DTV SUCCESS - Hanoi, 4 days after pending approval

Application for soft power DTV - Muay Thai - UK national.

Timeline:

* Friday 23rd May, 16:10 - submitted docs

* Monday 26th May, 10:00 - pending approval

* Thursday 29th May, 15:30 - sent a very polite follow-up email asking for status update

* Thursday 29th May, 18:15 - approval email received

Documents submitted:

* Documents from the gym (Eye Tiger Muay Thai) - the invitation letter stated that I paid a deposit to cover my first 3 months of training.

* 4 months' statements from current and savings accounts showing 500k baht transferred 2 weeks previously.

* Screenshots of balances for: current account, savings account, brokerage account, and crypto account.

* Bangkok exit stamp, Vietnam entry stamp, booking.com confirmation, screenshot of my location on Google Maps, and selfie with the hotel.

* A recent photo that I took with my phone and removed the background using a website - cost $10

* Passport bio page.

* Screenshots of payslips (payslips were undated, but I included in the screenshot the date of the email in which I received the payslip).

Note: The date on my invitation letter from the Muay Thai gym was 8 days later than the date on which I applied.

I've been tracking the lead time from pending approval status to approved status for the past month and have seen it go down gradually from 15 days to 4 days so I think Hanoi are back on top of things now!

Good luck, everyone, with your applications!

Instead of asking how long been waiting, let's try a different way

Who actually got approved in either HCMC or Hanoi recently?

To avoid unnecessary clutter, only comment if you went into pending approval (final stage) post 1 May, as document checks/requests reset timers

Common sense say they should be processing in date order, so those still waiting might be able to estimate how much longer they have by seeing results of those approved

Also let's those planning on applying to estimate how long its really going to take these days

I have a question. Maybe it’s dumb and obvious lol but I’ve tried to search with no solid answer. Once a DTV visa is approved do you have to arrive within a certain time period? I want to apply but not ready to go yet because I want to return to Hanoi for a few months in July before going to Thailand.

I got my DTV yesterday in Laos. I applied as a freelance digital nomad. It was all quite straightforward. I went to the embassy to pay last Tuesday, then on Friday they notified me that I would be interviewed this Wednesday (Thursday and Monday were Thai public holidays, so that probably slowed things down). The interview was really quick, they just asked me to confirm what I do and asked to see my bank balance in the bank app on my phone. They also asked if I already rent a place in Thailand. About an hour later my visa was approved.

Before going to Laos, I paid a small fee to an agency in Bangkok that helped me make sure my application was strong enough and apply through the official website, but I still had to come here, pay and do the interview in person. I used the agency partly because I was unsure my application would be accepted, as I work freelance. The agency were very helpful and told me to provide examples of my work and a letter explaining what I do.

Today I entered Thailand overland from Laos. The border official didn't ask me a single question.

DTV Success - Hanoi - 5 Business days - German passport holder

I flew to Hanoi on 22 April after staying in Thailand for 90 days (extended tourist visa).

1. Applied for DTV (Freelancer / Digital Nomad) on 23 April at 1:12 am on the official Thai website.

2. Status changed to “Pending Approval” on 24 April.

3. No additional docs requested.

4. Received visa on 29 April at 6:20 pm.

5. Entered Thailand through DKM airport on 1 May. Neither AirAsia employees at Hanoi airport nor the DMK immigration officer asked me anything. The imm. officer only asked if I filled out the TDAC, and when I said “yes”, he went ahead and gave me my 6 months visa after I showed him my printed out DTV.

Docs submitted (I used [members only] to merge my PDFs):

1. Docs indicating current location:

1.1 Airbnb confirmation Hanoi (initially booked 4 nights & extended my stay later on)

1.2 Hotel booking Bangkok for 1 month (for when I go back to Thailand)

1.3 Boarding Passes

1.4 Passport exit stamp Thailand

1.5 Passport entry stamp Vietnam

1.6 Google Maps screenshot indicating my location in Hanoi

1.7 Cute little selfie of myself in front of my Airbnb showing the street name and house number

2. Employment contracts

2.1 Contract no. 1

2.2 Contract no. 2

2.3 Cover letter explaining what I do (see attached screenshot)

2.4 2 Screenshots showing websites I have translated

2.5 3 Screenshots of my Malt, UpWork and LinkedIn profile

3. Financial evidence

3.1 Screenshot of my German bank account indicating a sufficient amount on 22nd of April (in German, not translated to English)

3.2 Official bank statement of my German bank indicating a sufficient on my savings account on 4th of April (in German, not translated to English)

3.3 6 months of payslips of my other German bank account where I receive payments from my clients. I marked all client payments green (in German, not translated to English)

Additional notes:

- Print out your Thai DTV visa and show it to the Thai immigration officer.

- As you can see in the attached cover letter, I explained every document using red letters in the left corner so the embassy employees know straight away what each page is about.

- The authority in my German passport says "Botschaft Bangkok" — this is exactly what I typed into the field “Issuing Authority”, which has worked for me and another German passport holder who has the same authority in his passport and who also applied for the Freelancer DTV.

DTV application for remote work for Indian citizen:

Applied on 18th April via the Chennai Embassy in India (Online)

Docs submitted:

1. 6month payslip

2. bank statement of last 6month with 500k baht (half of it was transferred into my bank the same day, so the past 6 months balance maintenance was not required)

3. Work contract stating im a remote employee

4. Drivers license showing im a resident of my state

Paid the fee on the 22nd, and the same day i was requested for additional docs that showed accommodation in thailand.

Added airbnb booking for 1 month for the additional doc the same day and the docs got reviewed on the same day.

22nd - 25th Pending Approval

25th - Approved

I leave tonight : D

Hi All. If a payment receipt didnt come through via email (but the status changed online to processing) should I be worried or take any action? Has anybody else had this experience?

Approved in Hanoi for medical April 11, 2025

US citizen, previously denied for DTV soft power, 2 tourist entries, no overstays

- booked 3 appointments every 3 months at Bumrungrad for management of a chronic condition

- booked a few more appointments for vaccinations

- included a past appt for a surgery consult to indicate intent for surgery, booked appointment that's a prerequisite for surgery

- cover letter explaining the above

- copy of letter of support from the hospital

- copy of appt card showing all scheduled appts

(The above combined into one document)

- 6 months of bank statements with the 500k+ highlighted in yellow for past 3 months, included amounts convertrd to current exchange rate

- included photo of recent receipt (to show current date) over summary of current accounts

- photo of profile information from bank account showing current address, and note on bank statements indicating the address change

(The above combined into 2nd document)

- selected "unemployed" on applocation, selected the income i recieve from family support

Submitted APRIL 9 in the AM

Status changed to pending document review same day

Approved 5:30pm on Friday the 11th (note the consulate hours show they close at 3:30pm so i thought I'd have to wait until after the weekend)

Thank goodness my DTV approved using soft power cooking class.

23 March 2025 - Applied the visa online at Laos

24 March 2025

9.00am - Make the payment at the Consulate.

4.26pm - Ask for the Laos Stamp

28 March 2025

9.00am - Went to Consulate and asking my application

10.42am - Email (Ask about the DBD and Owner ID for the Cooking - must signed by the owner). Few round email.

5.00pm - Sent the right documents from the school.

31 March 2025

9.10am - Went to Consulate and asking my application

10.00am - Change status from Checking to Waiting for Approval

3.00pm - Went to Thailand and waiting for the bus

4.55pm - Email (Interview on 2 April 2025 after lunch)

5.30pm - Back to Laos

1 April 2025

2.10pm - Interview

2.15pm - DTV Visa Approval

When I crossed the border, I showed Thai Immigration my visa via phone. But she never bothered to look, because their system already showed DTV.

I'm a pakistani national living in saudi arabia applied for thai e tourist visa on 22nd of march i have a confirmed flight at 3rd of april but my visa still showing pending approval from 27 march my question is can I submit another application for same tourist visa as i have a confirmed flight so i want my visa before 2nd april is it possible to submit two same visa applications at the same time don't know how long will take the old one usually they take 2 working days to approve the visa here