Can I transfer my DTV visa to a new passport in Thailand?

Anonymous participant 928 Got your point and I agree. ED visa holders would likely agree as well. They paid significantly more for their visas and, needless to say, contributed to the local economy just as much as DTV holders during their stay. At the time, ED visas could be extended or reapplied for multiple years, and each year required paying the same high fees. Yet despite that, they were still ruthlessly cracked down on.

In the end, our opinions as visitors don’t really matter. It’s their country, and you can’t exactly sue them if they decide to send you home. To understand their logic, you can think of a tourist country like Thailand as a coffee shop. A coffee shop relies on customer turnover and dislikes people who camp inside for hours. Similarly, a tourist country prefers short-term visitors who spend a lot during their stay.

I’m not defending this approach. It’s simply a reflection of their policy focus on quick profits from tourism.

Thailand also has extremely strict immigration laws, which already makes it clear that long-stayers aren’t particularly welcome. From a bureaucratic standpoint, immigration officers tend to dislike DTV holders because the scheme adds to their workload and stress without offering them any tangible benefit.

What surprises me is how little some Westerners understand about the realities of the place they plan to settle long-term. For example, here’s what I witnessed today. While crossing the Nong Khai border, I saw an Australian traveler get rejected when trying to enter on a visa exemption. The immigration officer told him to go back and apply for an e-tourist visa from Laos. The situation quickly escalated when the Aussie started shouting, “I’m a human! You can’t treat me like this! I have basic human rights! I have visa exemption!” The officer called security.

I cleared immigration and waved to him, and told him there was no point arguing. He should just follow instructions, get the e-visa, which is usually approved within 36 hours, and come back. I did the same.

I’m not defending this draconian approach. My point is simply that you need to understand the realities on the ground and be prepared when things go wrong. In their eyes, you’re just a tourist, not even a guest.

Anonymous participant 695 / aw, someone is jaded, you were either rejected or paid a lot for LTR. The reason why they have the DTV is that they want foreigners to spend their money living in Thailand, boosting the economy by renting apartments, going to bars/restaurants, etc. How does it go against “common economic sense”?

DTV_BegPecker I never applied for the DTV and never intend to, since I only come here for short vacations. The visa exemption plus a tourist visa works perfectly fine for me. Do you really think they want long-term tourists? The official rhetoric clearly suggests otherwise. Anyway, enjoy your stay while you can, and make sure you have a backup plan.

Participante anónimo 695 it's totally different. For the ED visa, you need to pay for classes, you can't skip classes and you can't exit and reenter the country as you wish. With my remote work DTV, I pay nothing to be here (as opposed to paying for classes or courses), I don't need to attend anything, and I can (and I do) exit and enter Thailand as I wish. It's been 15 months already, and nobody is revoking anything.

@Elías *******

Clearly, you know nothing about the ED visa. Three years ago, it was basically the same as the DTV with no need to attend classes, just pay the fee. Then, once they decided the ED visa was no longer in their interests, they began multiple rounds of crackdowns.

You also seem to know little about how the bureaucracy works here. ED visa holders already paid quite a lot for just one year, and the related agencies profited from it. Your DTV, on the other hand, is even cheaper, and immigration gains nothing directly from it, so it could easily become the next target of enforcement. Good luck.

Anonym deltagare 695 This is not correct. On an ED visa you always legally had to attend classes.

Anonymous participant 928 That was just legally speaking. When I was in Chiang Mai three years ago, no one actually attended classes while on an ED visa. It was pretty chill and no one cared, much like the current DTV situation. You purchased a visa to stay longer in the country, and then, of course, we all know what happened next. There’s no need to panic, though. Make the most of your DTV visa while it lasts, and at the same time, always have a plan B.

Anonymous participant 928 That was just legally speaking. When I was in Chiang Mai three years ago, no one actually attended classes while on an ED visa. It was pretty chill and no one cared, much like the current DTV situation. You purchased a visa to stay longer in the country, and then, of course, we all know what happened next. There’s no need to panic, though. Make the most of your DTV visa while it lasts, and at the same time, always have a plan B.

Anonymous participant 695 visas (with the sole exception of Elite/Privilege) are not generally intended to be revenue generating, that's just not the point of them. Point is to bring people into the country that will have some other benefit to the economy when here. A retirement visa is even cheaper than DTV, you think they are on thin ice?