# Issued Tourist Visa (TR) despite applying for DTV with full documentation – Any similar experiences?

Sawa dee ka everyone! seeking advices or similar experiences regarding a frustrating outcome from the Thai Embassy in Tokyo.

I am a Japanese national and recently applied for the DTV (Remote Worker category). I have a clean immigration history with 3.5 years of previous work experience in Thailand under a working visa (no overstays, no visa runs).

The issue: Despite applying for the DTV and paying the 52,000 JPY fee, I was issued a 6-month Multiple Entry Tourist Visa (TR) instead :((((

My application process was intense:

1. Since I’ve been living abroad recently, my bank accounts and employment contracts are from outside Japan.

2. After my initial submission, the Embassy requested Tax Returns, Bank Statements, and my Employment Contract to be NOTARIZED in Japan. This cost me extra time and money, but I completed it perfectly.

3. They asked me 2nd additional document requests, I provided proof of my current stay in Japan and a detailed professional portfolio to prove my remote work status. I submitted those.

It is extremely difficult to understand why they requested a "Notarized Contract" (which is specifically for DTV) only to issue a standard Tourist Visa. It feels like a clerical error or an unfair downgrade without explanation.

Has anyone else applied for the DTV and been downgraded to a TR visa despite having no "defects" in their documents?

For those in this situation:

* Are you entering with the TR visa and planning to re-apply for DTV later?

* Should I try to challenge this with the Embassy, or is it a lost cause?

Honestly, the lack of transparency in this process is incredibly frustrating. I’d love to hear your thoughts or if anyone has successfully "converted" or appealed such a decision.

Have a good day!

Approved in Tokyo, Japan 😀

Finally got the approval today, thank you to everyone for the advice and tips along the way. Here is how my process went:

February 17th: Applied under the remote work category.

February 21st: Requested additional documents: Company Registration Certificate and Recommendation Letter issued by company.

March 3rd: Requested to attend interview at Thai Embassy in Tokyo on March 6th (wasn't given choice, it just said be there at 2PM on March 6th). Fortunately I was available then.

March 6th: Interview day. It was quite rigorous and intense. Was interviewed by 3 women at once; one Japanese and two Thai. They mainly wanted to know about my employment. I work in recruitment in Japan and have been doing for 20+ years. I had to explain that I can work fully remotely and that all of my clients / business takes place in Japan. I had to show proof of 2 of my clients, proof that I can do the job remotely, they wanted to see my business card, look at my LinkedIn profile and payslips.

They they touched on other topics; they wanted to know how I know my guarantor, why I cannot speak Japanese completely fluently, where my ex-wife lives, where my adult son lives, why I like Thailand and can I speak any Thai.

I always knew that applying in Japan might be more strict than other countries, because, well, Japan is just like that.

At the end of the interview, I asked them if I will qualify since I checked all of the boxes and they said maybe. They said perhaps they might offer me another type of visa. I told them that I am not interested in any other type of visa.

The three woman were all very pleasant.

March 10th: Approved 👍