Quick update on my DTV journey:
I applied for the DTV visa and flew to Thailand while the application was processing. I stayed for about a month on a 60-day tourist visa. Around day 20, I got the approval notice.
So I did a quick visa run—flew to Kuala Lumpur for a day, then straight back to Bangkok. At immigration, no questions asked. The officer already knew what it was about. I just mentioned I had to fly out to activate my DTV, and she stamped me in for 6 months with a smile and a “have a good stay.”
Smooth and easy.
Passport is Germany.