Can my wife apply for a Thai visa as the main applicant while I am a dependent, or vice versa, given my situation as a seafarer?

Question

Hi everyone, I am a seafarer on a merchant fleet and my wife and I are currently living in Thailand. I initially considered applying for the new Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) as a seafarer, but I understand that DTV is for remote workers and digital nomads, and I may not qualify under this category as I am not a remote worker.

So now we are exploring a different option, and I have some specific questions:
 1. At first I wanted to apply as the main applicant (Muay Thai training program as the activity) and my wife as dependent. But I realized that in this case her visa fully depends on mine. If I get delayed at sea (for example, more than 6 months), she cannot stay in Thailand without me and cannot exit/re-enter by border run to reset her stay. So now I am thinking of switching roles and letting my wife be the main applicant.
 2. Could my wife apply as the main applicant (for example, cooking school program), and I apply as dependent? Would Thai Immigration accept me as a male dependent spouse?
 3. We are currently living in Thailand, but plan to fly to Romania and apply for DTV visas at the Thai Embassy in Bucharest based on this plan. Does anyone have experience applying for DTV in Romania?
 4. If we don’t get the DTV visas abroad, we will return to Thailand. I will enter as a tourist (which is fine), but my wife has already spent almost 3 years continuously in Thailand on a student ED visa. We will take a re-entry permit for her before leaving, but will this long history of ED visa cause any problems at the airport or with Immigration? Also, if she returns with a valid re-entry permit, will she be able to extend her current ED visa again as normal?

Any personal experience or advice would be highly appreciated. We want to be 100% legal and safe, even with my frequent travels as a seafarer.

Thank you so much for your help!

Ask Thailand · Answer

A seafarer living in Thailand is exploring visa options for himself and his wife. Initially considering the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) but realizing it may not apply, he has questions about switching their roles for visa applications and the implications of his wife's long-term ED visa. Several commenters provided insights including that she could independently apply for her own visa, allowing her to travel freely without being tied to his visa status. They emphasized the separation of visa statuses for spouses and offered advice on applying from abroad.

Chris ******* · Answer

She would have her own visa and doesn't matter what you do once she has it.

She can come and go as she pleases.

Yes you could be the dependant also but irrelevant.

Gareth ********** · Answer

I have just applied and received my DTV from Sydney.  Remote worker, I work on ships doing 6 week trips, they needed it written in my employment contract that I was working remotely. Being a seafarer you are working very remotely.

Wannikea ********* · Answer

So many of your assumptions are just wrong. You can apply soft power, the spouse as spouse of the main approved DTV holder applies citing the main holders DTV number, spousal documents, funding monies or sponsorship letter, upon approval they get their own visa completely separate from the main DTV. They can come and go as they wish.

Can my wife apply for a Thai visa as the main applicant while I am a dependent, or vice versa, given my situation as a seafarer?

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