Has anyone successfully extended their DTV from within Thailand, rather than leaving and re-entering to get a new 180 days?

I have a DTV that was issued in my home country. When I applied, I satisfied all the requirements, including the remote-worker requirements and proof of funds.

My current 180-day permission to stay expires in mid-September, so I recently visited Phetchaburi Immigration to confirm the procedure for getting the additional 180-day extension without leaving Thailand. To my surprise, I was told that I need to show 500,000 baht in a Thai bank account. They would not accept my home country bank statements unless they were certified by my Embassy, which isn't an option because the embassy does not provide that service. So I'm now faced with scrambling to get ฿500,000 into my Thai bank account within a few days, or making an unplanned and unwanted trip out of the country and re-entering instead. When I originally obtained the DTV, my understanding was that the ฿500,000 financial requirement was part of the visa application process, not something I would necessarily have to demonstrate again and again for an in-country extension, and certainly not specifically in a Thai bank account. This also seems problematic for many people because I've read about DTV holders having difficulty even opening Thai bank accounts. I'm not sure how someone in that situation is supposed to produce ฿500,000 in a Thai account for an extension. Has anyone here actually completed the 180-day DTV extension at a Thai Immigration office? If so, which office did you use, and what financial evidence did they require? Did they accept an overseas bank statement, require a Thai bank account, and was there any requirement for the ฿500,000 to have been in the account for a certain period beforehand? I'm particularly interested in first-hand experiences from people who have actually done the extension, rather than information about leaving Thailand and re-entering, as I already know that is an option. Thanks very much.

You've discovered that immigration wants nothing to do with you and your DTV. Have people succeeded in getting a DTV in extension in Thailand? Yes, and they probably will never try again after that experience.

Immigration does not want you to get an extension. They want no part of the DTV. It was created by the MFA, without consultation by immigration. You've discovered one of the first blocks, they asked for money in a Thai bank, yet you are not eligible for a bank account. They know this. That's why they asked for it. If you somehow did have a Thai bank account, they would have a new requirement that would be difficult for you to meet. When you finally satisfied that requirement and were standing back at immigration, there would be a new one that they didn't tell you about last time. They will repeat this until you're within 14 days of your expiration date, and then tell you it's too late and you can only apply when you have more than 14 days left.

Save yourself a lot of grief, and do a border bounce. Most immigration officers will straight up tell you to do it because they know you're not likely to get the extension inside of Thailand.

Also, what anyone else may or may not have experienced at another immigration office is irrelevant to you. You have to use your immigration office, and have to meet their requirements. Each immigration office sets their own requirements, so what happens at an other office means nothing to you.

Thanks Brandon. That paints a rather gloomy picture. I will be able to transfer the 500K into a Thai bank account which I currently have, but not withing the 14 days of my expiration date. So looks like I may have to make a trip. Thanks for the info.

8 minutes ago, BrandonJT said:

They will repeat this until you're within 14 days of your expiration date, and then tell you it's too late and you can only apply when you have more than 14 days left.

Are there any official rules governing this 14-day rule? I've been unable to find anything in any of the official documentation mentioning this.

51 minutes ago, Flaresh said:

Are there any official rules governing this 14-day rule? I've been unable to find anything in any of the official documentation mentioning this.

No, not that I know of. The official requirements do not list it, though they don't list any of the other things that immigration offices use to prevent these extensions either. For example the official requirements state 500,000 in a foreign bank account is fine, but as you've learned that is not always the case. From what I've heard, the 14-day before expiration is a requirement at every immigration office. But I also haven't heard about all 70+, so I can't say that definitively.

Thanks. Just got back from another visit to the immigration office. I was there a couple of days ago, and the officer told me that as long as I had the 500K in my account before my application, it would be fine. He even told me that a day before was acceptable. Today, the same officer stated that it has to be in a Thai bank account 2 months before the application. I'm happy to follow all the rules for my chosen visa, but when the rules change on a daily basis, or from office to office, seemingly at the whim of individual immigration officers, its very frustrating. Looks like I'll have to book a trip abroad.

7 minutes ago, Flaresh said:

Looks like I'll have to book a trip abroad.

That was clearly pointed out so suggest time for mini holiday.

I could think of a, lot worse things than a week in Saigon every 6 months.

Keep in mind that folk on Non O extension have much higher financial obligations.

Yeah, that's true. I do love Vietnam. I was originally on an OA retirement visa but changed to the DTV as I wanted to do a bit of freelance work back in my home country, and know that was prohibited on a retirement visa. Guess I'll start looking at flights. Thanks again.