Can I activate my DTV in Thailand after entering on a visa exemption?

@Grant ******

why do they need fight ticket from you?

@Grant ******

This is why the general advice is to apply between 1 and 3 months before travelling.

@Tod ********

 great explanation and that’s exactly what I was looking for so I could fully understand the context of what you meant.

@Douglas ******

𝗜𝗳 𝗜 𝗽𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝗜 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲.

I can see you haven't bounced by land in a good while..

At some borders bouncing yourself will either get you denied entry outright or told you need to spend the night in the neighboring country.

Where as

IF you use a service to bounce you out and back by land, they have already "greased the wheels" at the border they take you to so that you can get out/back the same day

A lot of people thinking they were going to "save money and bounce themselves" found out the hard way that it ended up costing them more than a service would charge to bounce out/back.

My advice is "don't step over dollars to pick up dimes" <- if you're going to bounce by land, use a service 🙂

Unfortunately

@Douglas ******

there are no "ghost bounces" (where you had the passport to a service that takes it OUT of the country and back in)

YOU physically either fly out and back or you bounce out and back by land showing the PDF DTV print out when you stamp back in to get the 180day entry stamp

@Douglas ******

what do you mean how?

There is nothing on the visa that says where you have to enter from OR how you have to enter thailand.

Many people have applied for DTV's too close to when they come to thailand, flown in, had their visas approved, printed the PDF and then bounced out/back by land OR air to activate the DTV and get a 180 day entry stamp