after leaving the consulate, so it was too late to ask. I flew back to Thailand the next day and had absolutely no issues at the border. They simply asked if it was my first DTV visa (which seemed like a random question). I answered yes, and they stamped a 180-day stay permission in my passport. That was it.

 

Edited Friday at 12:18 PM by pres.yota41
Typos.

[jack343]

22 hours ago, pres.yota41 said:

Hey everyone! 👋
 

I just wanted to take a moment to thank all the members here who contributed to this thread! Your input was incredibly helpful and guided me through the DTV-visa process. I’d like to share my experience too, I hope it might help someone else.
 

After reading through the thread, I decided to apply for my DTV visa in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam because (1) the requirements were clearly outlined earlier in this thread and (2) I had heard from a few buddies of mine who successfully obtained their DTV visas there. Here’s a quick overview of my situation:

• I'm a non-EU, non-American citizen working remotely for a large western IT company.
• Entered Thailand on a 60-day visa exemption a month ago and stayed until I traveled to Vietnam.
• I was aiming at the 'Workcation' type of the visa.

 

So I booked an appointment online through the Consulate website and prepared the following documents:

1. Visa Application Form
   Special for Ho Chi Minh Thai consulate, downloadable here, with a 4x6 cm photo glued in.
2. Certification of Work Letter
   Issued a week before the appointment date, mentioning my position, salary, and confirmation that I’m allowed to work remotely from Thailand.
3. Contract
   Quite standard and general, outlining parties' terms with the official signature and stamp.
4. Bank Statement
   A 6-month statement from my Wise account showing a balance over 15,500 USD, issued a week before the appointment date.
5. Proof of Bank Account
   Standard evidence doc from Wise proving I am the owner of the account.
6. Rental Agreement
   A 1-year lease for my house in Thailand, expiring in 10 months. I made right after I arrived to Thailand.
7. 340 USD in Cash
   The visa application fee. I exchanged the currency at one of the Vietnamese authorized currency exchange counters (see here).

 

Upon arrival at the Consulate at the appointed time I showed the email on my phone confirming my appointment to the guard, who let me in. At the counter, I informed them that I wanted a DTV visa. They first asked for my passport and then the documents. Although they didn’t specify exactly which documents they needed, so I went ahead and gave them one by one as if it were up to me. The staff member carefully checked that my first name, last name, and passport number matched across all documents—that was essentially the entire verification process.
 

Then I handed over $340, but there was a small issue. The staff thoroughly examined the banknotes and discovered some tiny pencil marks (which I hadn’t noticed when I received them from the exchange counter). The staff member said they only accept clean banknotes and returned them to me. Concerned because I didn’t have any other USD cash, I examined the notes and found the marks. I asked if they had an eraser, and they provided one. So I erased the marks, returned the banknotes and  they accepted then. Finally, I received a receipt with a date to collect my passport (in 2 working days). The entire process took about 5 minutes. Two days later, I came back and got my passport with the visa!

 

 

The strange thing though is the government sticker that was stamped right over the expiration year. I only noticed this after leaving the consulate, so it was too late to ask. I flew back to Thailand the next day and had absolutely no issues at the border. They simply asked if it was my first DTV visa (which seemed like a random question). I answered yes, and they stamped a 180-day stay permission in my passport. That was it.

 

Thank you for sharing your successful story getting the DTV.  I have a job offer letter now with company's letterhead. The letter states my position, salary, other benefits, etc. on it.  My boss has signed on the offer as well.  Do I still need a contract?  If I do, could you please explain a little more what a contract should look like?  Do you have a template that I can refer to?  Thank you!

[pres.yota41]

@jack343, according to the official Thai e-visa website and the post in this thread I referred to, either an employment certificate or a contract should suffice. I brought both just in case, and they took both documents. Therefore, I can’t assure you that the certificate alone, or the the job offer letter alone in you case, will be sufficient, though it may very well be. As for the contract, it is quite standard, covering aspects such as rights, obligations, proprietary information, warranties, terms of termination, assignment, fees, etc. The most crucial part for them, as far as I understand, is the official signature or/and stamp. You can google for templates or ask ChatGPT to generate one for you (something like this but more detailed).

Edited Saturday at 03:31 PM by pres.yota41

[JoseThailand]

On 8/30/2024 at 3:24 PM, DEKEM said:

do what I am going to do..  wait a year to see what happens.  I am guessing.  but I think many issues will pop up.  so, this DV animal might not be around soon.  for one thing, all the elite visa people will get pissed off.  and then, there will probably be MILLIONS of people wanting to take advantage of this since people as young as 20 can apply.  can you imagine what will happen if the numbers coming in grow over 50 million?  china and india both together there are 3B people.  california could send over all the homeless they have to alleviate the problem there.

 

With border run restrictions having been lifted, they can do that even without a DTV visa.

[shdmn]

On 9/12/2024 at 4:08 PM, bbi1 said:

Are you applying through Canberra Embassy or Sydney Consulate? (Sydney Consulate is only for people in NSW)

 

When applying, did you have to provide Accomodation Name, Travel Booking Confirmation and Proof of Accommodation in Thailand as per Page 30 and Page 31 of: https://www.thaievisa.go.th/static/English-Manual.pdf I'm wondering what if people don't have their airline ticket booked or accommodation not booked yet, as it's best to wait for the visa to be issued first before booking these.

 

 

 

 

Just go online to the evisa website and start the process.  You can save it as a draft and come back later.  You will see that they ask for travel dates, port of arrival, inbound flight number, and accommodation in Thailand, but don't require any documentation for it on the application.  Of course they may ask for that as a follow up via email, but they don't on the online application.

 

Based on all that, I would say that ideally you should have your flight already booked but don't necessarily need to have your accommodation booked.  Just put down where you think you might be staying.  If they follow up with an email asking for a booking confirmation, then go on agoda and make a cancellable reservation for two nights.  I haven't heard of anyone being asked for that additional documentation but it's possible. I have done that exact thing before when applying for a tourist visa after they wouldn't accept my PDF of an email confirmation at a condo but with the DTV they don't ask for that documentation in the first place.

Edited Saturday at 10:05 PM by shdmn

[bbi1]

Income - I'm wondering if there would be any issues if you put a small monthly income like $100 per month / $1,200 per year on an employment contract or a certificate of work letter? I was thinking about having a company which I am a director of pay me $100/month for bookkeeping services where I could be a remote worker. Or should I increase it to $500 per month / $6,000 per year to play it a bit safer? I'm trying to plan ahead to have this done a few months in advanced so the income is shown coming into the bank account each month then I will apply for the DTV in December.

 

Obviously in my savings account I have way more than the required 500k baht so just need to sort out the income side of it.

[shdmn]

15 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

Income - I'm wondering if there would be any issues if you put a small monthly income like $100 per month / $1,200 per year on an employment contract or a certificate of work letter? I was thinking about having a company which I am a director of pay me $100/month for bookkeeping services where I could be a remote worker. Or should I increase it to $500 per month / $6,000 per year to play it a bit safer? I'm trying to plan ahead to have this done a few months in advanced so the income is shown coming into the bank account each month then I will apply for the DTV in December.

 

Obviously in my savings account I have way more than the required 500k baht so just need to sort out the income side of it.

I don't think it should matter how much you make since you also need to show a minimum of 500k baht in a bank account. I don't see any benefit to telling them that you make more than the minimum.

Edited Saturday at 11:54 PM by shdmn

[bbi1]

4 minutes ago, shdmn said:

I don't think it should matter how much you make because you also need to show that you have 500k baht in a bank account as well. That should cover any financial requirements they need.  I don't see any benefit to telling them that you make more than the minimum.

It shouldn't matter, but you never know until they approve the visa. I would pay myself only a dollar a month but that may be taking the piss to have an employment contract with a salary of $12/year.

[Chalky0w]

5 hours ago, bbi1 said:

It shouldn't matter, but you never know until they approve the visa. I would pay myself only a dollar a month but that may be taking the piss to have an employment contract with a salary of $12/year.

I haven’t seen any positive / negative outcomes based on income but you don’t know what each embassy have in their own guidance so it could be a factor.

 

If you wanted to take full advantage of the duration of the visa, 500k wouldn’t last the 5 years without other income.  
 

Marriage or retirement extensions are done for only a year but scaling up you’d need equivalent of 2,000,000 or 4,000,000 for 5 years.  Maybe some embassies might expect something similar if no income?

[atpeace]

Error

Edited yesterday at 01:16 AM by atpeace
Error

[Sumiyoshicho]

On 9/15/2024 at 8:39 AM, bbi1 said:

Income - I'm wondering if there would be any issues if you put a small monthly income like $100 per month / $1,200 per year on an employment contract or a certificate of work letter? I was thinking about having a company which I am a director of pay me $100/month for bookkeeping services where I could be a remote worker. Or should I increase it to $500 per month / $6,000 per year to play it a bit safer? I'm trying to plan ahead to have this done a few months in advanced so the income is shown coming into the bank account each month then I will apply for the DTV in December.

 

Obviously in my savings account I have way more than the required 500k baht so just need to sort out the income side of it.

There is no income requirement for the DTV. The priority is the 500K THB in a bank which shows you can live comfortably for 6 -12 months. 

[ddartt]

On 9/12/2024 at 12:52 PM, MART said:

Since it's not a non-imm visa/extension of stay, I'm wondering if one can own a vehicle, get a Thai driver's license, etc. I've seen a few people saying that it's possible but it did not seem to be backed up by some kind of evidence or their own experience.

 

I've bought a bike and registered it in my name on a DTV visa. In Chiang Mai. Need a residency certificate which one can get the next day for 500thb or in 3 weeks for 60thb. For residency certificate just need a TM30 from the hotel and a photo. And passport+copies of course.
I've also previously got a Thai DL while on visa-exempt entry also in Chiang Mai. The same deal with the residency certificate.

[RetroGTAndrew]

On 9/12/2024 at 9:33 AM, MART said:

Thanks!
I did not know one could apply for a Thai driver's license and own a vehicle with an exemption stamp or a TV. Can one get a certificate of residence with a TV for example? I thought one needs to do a 90-day report for such certificates and TH-holders cannot stay longer than 90 days for each permission of stay.

Well, a year ago I tried at SamutPrakan DLT while on a TR60 visa and they require a residence certificate which immigration (went there in person) will only issue to 'Long Term' visa holders, so I was ultimately unsuccesful. I may try eMailing SamutPrakan immigration and ask them if they will issue a residence certificate against a DTV.......... If anyone has acquired a residence certificate from a local immigration office while on a DTV please chime in.

Andrew

[GroveHillWanderer]

On 9/15/2024 at 12:48 PM, Chalky0w said:

Marriage or retirement extensions are done for only a year but scaling up you’d need equivalent of 2,000,000 or 4,000,000 for 5 years.  Maybe some embassies might expect something similar if no income?

The requirement for the amount of money in the bank is clearly stated on the official announcement of the DTV. It is no less than 500K Thai baht (or presumably, the equivalent). There are many reports on this thread of people successfully getting a DTV but (unless I've missed something) none I've read where people are being asked for evidence of more than that amount. 

 

For instance, there are people who have shown evidence of being granted the visa with a dentist's appointment and just over 500K in the bank (525K as it happens) with no requirement to prove any income.

 

Do you have any evidence saying people are being, or will be asked for more than the 500K?