# Got my DTV Visa (Remote Work) approved in HCMC, Vietnam.

I will share the full story (I was asked twice for additional documents), but first here are some short notes:

- Applied from Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam

- Used Revolut account (including Pockets)

- German Passport

- Remote work with a US LLC

Short Timeline:

Monday, November 10 – 10:11 am – submitted application

Wednesday, November 12 – 4:40 pm – requested further documents

Friday, November 14 – 11:45 am – submitted additional documents

Monday, November 17 – 3:30 pm – requested further documents

Monday, November 17 – 11:48 pm – submitted additional documents

Tuesday, November 18 – 10:11 am – visa approved ✅

Because not many people share this, and I was a bit confused at the beginning about these parts:

— Address information: You must first enter your current location address, then click “No” when asked if this is also your permanent address. After that, add the address where you live most of the time.

— Intended Date of Arrival: The date when you plan to enter Thailand.

— Intended Date of Departure: The date when you plan to leave Thailand (within 180 days).

— Last Port of Embarkation: The country you were in right before entering Thailand on your last entry.

— Flight number: If you have not booked a flight yet, just check Google Flights and enter a flight number.

⸻————————

And now, the full story:

Applied in HCMC, Vietnam (from Phu Quoc Island).

For everyone staying in Phu Quoc and confused that the district (Kien Giang) is listed for the Hanoi embassy: I called the Hanoi embassy, and they told me I can apply at both, but I should apply in HCMC. I think it’s better there, but Hanoi would also accept.

Applied as Business owner with a US LLC – income more than 80,000 USD / year.

Submitted documents (10th of November 2025):

—> Passport bio-data page

—> Photograph

—> Financial evidence:

(1) Self-written letter with an overview of my bank statements, including total balances on August 1, in between, and on November 7 (more than 500,000 THB). I added the euro amounts from personal and Pocket accounts and converted them to THB.

(2) Revolut bank statements (33 pages) with highlighted income payments. Most of the funds were in Pockets and only a small amount in my personal account. For those using Revolut: I explained in the letter on the first page that both are part of the same personal account—they are just separated in the statements.

—> Business:

(1) Cover letter + information about additional documents

(2) Business registration certificate (US LLC)

(3) Full portfolio (including an introduction about me, how I work, what I offer, tools I use, visual work examples, website links, pictures, sample pricing packages, client feedback)

(4) Cooperation agreement with one of my clients

(5) Four business invoices from 2024 and 2025

(6) Table with an overview of business income in 2025

(7) Proof of remote work letter

(8) Screenshots from my website

—> Current location

(1) Accommodation booking confirmation on Phu Quoc (two weeks via Agoda)

(2) Flight confirmation from Koh Samui, Thailand to Phu Quoc, Vietnam

(3) Boarding pass

(4) Vietnam entry stamp

(5) Photo of me with my passport in front of the hotel

To be honest, I thought I had already given more than enough, but after two days they asked for additional documents (12th of November 2025):

***Povide your income tax for the last 2 years.

***Provide more information about your experience in this field and details about your current work, including (1) your CV or portfolio and (2) examples of your work, along with any supporting materials demonstrating your experience and qualifications.

Submitted additional documents (14th of November 2025):

—> For income tax:

(1) Income tax return from 2023 from Germany (English certified translation + German original)

(2) Letter explaining that I was temporarily residing in Thailand in 2024 (stayed over 180 days) and paid taxes according to Thai rules (only money transferred to Thailand), and listing the attached documents

(3) Thai income tax declaration (Thai and English versions)

(4) Overview (Excel screenshot) of income in 2024

(5) Official business statements from Wise Business Account for 2 months in 2024 (to support the Excel data)

Explanation: The 2024 tax declaration does not show my full real income because I did not transfer everything into Thailand. To avoid further questions about my income in 2024, I proactively added the income overview and statements.

—> For business:

(1) Letter outlining professional background and experience

(2) CV listing all relevant periods since becoming self-employed / founding my company, to show the timeline and development

(3) Additional portfolio pages covering services I offer (again!), 2 detailed project examples (with screenshots, descriptions, results, project dates), client feedback (again!), screenshots and website links (again!)

I did not expect another request, but they asked again.

This time they asked for (17th of November 2025):

***Please provide evidence of all previous employment listed in your CV, including employment contracts from former companies, photos at previous workplaces, and any other relevant documentation.

***Document indicating current location (e.g., valid visa, receipts / proofs of payment for airline tickets or accommodation, etc.): Provide the full passport, including empty pages (TAKE A PHOTO, DO NOT SCAN). The date the photograph was taken is required.

***Please describe your journey entering the job market, including your starting salary and the steps you took to negotiate and reach your current salary level.

Documents I submitted (17th of November 2025):

—> For employment evidence:

(1) Letter explaining that I am not employed and cannot provide employment contracts. Everything listed in the CV is self-employment / business activity, and I added proof of my self-employed work since 2022.

(2) Another client cooperation agreement (client since 2022)

(3) Another business invoice (from 2022 – to show when I started; English + German)

(4) A photo of me working on my laptop in an apartment while traveling

—> For passport:

(1) Photos with timestamp and location (there is an app like “Timestamp Camera”) of all passport pages — do not forget the cover page and the last outer page!

—> For job journey:

(1) A letter describing how everything started, where I found clients, how my expertise grew, the natural progression of improving my services and increasing income, and where I stand today.

I submitted everything on November 17 late in the evening (just before midnight) and finally received approval on November 18 around 10 am. 🥳

Overall, it took about one week, which is okay.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

I’m currently in the process of applying for a 90 day non o visa. Does this need to be printed out. Ready to present to the Thai immigration?

Thinking of getting a retirement visa for Thailand. Anyone can suggest a good Thai representative company to handle this?

I would like to share my experience. I have received the approval for DTV Soft Power in September from the Thai Embassy in Paris (I am French).

I have applied with Arun Cooking School for their 6 months course. The application was prepared with the help of a visa agency in Bangkok.

Visa was approved by the Embassy. However when entering Thailand to activate it this weekend, they were reluctant at first because I had already spent some time as a tourist before during the year.

Immigration officers in Suvarnabhumi were super nice and calm during the whole process. I had to wait a bit for an 'interview' with them. They were surprised that I was granted DTV for cooking school, and were wondering if I should have an education visa instead...

In the end, they stamped me for 180 days and told me they were going to notify the Embassy about their feedback. I find it weird because they are the one to set the rules for DTV anyway and visa was granted already.

So a bit of a stressful experience but it ended well!

I wonder what will happen in May 2026 when I want to stamp another 180days! Especially if I have not extended my cooking lessons (not sure if I will, I would like to try something else)

I’m about to apply online from the USA for a non O retirement visa (Chicago consulate). Three questions:

Does my bank account need to be at least three months old?

Does the $25,000 need to be seasoned at all (I just deposited it)?

Do I need to wait for the official monthly bank statement or can I just provide a photo/screenshot of the current account balance?

I ask all this because I want to know I’m completely ready before I begin the application process.

Thanks everybody.

I have another 4.5 months on my existing Non O extension, however I will be applying for a DTV in the UK next month as it’s the only time I will be in the UK before my extension lapses.

Does my DTV automatically activate upon my next entry into Thailand or could I just hold off switching to DTV until April 26 after successfully receiving approval for a DTV in Dec 25

Flight number/ accommodation

Hi guys! silly question here!

I'm applying for the DTV Visa Now in November to hopefully have it approved by end of December. My plan is to move in January but I don't have a flight number or accommodation details since I don't know if the visa will be approved in time 🤷🏼‍♂️

I know that for accommodation I can book something and change the date if is needed (if someone can confirm please if is valid to do that) but what I can do about the flight number?

I know I can change the flight and it will cost me about 300 euros but this will interfere at the moment of arrival? Will they also ask for confirmation of the flight? or they just need a flight number?

Thanks in advance 🙏🏼

Have a good one!

I'm new to this group, so sorry if this a frequently asked question.

I'm a UK national, 60 years old , living in Thailand for 9 years already, on the standard retirement visa.

My parents, both UK nationals, , 83 & 84 years old, want to come and live with me. They would return to Europe a couple of times a year, but would be essentially living here, at my house, say 10 months each year.

Do they each need to apply for a retirement visa independently of each other, meaning 800k each in 2 separate bank accounts, or is there an option for attaching one as the spouse of the other to a single retirement visa.

Or are there other options available, like a family visa, or something similar.

Thanks for any/all feedback.

I want to apply for a DTV visa. Could you tell me what documents are required and how much it costs if I have someone handle the application for me?

For someone on the DTV and having a spouse and children covered under the same visa, did each person have to have the income requirement in the bank

In our case that would be 4 times the amount