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What should I know about entering Thailand on a 60-day stamp while waiting for my DTV visa?

Thailand visa DTV 60-day stamp visa application process immigration additional documents onward ticket requirement

Sep 5, 2024

4 months ago

Inigo *********

ORIGINAL POSTER

A few questions regarding the DTV. I'm currently stuck in the UK waiting for this thing to come through, which is taking longer than I'd hoped. 

1. What happens if I enter Thailand on a standard 60-day stamp-on-arrival while my visa is still pending? Someone (random Facebook comment) claimed that this would invalidate the visa. Is this true? I haven't been able to confirm this.

2. Assuming I could just leave now and enter Thailand on a 60-day stamp, then, if & when the DTV is granted, could I then cross into e.g. Cambodia, print it out, and then enter Thailand with it-- or do you have to be arriving from your country of origin to initialize it?

3. Are they asking for an onward ticket with this visa? It seems unreasonable given that it allows a stay of up to 6 months, but then again, it's bureaucracy, and Thai bureaucracy at that.

4. I've already been asked for additional documents, which I supplied. How many rounds of "additional document requests" can the process go through before it's either granted or denied? They actually responded within 24 hours with this request, which I submitted the same day, but since then it's been stuck on "pending documents".

Thanks.

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TLDR : Answer Summary

The user is concerned about the implications of entering Thailand on a 60-day stamp while their DTV visa is still pending. Key points include: entering Thailand on a 60-day stamp does not invalidate the visa application, but the user must leave and return to activate the DTV if granted. An onward ticket requirement hasn’t been reported, although it may come into play when traveling without a visa. There is no cap on how many times the embassy can request additional documents during the application process. Overall, communication about the visa status is ongoing, indicating that the application may still be active.

DTV VISA RESOURCES / SERVICES

Take the basic DTV Qualification Test to see if you're eligible for the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV).
For immediate assistance, contact Thai Visa Centre directly via LINE at @ThaiVisaCentre or Email them.
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Join the Thai Visa Advice Facebook Group to ask your questions, and get advice from others.

Bert ***********

Hi Inigo, out of curiosity, what additional documents are they asking? I'm about to apply for a DTV too :)

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Inigo *********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Bert **********

they wanted a letter from a company signed by an authorized person confirming ongoing employment-- so I wrote myself a letter, since I'm self-employed... apparently that's acceptable. I'd already submitted a legal work contract I'd signed with an agency, but they wanted this as well.

They also wanted bank statements showing a closing balance of £11k. Again, I'd already submitted screenshots and highlighted the last year's worth of invoices being paid to my account, as well as my stocks & shares ISA, but they wanted actual statements with my name & address on it (my RBS digital banking doesn't have it on so had to actually go to the bank and get paper copies and then scan them).

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Inigo *********

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Brandon ************

1) Nothing happens. But you also cannot activate the visa inside Thailand. You would have to leave and return to use the visa. Technically if the embassy questions where you are and find out you are no longer in the UK, they could reject your application. But many people don't receive their visa before they travel and then receive it once they are in Thailand with no issues.

2) You can enter any way you like to activate the visa.

3) No one has reported needing an onward ticket. Though you may need one if you travel without a visa first.

4) There is not a limit to how many times they can ask for additional information. More is better, as the only other alternative is rejecting your visa and you lose the fee. As long as they are still asking for documents then your visa might still be granted.

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Toni ********

@Brandon ***********

on this case approval is given after you come back to thailand - do you need to go out and come back in? Or can activate at immigration office in thailand

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Brandon ************

You cannot activate a visa you received from an embassy while you are inside Thailand.

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Brandon ************

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Inigo *********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Brandon ***********

I remember last time I applied for a tourist visa on the evisa site, it was stipulated that you could only enter Thailand from your country of origin

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Elías ********

@Inigo ********

that's not true. A few months ago I applied for a tourism visa from Korea. I'm not Korean, but I live in Korea. It was granted, and I obviously flew from Korea to Thailand.

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Brandon ************

@Inigo ********

That's literally NEVER been a stipulation. Once a visa is issued, it's valid for a set amount of time. You're not required to fly on the flight you put in your visa application, enter on the day you put in your visa application, or enter from where you applied. Why else would they make a visa valid for 90 days when you put a specific date and flight in the application? Plus the DTV is valid for 5 years. You think every time you have to enter from your home country? This is not a rule in any way shape or form.

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Inigo *********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Brandon ***********

as I said, this was for a *tourist* visa, last year, not the DTV. And as I said, I was asking about *initializing* the DTV, i.e. the first entry. As far as it never being stipulated that you need to enter from your country of origin, that was the consensus at the time when I posted a similar question like this in Facebook. If people on Facebook talk bollocks and aren't a reliable source, well that's precisely why I asked politely where you were getting your information from. Official sources of course would always be preferable.

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Tony ********

@Inigo ********

for the dtv and the tourist visa when making the application, yes the flight into Thailand must be filed as leaving from the country in which the embassy application is made. But as Brandon said, you don't have to stick to the info you supplied for the physical entry. So you can enter on exempt, then receive your dtv, and at your leisure (within the 60 days of your exempt) pop over a boarder and return with your pdf visa to activate it. Or even leave Thailand in 60 days travel the world for a year and come into Thailand anytime in next 5 years (as long as hou havent lost your pdf) to activate it. The downside of coming when the dtv is still pending is they may ask for more info that you can only supply from the UK, eg copy of p60, copy of utility bill, etc.

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Inigo *********

ORIGINAL POSTER

got it, thank you. And yes:

// the flight into Thailand must be filed as leaving from the country in which the embassy application is made. But [...] you don't have to stick to the info you supplied for the physical entry //

I think this is where the confusion arises. Thanks.

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Kool *******

@Inigo ********

every situation dealing with every visa is always at the discretion of the issuing embassy/consulate. There are no written in stone rules. As much as you talk you should actually know this already. This visa is only two months old so how each embassy/consulate around the world treat the application process, and approval can be different, and in many cases is different. You might want to weigh what would cost more, having it rejected, and have to apply again, or changing your flight.

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Brandon ************

@Inigo ********

You're asking to prove a negative. First show me something official that says you must enter from your country of origin. You won't be able to, so therefore it's not a rule.

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Brandon ************

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Inigo *********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Brandon ***********

super helpful, thank you, Brandon. Re. 1 & especially 2, are you absolutely sure? Do you have any official source, or where are you getting your information? Not doubting you, just obviously an important thing to get right. I don't want to inadvertently invalidate the visa somehow

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Brandon ************

@Inigo ********

As I said, you are required to apply from the country you stated in your application. If they find out you have left, they can cancel your application at their discretion. But a lot of people apply and then they don't get their visa before their flight so they receive the visa after arriving in Thailand.

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Inigo *********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Brandon ***********

yup, so you're saying you're going by the testimonies of other people here; fair enough

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Inigo *********

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