Report Confusion Plagues Thailand's New Digital Nomad Visa, Leaving Applicants Stranded

[NorthernRyland]

46 minutes ago, Magictoad said:

Are these what used to be called backpackers? And are now called digital nomads? I don't know which is worse?

 

Yup. They just put a laptop in their backpacks now.

[Magictoad]

On 6/9/2025 at 5:04 PM, Artisi said:

Typical, the Thai brains trust couldn't arrange a drunks party in a brewery. 

But Thai brains have grown the tourist industry enormously 

[Jabberwocky]

15 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

This visa is a disgrace, and should never have been introduced. It's a magnet for criminals. 

No criminal needs that visa. The criminals have paid agents for decades.

[Magictoad]

15 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

This visa is a disgrace, and should never have been introduced. It's a magnet for criminals. 

 

With my own eyes i'm seeing bad eye visitors staying here for a long time, who just simply set about on rampant crime here in Thailand, anti social behaviour, drug dealers, all are on this visa. 

 

It's been slyly slipped in there with factions who wants to push in as many immigrants as they can, without anyone catching on. The backdoor open door immigration policy - done by the same people who gave visa free to most of the world. 

 

The disgraceful non balance of checks to get this is ridiculously easy.

 

One of the questions that should have been requested was a criminal record check (even countries like India have relevent checks for this), which is not requested, especially when you are essentially allowing someone to move here. No wonder the country has seen a raft of criminality. Vietnam request this on all long term visas. 

 

Then you have people openly saying on social media how they can bend the rules to get it. It's a mockery of any visa system. 

 

An absolute travesty. I blame this visa for the troubles we are getting. 

 

Most on this visa are then illegally trying to fund and work in Thailand. Go look at those selling tours illegally, they're all on this visa. If you want to stay in Thailand, these cheapos then try and work here. 

 

If they want this kind of visa, it needs to be more stringent, more stronger to stop abuse. 

 

It's not attracting digital nomads - it's attracting criminals. 

 

Who on earth wants digital nomads anyways ? A digital nomad is just a backpacker with a laptop. Let's be honest none of these 

Have you thought this through?

[DonniePeverley]

3 hours ago, Jabberwocky said:

No criminal needs that visa. The criminals have paid agents for decades.

 

But now you can have council estate Benidorm Brits get it. 

[thai006]

when you have 500K in the bank , you can stay in another asean country for more than 15 days really 

[kingstonkid]

14 hours ago, Magictoad said:

or weed out the flakes

😂 Them too

[Pompeygeezer]

On 6/10/2025 at 3:36 AM, riverhigh said:

 

 

There is always a first time! Most of  the Asean News forum community are on the same page. No one is getting fooled that a lot of these so-called highly skilled nomads are lying on their visas. Embasies are getting flooded with applicants seeing this visa as an easy way to work in Thailand illegally.  

Yes, If they got a lot of cash and work as what exactly? 

[Jedi888]

On 6/9/2025 at 7:45 PM, NoDisplayName said:

 

 

 

What's the problem?  So what if they need to spend an extra week or three in one country waiting?

 

 

If they truly are "digital nomads" then they should be earning a living regardless of location.

 

Seems more like the DTV is gonna be used by unlicensed dive instructors and illicit tour guides.

Oh no, not the bad man tour guides... so evil. Stop them at once! Only a 20 year old with <deleted>ty engrish kaaa can splain thailannnnn ting!!

[Jedi888]

On 6/10/2025 at 10:54 AM, BritManToo said:

Thais have a history of prostitution and overstays, so their ability to travel is restricted by western governments.

Don't think the citizens of most western countries have that reputation.

Try being a good looking young Thai girl entering Hong Kong.. quite a few get deported. A girl I know said she read this on a fb forum. I also saw thai hookers on the Tantan app with HK men pimps. It is going on yes. These girls say they are in HK for work for 2 weeks, bingo you know what that means! They just get these date app profiles and click yes on every guy. They doing the same crap in Taipei, Tokyo looking for thirsty douchbags. The hoe tour. Same like the hoes which tour Phuket, Hua Hin, BKK, Pattaya as travel hoes. Met them in Phuket back in the day. 

[gearbox]

21 hours ago, JackGats said:

Really? I'd have thought it was just a magnet for expats fed-up with the retirement visa hassle as well as for those who fell short of qualifying for the LTR.

Depends on the circumstances. My retirement visa just expired, and DTV would be ideal as I don't plan to be more than 6 months per year here, at least for a few years. Hopefully the processing in Sydney is faster.

[JackGats]

On 6/10/2025 at 4:54 AM, BritManToo said:

Thais have a history of prostitution and overstays, so their ability to travel is restricted by western governments.

Don't think the citizens of most western countries have that reputation.

Alas, immigration policies in the West are 100% under fem sexual trade-union control. Young personable females likely to attract Western men's attention are unwelcome. Geezers of all descriptions are welcome, especially Coran-retards who can cater to the fems' crypto-rape fantasies.

[shocky2012]

On 6/10/2025 at 6:18 AM, DonniePeverley said:

This visa is a disgrace, and should never have been introduced. It's a magnet for criminals. 

 

With my own eyes i'm seeing bad eye visitors staying here for a long time, who just simply set about on rampant crime here in Thailand, anti social behaviour, drug dealers, all are on this visa. 

 

It's been slyly slipped in there with factions who wants to push in as many immigrants as they can, without anyone catching on. The backdoor open door immigration policy - done by the same people who gave visa free to most of the world. 

 

The disgraceful non balance of checks to get this is ridiculously easy.

 

One of the questions that should have been requested was a criminal record check (even countries like India have relevent checks for this), which is not requested, especially when you are essentially allowing someone to move here. No wonder the country has seen a raft of criminality. Vietnam request this on all long term visas. 

 

Then you have people openly saying on social media how they can bend the rules to get it. It's a mockery of any visa system. 

 

An absolute travesty. I blame this visa for the troubles we are getting. 

 

Most on this visa are then illegally trying to fund and work in Thailand. Go look at those selling tours illegally, they're all on this visa. If you want to stay in Thailand, these cheapos then try and work here. 

 

If they want this kind of visa, it needs to be more stringent, more stronger to stop abuse. 

 

It's not attracting digital nomads - it's attracting criminals. 

 

Who on earth wants digital nomads anyways ? A digital nomad is just a backpacker with a laptop. Let's be honest none of these 

Do you even realize we’re in 2025?  Has COVID not taught you anything about how work has evolved? You sound stuck in the 1990s.
 

Digital nomads aren't just "backpackers with a laptop." That’s such an old stereotype. Most of us are legit professionals who just happen to work remotely.

And when COVID hit, when businesses were forced to shut down, when they weren’t making a dime and were desperately trying to find a way to keep selling…

Guess who they turned to? Guess who was out there helping them stay afloat?

If you only knew how many people — and businesses — folks like me helped, you’d think twice before making comments like that.
 

I get it, you’re clearly ignorant about how all of this works. But using your lack of understanding to downplay our value and what we do is just plain ignorant in itself.
 

Btw, here's a non-exhaustive list of the kind of people you lump into your lazy narrative:

Graphic designer
Website builder
Email marketer
Funnel expert
Copywriter
UX/UI designer
Meta ads manager
Google ads specialist
TikTok strategist
SEO specialist
Blogger
YouTuber
Video editor
Content writer
Motion designer
Voice-over artist,
Online coach
Translator
Virtual assistant
App developer
Shopify expert,
WordPress expert
Figma designer
Email automation expert
CRM integrator
Data analyst
E-commerce consultant
Brand strategist
Course creator
Media buyer
Chatbot builder
Affiliate marketer
Resume writer
Notion/ClickUp setup expert
Squarespace dev
Webflow dev
Podcast editor
Audio engineer
Influencer campaign coordinator
Discord mod
OnlyFans manager (yep, that’s a real job)
Newsletter copywriter
Pinterest marketer
Community manager
Media kit designer
Substack writer
Amazon FBA coach
AI prompt writer
Bookkeeper
Remote accountant
Legal consultant
Photographer
Social Media Manager
Funnel builder
Ethical hacker
Onboarding consultant
Customer support rep
E-learning designer
Zoom event coordinator
Illustrator
Canva template seller
Scriptwriter
VA agency owner
SaaS onboarding specialist, etc.. I can name 50 more if you want.
 

And guess what? Most of us pay taxes, work with serious clients, build real businesses, and keep things moving even while your 9-to-5 office shut down during lockdowns.

We're not all "trying to find ourselves" in cafés. Some of us have teams, payroll, deadlines, and real deliverables. If you're still judging remote workers by some 2014 Vice article about yoga bros doing dropshipping, you're just showing your ignorance.
 

Adapt or stay salty.

[shocky2012]

On 6/10/2025 at 10:59 AM, spidermike007 said:

So I guess Thailand is not the digital Nomad Hub after all!

 

The problem is when you create an administration full of people who were appointed strictly based on family connections, wealth, or proximity to power without taking into account anything even within the neighborhood of merit, skill or experience, you end up with situations like this. You have grossly incompetent people who are creating these programs, and they're simply unable to implement them, they don't have the intelligence, the skill, nor the abilities. More egg on the face of the terribly incompetent young PM. 

100% agree.

What they did with the digital nomad situation reminds me a lot of what happened with the weed legalization, rushed it through way too fast, left it sitting in a grey area for too long, and now it’s nearly impossible to backpedal without creating chaos. Same playbook.
 

Thailand has a bad habit of reacting quickly when it comes to implementing new laws or regulations, but it feels like they don’t think through the backend at all. No proper planning, no contingency plan, and then they’re stuck cleaning up a mess they made themselves.
 

Personally, I really feel for the people stuck outside right now due to some admin issue. Whether it’s lost time, money, or being separated from their families, yeah, it’s frustrating and completely understandable. Some of them probably have built lives here.
 

Is it really that hard to bring in someone who actually understands what being a digital nomad is, what it entails, and how this kind of visa should be structured?

[NanLaew]

On 6/9/2025 at 4:35 PM, snoop1130 said:

One European applicant, stranded for five weeks, expressed frustration on social media: "I've run out of money. When they asked for one more document, the 15-day timeline restarted."

 

If he can't afford a month in Phnom Penh, how would he survive a week in Bangkok?

[QPRFC]

We don't really want DTV people here anyway. 

Apart from paying for accommodation and eating, they won't be spending money in the country. 

 

I can't wait to see how Thailand handles its attempt at Taxation 😁 

[John Drake]

3 hours ago, shocky2012 said:

Do you even realize we’re in 2025?  Has COVID not taught you anything about how work has evolved? You sound stuck in the 1990s.
 

Digital nomads aren't just "backpackers with a laptop." That’s such an old stereotype. Most of us are legit professionals who just happen to work remotely.

And when COVID hit, when businesses were forced to shut down, when they weren’t making a dime and were desperately trying to find a way to keep selling…

Guess who they turned to? Guess who was out there helping them stay afloat?

If you only knew how many people — and businesses — folks like me helped, you’d think twice before making comments like that.
 

I get it, you’re clearly ignorant about how all of this works. But using your lack of understanding to downplay our value and what we do is just plain ignorant in itself.
 

Btw, here's a non-exhaustive list of the kind of people you lump into your lazy narrative:

Graphic designer
Website builder
Email marketer
Funnel expert
Copywriter
UX/UI designer
Meta ads manager
Google ads specialist
TikTok strategist
SEO specialist
Blogger
YouTuber
Video editor
Content writer
Motion designer
Voice-over artist,
Online coach
Translator
Virtual assistant
App developer
Shopify expert,
WordPress expert
Figma designer
Email automation expert
CRM integrator
Data analyst
E-commerce consultant
Brand strategist
Course creator
Media buyer
Chatbot builder
Affiliate marketer
Resume writer
Notion/ClickUp setup expert
Squarespace dev
Webflow dev
Podcast editor
Audio engineer
Influencer campaign coordinator
Discord mod
OnlyFans manager (yep, that’s a real job)
Newsletter copywriter
Pinterest marketer
Community manager
Media kit designer
Substack writer
Amazon FBA coach
AI prompt writer
Bookkeeper
Remote accountant
Legal consultant
Photographer
Social Media Manager
Funnel builder
Ethical hacker
Onboarding consultant
Customer support rep
E-learning designer
Zoom event coordinator
Illustrator
Canva template seller
Scriptwriter
VA agency owner
SaaS onboarding specialist, etc.. I can name 50 more if you want.
 

And guess what? Most of us pay taxes, work with serious clients, build real businesses, and keep things moving even while your 9-to-5 office shut down during lockdowns.

We're not all "trying to find ourselves" in cafés. Some of us have teams, payroll, deadlines, and real deliverables. If you're still judging remote workers by some 2014 Vice article about yoga bros doing dropshipping, you're just showing your ignorance.
 

Adapt or stay salty.

 

Speaking of adapt or else, I'd say 90 percent or more of those jobs you listed will soon be done by AI, if they aren't already. Day of the digital nomad passed before it ever got started.

[shocky2012]

34 minutes ago, John Drake said:

 

Speaking of adapt or else, I'd say 90 percent or more of those jobs you listed will soon be done by AI, if they aren't already. Day of the digital nomad passed before it ever got started.

 

We're definitely not there yet with AI. Honestly, we’re still in the early stages, what I’d call the infancy of AI. Sure, it’s evolving fast, and in my agency, we do use AI tools regularly, but purely as support. We're nowhere near the point where AI can fully replace a human, especially when it comes to creativity, nuance, strategy, or emotional intelligence.
 

And even if we eventually get there, the ability to adapt is what sets professionals apart. The only ones who’ll get hit hard are those who put all their eggs in one basket and never bothered to diversify or grow their skills.
 

The digital nomad era isn’t dead (at all). It’s just changing, like everything else.

 

The ones who adapt will keep thriving.