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visa application tips
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Hello, I plan to apply for DTV visa under power soft muay thai category, already have gym documents and +500k thb in my Thai bank. I recieve passive income from my savings and make some extra with affiliate maketing but nothing significant.
Is it okay if I say I’m Unemployed in the application? It might give the impression I make not income which is not true. Could this make visa denial more likely? Thanks.
Hi! I’m currently trying to obtain a DTV visa but was rejected without any explanation. Here’s some background on my situation:
I applied for the DTV Soft Power Visa in Ho Chi Minh City and submitted the following documents:
- Entry stamp to Vietnam.
- Bank statement showing a balance of over $60,000.
- A treatment plan from one of Bangkok’s top dental clinics for braces, which is a two-year process.
- I indicated that I am currently unemployed and have no income.
Additional context: I held a 1-year ED visa in 2023/2024, made one border run in 2022, and entered Thailand multiple times via airports. During my last visit to Thailand in December 2024, an immigration officer handed me a form to fill out and informed me that next time I won’t be able to enter visa-free because I had spent too much time in Thailand. He advised me to apply for a DTV visa for future entries.
After submitting my application, I was asked to provide the following additional documents:
- "Provide the entry stamp to VN": I’m unsure why this was requested again, as I had already provided the same stamp.
- "A deposit account shows the transactions last 6 months and the account balance or a combination of a deposit/saving account totaling not less than 500,000baht. Stock/Crypto/Bitcoin/Investment/Business/PayPal account and sponsor are not accepted": I provided a transactions list (during the last 6 months, I consistently maintained at least $50,000) concatenated with my bank statement from the previous stage in one PDF document.
- "Please prove your monthly income. In case you are unemployed, please explain how you will sustain your life in Thailand": I attached a PDF explaining that I have over $60,000 in savings and experience in poker and IT, but I currently don’t plan to work because I have enough money.
Despite meeting the official requirements, my application was rejected. I suspect it might be due to my unemployment status (even though it’s not a requirement for the Soft Power Visa) or my extensive travel history (despite the officer recommending the DTV visa).
Given that I’ve provided all the required documents, should I try applying at another consulate, or is there a high chance of being rejected again?
Looking to apply via soft power Muay Thai (no income but have the proof of funds needed) - I'm going back to the UK from Bangkok for 3 weeks as it's my home country, so might aswell apply for the DTV from there, as I've only seen good things about applying with the London embassy on this group.
Does anyone have any tips on what to include apart from the standard proof of 500k, UK address, recent photo, muay Thai course registration and proof? Do they ask for any more than this as extra docs? Anyone had a tough time getting it from the UK?
(Arrived in BKK at the end of Dec and used 1 visa exemption and just extended it a few weeks ago)
Just wanted to thank this group for the wealth of information and help available here. After an anxious wait I had my workcation DTV approved in the UK this evening. Since I delayed the application waiting for documentation from an employer, the real processing time was no more than 3-4 working days. The extra documentation requested was reasonable in all cases and I felt that I was dealing with intelligent people. They didn't, by the way, accept cash in a brokerage account as evidence for the 500,000 THB equivalent.
In case it's of any use to future UK applicants, I didn't fit what I take to be the 'ideal' profile for the workcation - either permanent full time employment done remotely or a thriving business with proper registration and client testimonials.
I demonstrated a mix of seasonal contract employment and online activities (not onlyfans!) plus management of personal investments. It seems therefore that they are prepared to consider people with a 'portfolio' career rather than one simple occupation.
I suspect the seasonal employment was the decider as my employer, somewhat grudgingly, wrote a letter confirming it and saying how many years I'd been doing it. I did demonstrate savings and investments well in excess of £11,000, but it's impossible to know for sure whether this is taken into account.
My advice for future applicants is to rent Adobe Acrobat to make sure your document bundles are presented professionally (I personally paid Adobe through gritted teeth and passionately hate the SaaS model!). Also to take the time to get your ducks in a row with any evidence they request and write a professional cover letter introducing yourself and making clear that you will respect the law of Thailand, particularly as it relates to employment. Lastly, with the anecdotal reports of soft-power applicants who applied at SE Asian embassies facing scrutiny at the border, I'm glad I went for the workcation route in my home country even if it meant a little more stress.
In which situations are they asking for the full scans of your passport? Is it better to attach this to the original application upfront to prevent unnecessary delay?
- Tuesday 11th February changed to Pending Approval.
-Friday 14th February 6pm. My visa Approved.
- Saturday 15th February 6pm. - My partner was approved (Who knew the embassy worked weekends 🤔)
We submitted a 'super pack' that had all the requested documents but I also searched this group for any additional documents others had been asked for and simply included it all in the supporting documents area.
30+pages in total all as one single PDF with a Table of Contents Page indicating where each document was located. We used the website ilovepdf to merge the docs together.
Proof of funds:
6 months bank statements and 6 months corresponding payslips.
We both had the full amount in account for 6 months although I don't believe this is a requirement. I imagine they want to see that the amount is on account when you apply and will remain there. So the longer it's been there the better.
Supporting docs included were:
1. Cover letter (why I want to be in Thailand and why they should give me a visa - if you're stuck for ideas ask everybody's favourite AI agent to write it for you)
2. Letter from employer explicitly stating that I can work remotely and the company doesn't trade in Thailand
3. Employment contract
4. Proof of company registration from HMRC in the UK
5. Resume/CV
6. University Degree
7. Screenshot of my linkedin
8. Screenshot of company website
If I can offer you any advice at all,
1. less is NOT more in this instance. Add as much information up front as possible to save yourself the hassle of having to send in more documents or having an interview.
2. Make your application look professional. The table of contents with page number headings may not have made any difference at all, or it may have made all the difference. It only took me an additional 30minutes to do so was well worth it.
I applied as a Bulgarian for a DTV over a month ago. No additional documents were requested. Application stuck in Pending Approval for 2 weeks. Application is processed through the Bucharest Thai Embassy.
Since the visa wasn't issued in time for my entry, I had to do a chargeback with my credit card (website states up to 21 working days is what takes for the processing of the visa).
I owe this post to all of you, as this group has offered such valuable advice during my months of researching this visa.
Applied: Sunday January 5th, 4pm
Requested Additional Doc: Wednesday 8th, 11am
Submitted Additional Doc: Wednesday 8th, 6pm
Status Changed from "Document Check to Pending Approval" on the morning of Thursday 9th
Approved: Sunday 12th, 10:54pm (By email with visa attached as PDF)
I guess it did take 5 business days, or 7 calendar days, to receive full approval.
The additional requested documents was a Training Schedule of my Muay Thai classes. For this, I simply went onto my gyms website, took a screenshot of the their training schedule and submitted that. The other request was for 6 months bank statement. When I applied, I accidentally submitted 5.5 months. I have had 500k THB in my account for the past 3 months.
The gym I signed up with: [members only]/
Management was fantastic to deal with. Very fast responses and I helpful. They have all sorts of different packages, but I signed up for 1 month unlimited training. I also visited this gym and trained there before committing to the course.
A little tip, I pre-filled 95% of the application while I was in Thailand 24 hours before landing in Vietnam. When I arrived at my hotel in HCMC, I uploaded my passport page with the immigration entry stamp, boarding pass and a copy of my hotel booking invoice. So, I basically spent about 5min submitting the final docs.
Well...it's time to go celebrate with a fully loaded Bahn Mi before I fly out Bangkok tomorrow! 🤣
Edit: I finally managed to submit after starting a 3rd application. Fingers crossed !! 🤞
The preview of my birthday is auto changing to be incorrect. It is the 21st, not 22nd or 20th, as this sometimes displays. Has anyone else had this issue? I’ve deleted my first application only to encounter the same problem no matter how many times I go in and correct it. My fear is it will change when I pay and submit 🤦🏻♀️😭