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What is the process for obtaining a DTV visa in Thailand for cooking school?

Feb 6, 2026
3 months ago
Brittany ***********
ORIGINAL POSTER
My fiancé and I recently went through the process of getting the DTV and moving to Thailand (home country: USA). Thought I'd share our story beginning-to-end in case it's helpful for anyone else just starting out.

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We knew we wanted to get a Soft Power DTV by attending a cooking school.

After looking into many different cooking school options, we found Arun Thai Cooking on YouTube. Their reviews were positive and we felt we were able to get a feel for the friendliness and professionalism of the staff via their Instagram stories.

We ended up purchasing their 6-month DTV visa package, and added on optional visa support (with Issa Compass).

The Issa Compass team was incredibly helpful and quick. Here’s our timeline:

Oct 14: paid for Arun Thai cooking school + visa support package

Oct 16: Introduced to Issa Compass team

Oct 17: Issa Compass set us up with their online portal and detailed descriptions of all the information we needed to submit as part of the DTV

Oct 19: We gather and upload all information

Oct 21: Issa Compass team reviews documents. Had some back-and-forth clarifications around lodging address when we first get to Thailand and uploading better quality passport photos.

Oct 27: Visa application submitted

Oct 30: Visa approved!

Mid-Jan: moved to Thailand ✈️ and had no issues getting into the country with our new DTV visa

I know it’s a luxury, but I was grateful to have the support of a visa agency to ensure we submitted everything properly. Felt like a justifiable expense considering how much we were uprooting our lives to make this move.

Everyone at Arun Thai Cooking School and Issa Compass were SO helpful in answering all our questions and giving us peace of mind throughout the process. We experience the famous Thai hospitality before we even set foot in the country. 💖

We’ve enjoyed exploring Bangkok so far, had a seamless experience finding a condo, and are excited to start our cooking classes in a few weeks.

Hope this overview of our journey might help someone. Let me know if you have any questions or if I can help in any way!
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The post shares a detailed experience of obtaining a DTV visa in Thailand through Arun Thai Cooking School, assisted by Issa Compass. The poster outlines their timeline from application to receiving the visa, emphasizing the benefits of using a visa agency. Comments from the community congratulate them and inquire about specifics like costs and health insurance, reflecting the supportive nature of the expat community.
DTV VISA RESOURCES / SERVICES
Qwizel ********
Amazing!!

Yours was very smooth congratulations 🎉

Guys!!🙏🤗🎸⭐️ it’s best to hire a agency 100% it’s more $$$ but way worth it! If you have the Luxury🙏🤗.
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Brittany ***********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Qwizel *******
totally agree! It was worth every penny for us. The move itself was stressful enough, having that piece handled by professionals was so nice
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Qwizel ********
@Brittany **********
I totally understand that and less hassle. When Im traveling or setting up in a new country my first go to is a agency you spend more but your sorted and it takes away from the guessing or trying to figure things out once again happy for you guys and Enjoy! Im seeing alot of our U.S. citizens packing up and living their dream I’m so excited about that🙏🥰
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Qwizel ********
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Sasha ***********
Congrats. Is it possible to pm me regarding the combined cost of the cooking school and Issa support team?
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Brittany ***********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Sasha **********
happy to share the costs here! Here’s the latest from their site: 32,900B for the cooking class + 4,500B for the visa support add on package.

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Brittany ***********
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Karimah *********
Hi there! Congrats on securing the DTV. What city did you apply in?
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Brittany ***********
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@Karimah ********
- the Issa Compass team handled all that for us, but I believe they submitted through the Los Angeles embassy
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Karimah *********
@Brittany **********
ohh ok. Thank you!
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Karimah *********
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Anonymous ******************
Congratulations!!! May I ask what company you use for health insurance?
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Brittany ***********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Anonymous participant 140 we ended up going with Safety Wing. Debated between travelers policy vs a more traditional plan (Cigna). Figured we’d start with Safety Wing and reevaluate in a few months
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Brittany ***********
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