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Will my girlfriend's past visa overstay affect her eligibility for a DTV in Thailand?

DTV Visa Visa Overstay Thailand Immigration Tourist Visa Visa Application Process

May 7, 2025

3 days ago

Drew ****************

ORIGINAL POSTER

3 years ago, my girlfriend overstayed her tourist stay by quite a while. She was not permitted to re-enter Thailand again for 2 years and had to pay a hefty fine. She paid it and that re-entry has passed (we actually entered Thailand together on our regular tourist visa's since).

Will this history affect her eligibility for the DTV? I emailed the embassy but they're taking an awfully long time to get back to me. 

Anyone here have that history and still got approved?

Thanks!

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TLDR : Answer Summary

A user inquired about their girlfriend's eligibility for a Digital Nomad Visa (DTV) in Thailand, following a past incident of overstaying her tourist visa. After a significant fine and a 2-year re-entry ban, she recently entered Thailand on a tourist visa again. Comments from the community provided mixed insights, indicating that while the overstay may raise concerns, recent entries on a tourist visa could support her application. Recommendations included applying for the DTV despite the past issues and considering using an agent for assistance.

DTV VISA RESOURCES / SERVICES

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Phillip ********

Maybe use an agent

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Greg ********

@Phillip *******

Some agents of have "Contacts" and can find out what is on your immigration system file. They can often ask questions about likelihood of approval!

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Phillip ********

yeah or can have the overstay record deleted even

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Greg ********

@Phillip *******

Yup - that is certainly a possibility with the right contacts 🙂 It can be costly - I know of a guy paid 600k for a 6 year overstay to be forgotten and a new 1 year retirement visa issued

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Greg ********

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Jirka ********

I sincerely hope so...take it as a lesson to watch your visa 😉 Thailand definitely doesn't need more people breaking the rules

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John *********

A fresh passport without the overstay would certainly help.

People will tell you everything is in the computer but I’ve found from multiple experiences they’re looking at your pages, the photocopies or the uploads, when you apply or extend visas.

Seeing that you’ve been in since, it might not be an issue.

However, passports are cheaper than losing the DTV fee.

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Luit *****************

When you apply for a visa, normally you only submit the page with personal data, not the stamps, so it will not make any difference to have a new passport when you apply for a visa.

At immigration they also have all history info, but I can imagine that a quick look at a passport full of Thai stamps can be an extra trigger to check, but that is only when entering the country.

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Paul *****

This meaningful comment got a lot of negativity. I strongly agree with the idea that embassies look at people's passports, not the full records. Following this logic, yes, a new passport may make getting the DTV more likely.

Of course, IOs have access to everything, but once a visa has been issued they shouldn't care much about problems from years ago.

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Luit *****************

Why should IO's not take their job serious when someone has a visa and ignore history?

Embassies normally not see passports, they only get the page with personal data, so this idea you have just does not match reality.

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Luit *****************

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Greg ********

Utter tosh - a new passport does not wipe your immigration record. Are you a time traveller from 30 years ago?

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John *********

I’m not suggesting it wipes your history or record.

But when you upload a picture of every page of your passport for some official to scrutinize, highlight, sign, and stamp your overstay stamps won’t be there. Your trips to other countries won’t be there. The names of places your visa was connected to, won’t be there.

Think of it this way: Everyone knows there’s a knife or cigarette behind pixellation in Thai movies, but it’s not staring you in the face.

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Greg ********

As the guy above makes it abundantly clear - it is the system they look at. I can assure you no IO scans through 42 pages of my current passport with stamps and visas.

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Greg ********

When I come through immigration it is my record on the screen the IO looks at. The passport is almost an afterthought when they look for a place to stamp the passport. All of the information is on the screen and they just double check my passport against that info. I came back in Saturday and my passport was hardly looked at except to flick through to fine a page to stamp. Even my TDAC on my phone was not required - it was all on screen.

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John *********

, I’m not calling you a liar. We’ve had different experiences.

I entered Thailand last month and he looked through every page in my passport. Asked me a few polite questions.

Seems he only used his computer to register my fingerprint and take my photo.

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Greg ********

Maybe he is looking in your passport for items that would not be on a Thai Immigration record?

Countries do share information but not everything and not with everyone. I got that from a British Ambassador when I asked him - he happens to be my best pal of 40 years :-)

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Greg ********

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Anonymous ******************

what rubbish are you talking about? When i scan a persons passport I can see everything!

Your bio metrics, all passport your numbers are linked, the system has your entire history.

A fresh passport means jack 💩

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John *********

From personal experience and those of others they’ve been told by immigration officials to get new passports based on their history.

What is your job sir?

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Anonymous ******************

take a wild guess based on what I said.

Just because someone is looking at your pages it doesn’t mean intel/data is not on the screen, or it’s being ignored.

We often look at pages to make sure what’s in the physical passport matches up with what’s on the system!

Or to look for signs of tampering, dodgy passports and many other things.

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Anonymous ******************

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Kool *******

passports are incidental. All someone's full history in Thailand is by facial recognition, and fingerprint/thumb print, at immigration. Overstay history is flagged in what comes up on their screens.

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Winston ************

Correct, Thailand, unlike the Philippines, collects biometrics, meaning your face and fingerprints will hit to the same individual, regardless of what passport he or she carries. That's what people mean when they say "everything is in the computer". What do you think they take your fingerprints for at the airport? For fun?

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Winston ************

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Greg ********

Interesting one. People have posted being refused entry and then getting a DTV. She obviously has no issues getting into Thailand again. It might depend on the Embassy. What can they see on their Immigration System access?

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Drew ****************

ORIGINAL POSTER

whenever we hit immigration, there's always a red flag on her profile and they have to call over some other officers who then all chat for a few minutes and then let her by, but yea they're a little startled by it each time it seems

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Greg ********

@Drew ***************

A guy I know left in 2016 just before the long term bans came in for overstay. He had 10 years and his son 5 years. They paid their 20k each and left. They have no issues returning and are never ever flagged.

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Drew ****************

ORIGINAL POSTER

interesting! I guess we'll give it a shot! thank you for your insights!

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Drew ****************

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Greg ********

@Drew ***************

I have no idea but would the Embassy you apply to for DTV have access to all information? I have no idea what they can see but from other info it woukd seem they do not have access to full immogration records. Member the MFA at the embassy and Immigrstion are 2 completely different department. Anutin the Deputy PM was complaining just last week the departments are not joined up and cannot see all information

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Greg ********

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Anonymous ******************

No it won’t

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Anonymous ******************

Yes

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John **********

I guess it must have been a 3 year ban. All she can do is try and apply, if she's been issued with a tourist visa since there's a fair chance she'd be OK

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Anonymous ******************

DTV requires not overstay in Thailand.

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Anonymous ******************

Anonymous participant 466 I was approved for DTV less than 2 weeks after having left Thailand on an overstay in October of last year. As long as you haven’t taken the piss a short overstay is not an issue.

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Anonymous ******************

Anonieme deelnemer 466 Have 2 overstays in my current, new passport in the last 6 months. Still got the DTV a few days ago.

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Luit *****************

Anonieme deelnemer 889 a short overstay might be treated a lot different than an overstay that resulted in a ban.

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Luit *****************

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Anonymous ******************

Wrong

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Anonymous ******************

Anonymous participant 466 doesn’t matter what they ask it’s what they check about you…

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Anonymous ******************

Anonymous participant 466 nah that's wrong. I got DTV with a short overstay. Some agents say no overstay history but on the E visa Website it's not a question that is asked.

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Drew ****************

ORIGINAL POSTER

Anonymous participant 466 where does it say this? I tried finding it

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Anonymous ******************

@Drew ***************

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Dany ********

Anonymer Teilnehmer 466 not an official source and not an official requirement. something that some websites made up

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Garrett ********

Anonymous participant 466 There’s always a difference between the way rules are stated and the way they are actually enforced, particularly here. I received a DTV last year without any hassles despite a few relatively short (<5 days) overstays, including one in 2023.

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Greg ********

Anonymous participant 466 Do you have the link for that?

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Greg ********

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