What was your experience applying for a Digital Nomad Visa (DTV) in Thailand through a Muay Thai school in Vientiane?

Just wanted to share my DTV experience, because I know how stressful the process can feel when you’re waiting for that approval.

My DTV has now been approved. I’m an Australian citizen, and I applied through Vientiane, Laos, using the Soft Power Muay Thai route.

I signed up with a reputable Muay Thai school in Bangkok and paid a little extra for them to assist me with the application process. For me, it was absolutely worth it. They filled out the forms, made sure everything was submitted correctly, and knew about some of the smaller things the embassy might request that I probably wouldn’t have thought of myself.

For example, later in the process I was asked to provide a photo showing my banking app together with my physical ATM/debit card, so they could clearly see the account and my name. The school had already warned me that things like this could be requested, which made the whole process much less stressful.

I arrived in Vientiane on August 9 and went to the embassy on August 10 to pay the 10,000 THB visa fee in person. That was probably the least enjoyable part, as there was a fair bit of waiting around outside in the heat, but it’s simply part of the process.

On August 17, they contacted me requesting the additional banking photo. I sent it through immediately, and at around 11pm that night my DTV was approved.

I think one of the reasons everything went relatively smoothly was because I tried to make sure there were no grey areas with my application. I used a reputable Muay Thai school, had the required funds sitting in my savings account for the full three months beforehand, and made sure I could provide anything else they requested straight away.

All up, the hardest part was simply spending about eight days in Laos waiting for the process to be completed. Nothing against Laos at all, I’ve just become very comfortable living in Thailand and really missed the convenience of being here.

Coming back through Don Mueang Airport was incredibly easy as well. I had my passport and a printed copy of my DTV e-visa ready. The immigration officer looked through my passport, checked the e-visa, asked me if I spoke Thai English n Thai, which I do, simple questions, gave me a smile, and I was through.

So overall, a very smooth experience.

Hopefully this helps someone else going through the process. If you have any questions about what I submitted, the timeline, Vientiane, the Muay Thai option, or coming back into Thailand on the DTV, put them below and I’ll answer anything I can from my own experience. 🇹🇭🇦🇺