I just wanted to go ahead and share my experience. I have been living in Thailand for two years now initially just doing boarder runs and then on a 1 year student visa. My student visa ended in September 2024. I did a boarder run to Malaysia and came back on on a 60 day exempt and extended another 30 days. I left Thailand December 20th. I applied for my DTV visa in Vietnam was approved under the workcation category. I entered Thailand and was denied entry initially. I had an interview/interegation my Thai language was tested. I do know quite of bit of Thai but didn't understand some of the questions asked and ultimately failed my interview. They asked for my outgoing ticket I didn't have one I bought a ticket on "OnwardTicket" that I have used in the past with no issues. This time didn't work and was denied entry all together. After my case being transferred to another officer and almost deported. I paid an additional 20k baht and was finally let in the country. Don't know if there was really an issue or just wanted bribe money. But Just thought I'd give a warning to those in similar situations.

DTV Succes Story from Penang, Malaysia.

I applied under the workcation scheme as an employee of a company I co-own.

08 Jan 2025 11:00 – Application submitted.

10 Jan 2025 18:00 – Request for further documents.

10 Jan 2025 19:00 – Submitted

16 Jan 2025 15:00 – Request for further documents.

16 Jan 2025 15:30 – Submitted

17 Jan 2025 15:00 – Approved

The first round of extra documents requested where some questions about my work, whether I have an office in Thailand, and how often I travel there. The second request was for more details about my work and a sample of it.

Thanks a lot to this forum for providing useful answers about the process.

**Applied for DTV - Workcation in Pakistan – Pending Documents Check

**

I applied for the DTV in Pakistan on 7th January. Here's the timeline of events:

1. 8th January: I received a request to submit my CNIC, hotel booking, and flight ticket. I promptly provided all the required documents.

2. 10th January: I was asked to submit a clear passport picture, a return ticket (yes, they requested a return ticket), and my hotel booking again. I explained that I don’t have a hotel booking because I’ve rented a property in Krabi with a lease valid until the end of June 2025.

My flights are landing and departing from Bangkok, which might have caused some confusion. If needed, I also have a flight ticket from Bangkok to Krabi that I can provide.

Since 10th January, my application status has remained on "Pending Documents Check."

I finally managed to reach the Thai Embassy after numerous attempts. I explained my situation and emphasized that my flight date is approaching. Unfortunately, the response was that the embassy has no control over the process and that I will receive an update once the headquarters (Bangkok Consular Department) approves my application. I requested if they could follow up with the headquarters, but the call was abruptly disconnected.

For context:

* When I initially applied for the DTV, the embassy staff suggested applying for a TR visa instead, as it reportedly has a higher chance of approval. However, as a Pakistani passport holder, a TR visa would allow only a 60-day stay with no extension under normal circumstances. Additionally, I wouldn’t be able to apply for a DTV from another country due to passport restrictions.

At this point, all I can do is wait and hope for the best.

Has anyone faced a similar situation? Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated.

DTV Approved! US Citizen.

Filed in USA through LA Consulate

Filed Dec 7 Workcation

Asked for additional docs Dec 13, sent same day.

* Other request documents: Your recent tax return

* Other request documents: Business registration of the company

* Other request documents: Employment contract or employment certificate from company

Didn't hear anything until I called on Jan 13. I fly Jan 20, so was getting nervous. They said call back Jan 15. I called this morning (the 15th) and they said they'd expedite it but no promises. 6 hours later it was approved. Lots of relief!

Thanks to all in the group for your help!

I have a question regarding the DTV application under the workcation category.

I’ve been living in Thailand for the past 6 years on a Non-B visa while working full-time, but my visa will be canceled on January 31st. Then, I’m planning to apply for DTV from Ho Chi Minh in early Feb.

I plan to provide employment documents from two companies that I’ve worked with intermittently. However, since these are my friend’s companies and I haven’t received a formal salary, I’m wondering if it’s okay to create new employment contracts starting February 1st to show it as a new opportunity?

For proof of funds and bank statements etc., I'm planning to provide salary slips from my full-time job for the past 6 months.

I hope that makes sense! Any suggestions would be highly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Hi Everyone,

I'm planning to apply in HCMC under workcation. I work for a well known global company based in the US, the business is similar to Agoda. I'm looking for some advice regarding the necessary work documents. I’m concerned about the wording in my company letter regarding "work from home" arrangements. While it mentions working from home, it doesn’t explicitly state that I can work "remotely" but on my employee profile my location is shown as 'REMOTE-USA'.

Additionally, our HR team couldn’t provide a business registration certificate but directed me to the Secretary of State website for alternative documentation. Below is a list of the documents I plan to provide—do you think I might encounter any issues? Is there anything I should include or exclude? Thank you in advance.

1. The companies initial filing and our name change amendment form as a substitute for the business registration certificate.

2. A Work-from-Home Authorization Letter confirming that I am permitted to work from home in accordance with company policies.

3. An Employment Verification Letter confirming my full-time status, job title, and the date of my most recent paycheck.

4. A screenshot of my employee profile that shows the organization I work under, the team I belong to, my manager, hire date, my length of service, and my location listed as "REMOTE-USA".

5. Latest pay-slips (3 months).

Approved via workcation through USA embassy as a business owner.

Took over 30 calendar days and 25 working days even though I was pending approval 24 hours after application. The embassy website stated less than 20 working days and mine took longer. I ended up emailing them a gentle reminder/request and it got approved within 48 hours.

Success story (finally). First of all, thank you to the members of this group who had the patience to respond to my questions. This is a great community. I'll try to pay it forward and help other members as well.

It got approved in a little over 30 *working* days since application. It was high season and both my embassy and the Thai one had some holidays. You can consult this on your embassy's website. Still, after seeing so many people getting their visas in just a few days it was pretty discouraging. Makes me think some countries / passports have higher priority than others. But now it's here so here's how I applied and the docs I provided:

Applied for "Workcation (Digital Nomad / Remote Workers)". I had two previous entries in Thailand one on VOA and one on tourism visa.

It's great that you don't need to have flight tickets purchased, you can just fill in your expected flight no.

For accommodation - I booked a hotel for 1 month after my expected arrival. I made sure it had free cancellation up until 2-3 days before my expected arrival in case I wouldn't get the visa in time. But other than that I had no long term rent or anything.

Proof of current location - photo of my ID card (not even both sides, just the front). This one is always strange, but it worked for me with my previous visa as well.

The docs - I could not upload the full contract with my employer because of upload size limitations. So I uploaded just the first page with the title and the signing parties and the last page with the signatures. I also uploaded the registration certificate of my freelancing business. Combined all these pages into a single pdf. The contract actually doesn’t explicitly mention that I work remotely. I guess it’s implied since my client is in a different country.

Because it was taking rather long, I sent them an email yesterday asking to estimate how much longer it would take and if I can leave the country while I'm waiting. They never replied but today I got approved WITHOUT any further request for documents. I don't know if me emailing them was related to this or not.

So let me know if you have other questions.

As a small side note - I happened to stumble upon the google reviews of my embassy and it had a ton of 1-star reviews from people that were upset that their visas were not getting processed in time for their arrival. Maybe some of them didn't consult the timelines (they are longer for the high season), but I'm sure a lot of them did. Anyway, if you see something similar for your embassy, maybe consider going to a country where you can apply in person and maybe you'll get your visa faster, if you have the means and if time is an issue. Just a thought.

Hello everyone :)

Any new DTV reports from Taipei after the new e-visa system ? Im going to apply for DTV based on workcation soon and Im deciding between Jakarta, Hanoi or Taipei.

I liked that Taipei was the fastest in the past.

Thanks for the answers :)

Hi everyone, thank you for your inputs.

I got my DTV (Workcation Visa) today!

Applied from Dubai (UAE) using the online portal on Jan 2nd.

Got my Visa on Jan 6th.

No questions or additional docs requested.

I own my company and I am self employed here. I can work remotely. So this is a great way to explore the country 🙂

If you guys got any questions lmk, happy to contribute :)