I was just approved for my DTV and am elated. I submitted my documents to the Washington DC Embassy electronically on October 17 in the afternoon, so 9 business days in total.

I used my drivers license as proof of residence, used a selfie I took on my phone for the picture (against a white wall). Also took picture of my passport with my phone.

I used an American Express savings account statement showing one month of activity ending on October 6 for proof of funds.

I entered a friend’s condo address and reception I’ll initially stay at as my residence until I get my own place, and entered the flight number for the last leg of my trip to Bangkok.

I was not asked for any additional information.

I went the soft power route, booking a two-week cooking course through the Bangkok Thai Cooking Academy. I paid them for the cooking course on October 16 via PayPal and received all of the necessary documents for my visa application the following day.

They also said it was fine if you want to split their 4-week course into two parts, and taking the second leg of classes at your convenience.

The director of admissions, Tanawan Malan, is extremely helpful and anyone interested in taking courses at the school, located in On Nut, can reach them here:

Ron@BangkokThaiCookingAcademy.com

All in all, it was a pretty seemless process that maybe took 2-3 hours (from paying the cooking school to getting the documents onto my computer to filling out the forms.) Your mileage may vary.

I cannot really see the point of using an agent if you’re doing things above board.

Good luck everyone!