Hello, I just want to share my experience with re-entering on the DTV visa in Phuket (remote work).
A few days ago I arrived back to Phuket after a short 2 day trip in Dubai. I presented my passport to the immigration officer and he said "oh DTV". He took my passport to his colleague and after a quick chat asked me to follow him to the immigration office. I was asked to provide all the documentation I used to apply for the DTV visa. Luckily I had it on my laptop.
The immigration officer asked all sorts of questions like: Did I apply for the DTV visa myself? Why did I apply in Hanoi if I am an Australia citizen and UAE resident? How much money do I have?
After about 1 hour of talking to multiple immigration officers and sending my documents via email to the imm. office at the airport, I was granted a 180-day stamp.
All the immigration officers were very nice and even explained why they decided to check all my documents. According to them, it turns out that a lot of fake papers were used to obtain DTV visas in Vietnam, Loas and Myanmar,... He said if I applied in Australia or Dubai then there would be no issues. The imm officer said they do a better job of checking papers in non SEA countries.
I have a remote work DTV visa (workaction) and am employed by a US registered company. Everything is fully transparent and documented.
However, I do want to use this opportunity to caution people against using DTV visa services, where agents will provide "all the papers you need" for a fee. I have seen many ads like this around FB and telegram groups.
One person next to me in the imm. office was issued a DTV visa with what they suspect to be fake papers and according to the immigration officer they will contact the embassy of that individual and notify them that the visa has been cancelled. I don't know what happened to that person after that, but it doesn't sound like you get a chance to just buy a ticket to KL and leave.
Please use common sense when deciding to apply for the DTV visa and treat it like you are applying for a visa in any other European or western country. If you applied for a DTV visa with a 2 week cooking course and are re-entering after 6 months, expect some questions. If you have used dodgy or even fake employment or course papers to apply for a DTV, then good luck to you.
Hope this info helps. Happy to answer any questions on my experience if I forget to mention something in the post.
TLDR : Answer Summary
The post shares an individual's experience re-entering Thailand on a Digital Visa (DTV) after a short trip abroad. They faced scrutiny from immigration officers who asked for extensive documentation due to concerns about the authenticity of DTV applications from certain countries. The author warns against using agent services for visa applications, citing potential risks of cancellation for fraudulent submissions. The post highlights the increasing scrutiny and stricter immigration checks on DTV holders, advising applicants to ensure all documentation is legitimate and transparent to ease re-entry.
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