Is there a reliable visa service in Chiang Mai for DTV extensions?

@David **********

That is incorrect, it is designed to be the correct option, that some immigration offices seem to have problems with it or don't like is a different story.

@Luit ****************

, with respect, it’s not an assumption—it’s based on the lived experiences of thousands who’ve tried extensions since the DTV’s launch in July 2024. The “correct” option in theory (extending for another 180 days at 10,000 THB) crumbles in practice due to those exact office-level problems you mentioned: discretionary denials, extra demands for remote work verification, or even outright hostility toward non-tourist stays. Border runs aren’t a hack; they’re the intended flexible path for nomads, allowing unlimited re-entries without the extension hassle. If offices were uniformly supportive, we’d see far fewer success stories for hopping to Laos or Malaysia. I’d encourage checking recent user threads for the data—it’s eye-opening.

@David **********

When there are already thousands of DTV holders who tried to extend, that is a good indication the DTV is misused.

When you use DTV as intended you rarely need an extension and never need a border bounce.

The extension is meant as an exception when for some reason your stay needs to be longer than expected, and does not cost THB but just 1900 like all other extensions.

I can understand the by you called "outright hostility toward non-tourist stays" on a DTV, because DTV IS a tourist visa, so immigration does not like that it is used creatively in another way.

Nomads don't need borderruns, they normally don't stay over half a year in the same country, that is why they are called nomads.

Border runs are NEVER INTENDED, they are just used to circumvent the intended use.

When it was meant you stay longer than 180 days in the country, the default stay just would be longer.

@Luit ****************

Claiming that low extension applications signals misuse is a hasty generalization fallacy.

Also, it It overlooks the visa’s core 5-year multiple-entry design for flexible stays, directly supporting Thailand’s post-COVID economic push to revive tourism (20% of GDP) by luring high-spenders, especially as Chinese arrivals plummeted 34% in early 2025, dragging overall visitors down 5%.

Border runs align with this intent for repeat economic boosts, not circumvention, while extensions at 1,900 THB  serve exceptions.

In conclusion, Thailand tailors the program for its economic purposes—not your preferences. And isn’t it hard to argue that DTV-holders following Thai visa guidelines are leveraging the visa inappropriately? 😎

@David **********

Since extension always is designed as an exception, thousands extensions as you claim on only 35,000 total applications is cleary a sign that the visa is not used as designed.

When they wanted the group that wants to live in Thailand on DTV they would have created a visa that is valid for 5 years where you come and go where you want and no need to get out of the country.

But that group is not the group of visitors that spend a lot.

Now DTV attracts a lot of people who want to LIVE as cheap as possible in Thailand.

The fact that a lot of them not applies at their home country, but just do some visa tourism as short and cheap as possible in neighbouring countries is a also a clear sign for that.

The intention of the visa obviously was just as you say to attract returning visitors for flexible period up to 180 days, bringing in a lot of money in periods as small as possible.

Seeing border runs as an intended thing is just $tupid, why would you send people to the border and back? What is the advantage for the country?

Borderruns are never intended, but is a loophole which occurs because otherwise you have to make complex rules as some other countries do.

There also is not one single guideline that says you should do a border run, is just is using an existing loophole, so unintended use.

Anonymous participant , while I appreciate your enthusiasm for learning from experiences (as do I), the reality on the ground with DTV extensions tells a different story. Numerous reports from expats and digital nomads—across forums like Reddit, ThaiVisa, and direct Immigration Bureau interactions—highlight consistent inconsistencies: offices in Chiang Mai or Phuket often reject applications citing vague “insufficient proof” even with full documentation, while Bangkok might approve sporadically. The rules themselves may not explicitly cause this, but their interpretation by understaffed or risk-averse officers does, exacerbated by the MFA-Interior ministry divide we discussed. It’s not a closed mind; it’s pragmatic advice to avoid unnecessary frustration and potential overstay risks when border runs reset your 180 days seamlessly under the visa’s multiple-entry design.