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

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!