Hi

Although I meet the criteria for a DTV visa, getting one seems like a bureaucratic nightmare. Forget a single paper and you are stuck in Laos.
I hope agencies invented easy paths to get it - like just pay money, get papers and become a visa holder for sure. But I'm wary of scammers.

Please share your experience with easy DTV paths.

No matter which visa you apply for you must to have the needed documents.

 

I found it much easier to get the DTV than the visas I have used earlier (Multi Entry Tourist and NON-O based on retirement). I applied for the DTV from my home country (Denmark) and I needed fewer documents for the DTV than for the other visas.

2 hours ago, zmisha said:

Hi

Although I meet the criteria for a DTV visa, getting one seems like a bureaucratic nightmare. Forget a single paper and you are stuck in Laos.
I hope agencies invented easy paths to get it - like just pay money, get papers and become a visa holder for sure. But I'm wary of scammers.

Please share your experience with easy DTV paths.

Not "stuck in Laos" - since the borders from Laos to Thailand allow re-entry with Visa-Exempt (now 60-days) without the need for agents, etc - even if have recent visa-exempt use-history. 

 

That said, just read the DTV pinned-thread, and the list of exactly what is needed are there.

 

9 hours ago, Rob Browder said:

Not "stuck in Laos"

 

The OP means waiting for the visa to be approved

 

10 hours ago, Rob Browder said:

Not "stuck in Laos"

He wants a DTV. Not a border bounce. 

OP, if using agent it's expensive process. 

Most offer package that includes accommodation, transport  etc to Savannakhet.

Cost 100-120k and allow approx 5 days. 

 

42 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

He wants a DTV. Not a border bounce. 

OP, if using agent it's expensive process. 

Most offer package that includes accommodation, transport  etc to Savannakhet.

Cost 100-120k and allow approx 5 days. 

 

 

Thats a crazy amount of money to pay. But I guess if you dont have the 500k atleast you can get it with 100k. I wonder how they do the showing of required funds.

23 minutes ago, raz0r21 said:

Thats a crazy amount of money to pay. But I guess if you dont have the 500k atleast you can get it with 100k.

 

I think more likely this route appeals to those who have plenty of money, but don't want to or know how to jump through all the other hoops required.

11 hours ago, Rob Browder said:

Not "stuck in Laos" - since the borders from Laos to Thailand allow re-entry with Visa-Exempt (now 60-days) without the need for agents, etc - even if have recent visa-exempt use-history. 

 

That said, just read the DTV pinned-thread, and the list of exactly what is needed are there.

 

I think they will not allow me to entry without visa because of my 12+ years back-to-back visa history. I don`t look like a tourist at all.

I encountered the "stuck in Laos" situation about ten years ago or so. This was the time when there was an easy path to stay in Thailand with non-ED visa based on Thai learning courses which you actually don't need to visit. It was possible to get an extension to stay up to 1 year. And... suddenly... these visas became difficult to obtain. I saw a lot of rejected non-ED applications in the queue. Mine was also rejected. The reason was always "you need one more paper" - which was actually easy to make in school but the applicants were far away from school - so ... they were stuck in Laos. 
Luckily, I was offered a tourist visa instead of non-ED. At that time, they were very easy to get - you just had to fill out the visa application form and pay 1000baht.

2 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

OP, if using agent it's expensive process. 

Most offer package that includes accommodation, transport  etc to Savannakhet.

Cost 100-120k and allow approx 5 days. 

 

Considering that the visa is given for 5 years, this is not much at all - 100-120k. This is 20-30k per year. In the old good times we paid 40k per year for non-ED every year. So it is ok for "easy path", but too expensive for a high rejection rate option.

I suppose that most of the applicants choose Thai Cooking Classes, Thai Boxing or so as universal formal reasons for their application and agencies organize the entire process including communications with schools.

It seems that because of the high cost, not many people get this visa using agents. Therefore, it is necessary to take time to evaluate whether there are easy standard ways to get it with low risks.

1 hour ago, raz0r21 said:

 

Thats a crazy amount of money to pay. But I guess if you dont have the 500k atleast you can get it with 100k. I wonder how they do the showing of required funds.

Seems like you should have this money before contacting the agent. Cannot find any report with “show money in the bank” service used.

I suggest to get the DTV now since I am pretty sure they will make the requirements tougher sooner rather than later. Someone staying in Thailand 5 years doing "cooking classes"... yeah right. 

I'd say the easiest path is if you can prove that you're working for companies based out of Thailand and choose the "Workcation" route.

 

See below my guide based on my own experience at the embassy in Vientiane.

 

 

 

6 hours ago, bigt3116 said:

 

The OP means waiting for the visa to be approved

 

He said he was worried about the paperwork not being approved.  The Thai consulates in Laos do not accept the application unless your paperwork is deemed OK.  If it wasn't approved / didn't get the visa, he could still come back no problem - get whatever missing thing, and try again later.   Though, if following the tested paperwork lists in the main thread on the DTV, denial is unlikely.

4 hours ago, zmisha said:

I think they will not allow me to entry without visa because of my 12+ years back-to-back visa history. I don`t look like a tourist at all.

I encountered the "stuck in Laos" situation about ten years ago or so. This was the time when there was an easy path to stay in Thailand with non-ED visa based on Thai learning courses which you actually don't need to visit. It was possible to get an extension to stay up to 1 year. And... suddenly... these visas became difficult to obtain. I saw a lot of rejected non-ED applications in the queue. Mine was also rejected. The reason was always "you need one more paper" - which was actually easy to make in school but the applicants were far away from school - so ... they were stuck in Laos. 
Luckily, I was offered a tourist visa instead of non-ED. At that time, they were very easy to get - you just had to fill out the visa application form and pay 1000baht.

Back then, there was a 2x / calendar-year on land-border entries.  That is why people got stuck, then.  If they had "too many" tourist-visas, they had to get a new passport from their embassy, before they could get another Tourist visa.

1 hour ago, raz0r21 said:

Someone staying in Thailand 5 years doing "cooking classes"... yeah right. 

Yeah sure thats a stretch ..........but if someone wants to do <180 days then a "6 month cooking semester " every year for 5 years could be OK.