Unanswered8 months ago
What should I do if my application for a Non-O visa is suspended while my DTV visa is active?
Important Notice: I have a DTV visa. To apply for a Non-O (under Thai Child) visa, I called the immigration office at BKK Airport to inquire if I could close my DTV visa there. They told me I didn't need to close it, that it would automatically close once the Non-O visa was approved. Trusting them, I came to Vietnam and submitted the application. TA-TA! My application was suspended due to missing documents. Guess what? They told me I couldn't apply for a Non-O visa while my DTV visa was active. My return ticket is for February 19th, but the Thai consulate in Vietnam is closed until February 23rd for the Chinese New Year. It sounds like a joke, but it's true. (It happened!)
Summary so far
The user shared their experience of trying to switch from a DTV visa to a Non-O visa (under Thai Child) but faced issues when the immigration office incorrectly advised that their DTV visa would automatically be canceled upon approval of the Non-O visa. Their application was suspended due to missing documents, and they were informed they couldn't apply for a new visa while the current one was still active. The comments reveal a consensus that an active visa must be canceled before applying for another, with discussions about the pros and cons of DTV and Non-O visas, highlighting bureaucratic challenges.
24 repliesnewest first
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Greg ********
It has always been this way. A visa has to be cancelled before moving to another. I have gone from O to B and back again to O. Each time my previous visas needed to be cancelled. It's a pain in the ar5e but that is the way I had to do it. Ended up doing 2 border runs and a trip to Singapore extra all expenses paid.
John **********
In theory you should be able to convert your DTV visa into another visa type at an immigration office inside Thailand, the one that serves the area where you live not the airport, assuming you meet all of the criteria of the visa you want to convert to. But I've yet to see anyone successfully doing so, but bear in mind if your DTV is based on the workation option you won't legally be able to continue working remotely on the Non-O. Failing that you only have 2 choices, wait until your DTV expires or find a way to cancel it.
Alican **********
OP@John *********
I understand not being able to own land and a house, but I have a child and I support him financially, and I plan to be by his side for as long as I live. However, I didn't know I would face such visa difficulties. First of all, having to keep 400,000 Thai baht in the bank every year is pointless. It's like saying, "If you don't have 400,000, go back to your country and leave your child fatherless." Fortunately, given the current economic conditions, my passive income is sufficient to cover this amount, and I hope it will remain so in the future.Alican **********
OP@John *********
Leaving the country every six months is exhausting me. I'm not working and have passive income, so a visa type that I can renew annually seems more advantageous.
James ********
And the expense of getting and renewing the Non O Visa and one year extensions is costly. Plus the $$$$$ you must bank in a Thai bank account.
Jonas *************
@James *******
and then we have a 90-day reports that only works for some people online.... If you belong to the bank of immigration office it might take several hours to do it in person, in time including getting there waiting in our class and then getting back. And not even mentioning the returning permit which is actually quite costly.
It's funny how the DTV is so cheap and relatively low cost compared to anything else.
Since it's meant for people working but really should charge people for the time they are here!
DTV_Be*******
I mean this has been discussed many times here. Visas are issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You called a completely seperate government agency - Dept of Immigration and asked them for their input. An individual can only have 1 active visa at a time. To apply for a new visa, the old visa needs to be canceled or expired. Only the embassy that issued you the DTV visa can cancel it for you. If it wasn’t from Vietnam, they can’t cancel it for you. Also, why would you come at the beginning of Tet?
Greg ********
DTV_BegPecker Plus the fact if they do not know they will tell you something. Not losing face for them and not Kreng Jai for you.
Alican **********
OPDTV_BegPecker Actually, I was here on February 9th and I was foolish enough to think that the Non-O visa would be completed before the holiday.
DTV_Be*******
@Alican *********
seems like you made multiple mistakesFrank-Steven ***********
Why would you, even? What advantage are you hoping to achive by switching to a Non-O? The DTV is about the most hassle-free visa to have.
Anonymous ******************
@Frank-Steven **********
are you for real? Non-O beats the dtv easily, dtv is a tourist visa and with non o you can apply for work permit, open bank accounts, etc etcFrank-Steven ***********
Anonymous participant 377 I guess there is a good visa for everybody now. I would neither want to go through the arbitrarily changing annoyances of extending any Non-O, nor would I rely on making little money within Thailand if I can just do geo-arbitrage and bring in money from outside - which makes all parties involved happy. So, to each their own, anonymous guy.
Luit *****************
@Frank-Steven **********
When you want to live in Thailand the non-o just is the right visa, DTV is only through the loophole of back to back stays more or less useable.Frank-Steven ***********
@Luit ****************
Not a loophole. Back to back (if wanted) is by design, the DTV being a multiple entry visa with 5 year validity. Sure, Non-O is fine, too. But with a Non-O I actually need to pay for the right to leave and return to Thailand (re-entry permit), which is jet another bureaucratic act. The DTV is just about zero annoying touchpoints with immigration, while meeting most people’s reality of going to another country within each 180 day cycle anyways.Luit *****************
@Frank-Steven **********
The idea behind softpower is OK, nothing wrong with giving people doing softpower a visa during their activity, but since checks are missing and difficult, it is heavily abused.When retirees comply with the requirements, and not use an agent to evade requirements, it is a group that is attractive to have as country, not a high risk they steal jobs from Thai, a reasonable income from outside with low risk of loosing it.
Most of them just easy spenders.
Frank-Steven ***********
@Luit ****************
The only reason they got undesirable groups is for some reason they open the DTV for anybody on some random „soft power“ course of only a few weeks. They should have designed the DTV for only those making real remote money from abroad. And as for the retirees, everybody just being beyond 50 always had it too easy to stay in Thailand.Luit *****************
@Frank-Steven **********
180 days per calendar year as a lot of countries practice is quite complex and also has disadvantages.They did it the easy way with a maximum stay of 180 days.
They targeted the group of digital nomads, they normally not stay over 180 days.
Now they also get a group of applicants they did not want at all or they wanted to apply for another visa with other requirements.
For retirees they have quite different requirements.
Frank-Steven ***********
@Luit ****************
Don’t you think of somebody wanted to design a visa that would e.g. only allow 180 days per calendar year, they would have done so? Where is the harm in letting people stay without any such forced interruption as long as they bring money in from (only) abroad? They are doing the same with retirees for ages. It was about time they did something similar for digital native remote workers. Only the soft power category was a „mistake“. Finally, I honestly believe the Ministry of foreign affairs ( the authors of the DTV) is just more aligned to the reality of the world outside of Thailand than the ministry of interior / police.Luit *****************
@Frank-Steven **********
Why do you think someone wants to design a visa that makes it necessary to do a borderrun every 180 days?It is a possibility because it is complex to find a way to limit the visa, like for instance a Schengen visa where you can never stay over 90 days in a 180 days period.
But this means they have to count how many days you stayed.
It would indeed be nice when free re-entry would be included in non-o.
Making non-o multi entry for over a year would create the same loophole as DTV has, no checks on continued visa requirements because IO at the border is not an ideal option for that.
Alican **********
OP@Frank-Steven **********
For travellers yes its good visa type. But for me every 6 months leaving country is exhausting.Frank-Steven ***********
@Alican *********
Ok. For me, wasting my precious time with bureaucracy at immigration at yearly extensions would be much more exhausting. Leaving the country at least once every 180 days on the other hand comes absolutely normal to me - I mean think of vacations exploring somewhere else or returning to your home country to visit friends and family. But everybody is different.Frank-Steven ***********
@Alican *********
Yes, it you meet the requirements again and if it is still around then. The future is always hard to predict in this country.Alican **********
OP@Frank-Steven **********
Can a DTV visa be reapplied for after 5 years?Activity
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