Answered2 years ago

What are the steps and challenges for applying for a DTV visa and opening a bank account in Thailand?

Digital Nomad Visa (DTV)Visa application process Thailand immigration Banking in Thailand Remote work visa Expat banking challenges

Anonymous *************

asked Dec 18, 2024

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Hello, I got my DTV approved yesterday and I would like to thank all of you for the information and help that is provided in this forum.

Here are the steps of my application, if it can be useful for anybody:

11/12 applied online through the Rome embassy and provided all the documents required under the workcation (remote worker) category.

13/12 request to upload additional information such as “Updated Official bank statement showing applicant's details and current available balance of not less than 500,000 THB” (I had uploaded a bank statement which dated back to October and a screenshot of my current balance) and “ticket departing”

17/12 approval 

Now the next challenge will be to open a bank account, and I know it won’t be easy at all, or eventually impossible.

But this is another story 🙂 

Thanks a lot again

Answer summary

An expat shares their experience of being approved for a Digital Nomad Visa (DTV) in Thailand, detailing the application steps, including submitting required documents to the Rome embassy. After receiving a request for additional information, they were approved within a week. However, they express concern about the challenges of opening a bank account in Thailand and note that it's a common issue among expats.

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Emma *****************

Is opening a bank account mandatory?

2 years ago

Robert ************

There are agents everywhere who will open bank accounts for you. Pay money and it shall be yours

2 years ago

Francky ********

Why opening a bank account in Thailand as you already have one in your Country ? I never understood that in what i read.

2 years ago

Luit *****************

@Francky *******

With Wise and Revolut you are OK as long as you can pay with card, but card payments in Thailand are far behind a lot of other countries.

Some shops don't accept cards at all, some accept only Thai issued cards, some add 2.5 percent or 3 percent when you pay with card.

So you need cash or Thai QR prompt pay.

Cash you can get with your Wise or Revolut card at ATM of course, but high fees.

Best indeed is to take your own foreign cash and exchange at Superrich.

My solution is transfer money with Wise to the Thai bank account of my Thai girlfriend when we are at ATM and then she gets the cash for me.

But it would be nice to just have the Thai QR prompt pay, I hope Wise will also support that one day.

2 years ago

Francky ********

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

thanks for all these good explanations 😉

2 years ago

Anonymous *************

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

thank you very much for your detailed explanation. Honestly I didn’t feel like repeating these things again but probably for someone it will never be enough

2 years ago

Luit *****************

Anonieme deelnemer if you need a bank account also depend on your style of life and where you buy your stuff.

Shops like BigC and Lotus's have no problem in accepting creditcards.

But when you buy at markets and a lot of smaller shops, you need cash or QR prompt pay.

When you buy everything with Shopee, you also can use your card for everything, allthough my Wise card was not accepted and Revolut did not give any problems.

2 years ago

Francky ********

Ok. But don’t you have fees anyway with a bank here. Because if you work here and earn baths that’s sure but it’s just a tourist visa and you only transfer your currency. Isn’t it better to come with cash & change it ?

2 years ago

Rick ************

@Francky *******

, if you can't understand why it's needed, then it's not for you.

2 years ago

Wannikea *********

@Francky *******

an expensive little thing called foreign currency withdrawals with fees and markups

2 years ago