Answereda year ago
What was your experience getting a Thai visa in Jakarta and entering through Phuket?
My experience using a Thai visa issued in Jakarta
I applied for my Thai visa while in Bali, through the Thai Embassy in Jakarta. The process there was a bit slow — they asked for extra documents before approving it, but once I submitted everything, it went through fine.
About a month later, when I arrived in Phuket earlier today,, immigration took me aside to a holding area. They said they didn’t have the documents that Jakarta had received, and asked me to send them again. I had to dig through my computer and email them to a personal Gmail address (not an official government one), which felt a bit odd.
After about 15 minutes, one of the liasons came back and said okay, then told me I could go through immigration. They also had me fill out another short form with general information.
Overall, it wasn’t a big problem, but it definitely wasn’t as smooth as other people make it sound. My impression is that Phuket immigration might not be very familiar with this particular type of visa, or they just want to put on a front of being tough.
I applied for my Thai visa while in Bali, through the Thai Embassy in Jakarta. The process there was a bit slow — they asked for extra documents before approving it, but once I submitted everything, it went through fine.
About a month later, when I arrived in Phuket earlier today,, immigration took me aside to a holding area. They said they didn’t have the documents that Jakarta had received, and asked me to send them again. I had to dig through my computer and email them to a personal Gmail address (not an official government one), which felt a bit odd.
After about 15 minutes, one of the liasons came back and said okay, then told me I could go through immigration. They also had me fill out another short form with general information.
Overall, it wasn’t a big problem, but it definitely wasn’t as smooth as other people make it sound. My impression is that Phuket immigration might not be very familiar with this particular type of visa, or they just want to put on a front of being tough.
Answer summary
The user shared their experience applying for a Thai visa at the Jakarta Embassy while in Bali. The application process was slow, requiring additional documents. Upon arriving in Phuket, they faced immigration issues, as Phuket officials did not have the submitted documents and requested them again, creating a slight delay. The user noted that while the process eventually went smoothly, it was not as easy as anticipated, suggesting possible unfamiliarity of Phuket immigration with the specific visa type.
29 repliesnewest first
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Anonymous ******************
exactly which documents?
Anonymous ******************
You are not the first to have 'issues' on first DTV entry at Phuket. I had similar (not request for the docs, but pulled aside and made to fill out that form) about 6 months ago. With entry's after the first one should not occur again. Did you come off ED recently?
Daniel **********
OPAnonymous participant 287 yeah but not recently...maybe 2 years ago
Anonymous ******************
HKT is quite famous for causing trouble to DTV holders. BKK & DMK is the best
Henrik *****
I you have done proper reseach before applying, simply reading the Embassy website, then you would have know the visa processing time is at least 10 days, effectively meaning 2 weeks, and when asked for additional documentation, the visa processing clock resets to 0, which then lead to an expecteded visa processing time of 4 weeks.
Daniel **********
OP@Henrik ****
the issue wasn't getting the visa. The issue was getting through immigration today
John *********
Visa, which Visa?
Daniel **********
OP@John ********
this is the DTV group, so I thought it was implied.Anonymous ******************
This is exactly why I flew into Bangkok from Bali instead of Phuket
Daniel **********
OPAnonymous participant 846 yeah annoying but not worth changing plans over imo
Robin *********
There isn't the one "experience" as every immigration officer and situation is different. Most of the time things go smootly but there are just No gurantees in life especially with Thai immigration 😉
Bob **********
Was it for soft power ?
Mason *******
@Bob *********
Most people who get questioned applied via workation.Daniel **********
OP@Mason ******
apparentlyDaniel **********
OP@Bob *********
dtv workcation
Waqar ********
@Daniel *********
workcation is meant to run as smooth as possible because we have literally everything to prove our ligitmacy on spot. Questioning you for extra 15 mins at border is a surprise.
Anonymous ******************
Thanks for sharing the story. It’s a great reminder that even with a valid visa (no matter the type) you can still be subject to questions and checks even though not common. Forget about the experts of nothing who claim otherwise; short-term trends never last for long in Thailand, there is no long-term guarantee.
John **********
Or it could be they wanted to check the Jakarta embassy was behaving correctly?
Daniel **********
OP@John *********
i highly doubt they went through 70 pages of documents thoroughly in 20 minutesJohn **********
@Daniel *********
no but its long enough to get an idea that due process was followedJohn **********
@John ******
yea a bit weird but I can't think of any other reason. They do check up on Embassy issued proof of income letters which is what made me think of it.
John *******
@John *********
it is weird though. They are entirely different government agencies.Anonymous ******************
How long did you take in total to get approved?
Daniel **********
OPAnonymous participant 391 at the airport? 20 mins
Anonymous ******************
@Daniel *********
sorry I mean for the visa to get approved in Jakarta. I go tomorrow to apply.James ********
Bali made applications are acted upon by the Thai Embassy in Jakarta Indonesia
Anonymous ******************
@Daniel *********
awesome thank youDaniel **********
OPAnonymous participant 391 I didn't go to Jakarta. I applied from Bali. It took an hour to complete the application, then after one week, they replied that they needed more documents, then it took 3 more days to approve after I submitted again
James ********
Did you PRINT OUT the DTV Visa you received in the email to you from the Thai Embassy ?
This is the email I send to DTV visa recipients... possibly you didn't get it.
"Thank You for your helpful report 👍
Congratulations 👏👏👏
PRINT OUT THE EMAIL THAT HAS YOUR DTV VISA.
That's what you should do... print it out.
You may have to show PROOF of your DTV Visa to airline staff on check-in for your flight ✈️ to Thailand...even to the connecting airline staff. Or to the land border crossing entry Thai Immigration Officer.
Upon arrival into Thailand, show the DTV visa to the Thai Immigration Officer and look at the STAMP placed in your passport to be sure you are STAMPED in for 180 days".
This is the email I send to DTV visa recipients... possibly you didn't get it.
"Thank You for your helpful report 👍
Congratulations 👏👏👏
PRINT OUT THE EMAIL THAT HAS YOUR DTV VISA.
That's what you should do... print it out.
You may have to show PROOF of your DTV Visa to airline staff on check-in for your flight ✈️ to Thailand...even to the connecting airline staff. Or to the land border crossing entry Thai Immigration Officer.
Upon arrival into Thailand, show the DTV visa to the Thai Immigration Officer and look at the STAMP placed in your passport to be sure you are STAMPED in for 180 days".
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