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expat life

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This page displays all the results for the expat life tag, sorted by the most recent activity. There are a total of 615 questions that have been tagged with expat life. Explore the questions to find discussions and information relevant to this topic.
Jul 18, 2025
a day ago
Samuel ******
ORIGINAL POSTER
Ok so Tuesday I went and applied for my retirement visa renewal. Everything went fine but while I was giving my documents to the immigration official he asked where I live and wanted me to explain how to get there from the Jontiem immigration office. I explained directions and he said fine. Then handed me this paper with Captain Poo number. Explain that within the week Captain Poo would call and set a time to visit my condo and take pictures. On Wednesday I picked up my passport with the new one year extension. I thought no way is this guy going to call me. Well today he called and then came over to my place. He met the juristic and me, then had her take a photo of me and him in front of my door with the room number in it. Then two more inside. I signed a document and then he left. He had with him my renewal application. Strange has anyone heard of this. Captain Poo is real.
Jul 17, 2025
3 days ago
Got my DTV Visa approved today, and wanted to share the relatively painless process!

I'm doing soft power, through a cooking school in Chiang Mai that has a program made for DTV. I paid 63,000 baht for a program that's supposed to last for a minimum of 140 hours of cooking classes, and it took about a week from applying to the program to getting a pdf file from them with all the DTV info I'd need for proof of enrollment.

Following that, I applied for the DTV through the Chicago consulate on July 9th. I just got it approved today (July 16), a total of about 6 full business days. I enclosed the DTV pdf file from the cooking school (after reducing its size), a picture I took of myself on my phone, pictures of my passport page, and a bank statement for June of this year. My bank statement also held notably more than the minimum requirement.

All in all, both faster and less painful than I was expecting. Aiming to land in Chiang Mai in two months to kick off my stay in Thailand!
Jul 16, 2025
4 days ago
Andrea **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Hi me and my partner migrate from Switzerland to Bangkok Thailand. And we wanted to ask questions about the subject of DTV visa based on your experiences. Do you have any good Muay Thai centers or cooking classes that are recommended? Thank you so much for your advice 🙏🙏

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Hi, mein Partner und ich wandern aus der Schweiz nach Bangkok Thailand aus. Und wir wollten mal nach euren Erfahrungen Fragen zum Thema DTV Visum. Habt ihr gute Muay Thai Center oder Cooking classes die dafür empfehlenswert sind? Vielen Dank für eure Tipps 🙏🙏
Jul 15, 2025
5 days ago
Allen ************
ORIGINAL POSTER
For my retirement visa extension, I was asked to provide a list of all the places I've lived in the last 12 months along with lease agreements and evidence of rent payments. Is this normal procedure now or is it because I'm applying in a different province than last year. I bounced around temporary places quite a bit and this won't be easy.
Jul 15, 2025
5 days ago
Mark **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Hi I'm coming over april next year on a package for 2 weeks .if I wanted to stay few months would 1000 euros enough to live off a month ?
Jul 14, 2025
5 days ago
Julie *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Returning the favour as a grateful member of this community- DTV Approved in HCMC and officially back in Thailand with a 6 month passport stamp.

I am Canadian and applied for the 'workcation' DTV as a Preply teacher.

I submitted my application to the HCMC embassy on June 30th, checked the website for a status update on July 2 and it showed 'pending approval'. I received the approval email with my DTV on July 7th so it took 1 week total (including the weekend) to be processed and approved.

Here's what I submitted:

Proof of location:

~~Boarding pass to Vietnam~~

~~Vietnam Visa~~

~~Entry stamp to HCMC~~

~~Images of passport full book including empty pages (1-52)~~

~~Proof of accommodation (hotel confirmation) ~~

~~Selfie outside hotel with key~~

~~Onward ticket of flight to ~~Thailand

Work Docs:

Freelance teacher portfolio with cover letter explaining:

~~what I do, where my students are sourced, how I get paid, approx monthly earnings, why I'm applying, and stated that I will not seek work locally in Thailand.~~

~~TEFL cert~~

~~My profile stats (generated within the platform) including hours & lessons taught to date, attendance rate, etc.~~

~~student roster~~

~~earnings spreadsheet~~

~~Screenshots of my calendar from the previous month and upcoming weeks showing completed and upcoming lessons~~

~~Student reviews~~

Financial Docs:

* My exported payment history from Preply

* 6 months of Bank Statements with all deposits from my work highlighted (I also highlighted the conversion amount from USD to CAD to make is VERY easy for them to match everything up). I also made a note about a percentage that Preply deducts when transferring to non-US accounts- again to make everything as clear as possible

* The 2 most recent statements showed a balance of over 500k baht

Happy to answer questions from anyone hopping on the same boat!
Jul 14, 2025
6 days ago
Conny ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Has anyone successfully applied for a DTV (Digital Nomad) Visa by showing proof of funds in their bank account *while* having a new remote job?**

Here’s my situation:

1. I was on sabbatical in Southeast Asia.

2. Returned to my home country and secured a remote job.

3. Now I want to reapply for the DTV (or similar visa) for more stability abroad.

Has anyone made this work? Would love advice or tips!"
Jul 13, 2025
6 days ago
Mika *******
ORIGINAL POSTER
Hello! Is there somewhere I can begin or a document I can read with beginner knowledge? I am thinking of relocating to Thailand in the upcoming year but have no idea where to begin especially regarding the Visa process. I am 40 years old, I have a U.S passport and I would like to relocate long term.
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