Hi everyone!

I know this question has probably been asked a thousand times, but I can never seem to successfully find old posts from the group page.. 🙏🏽

I was wondering if anyone had recommendations for a reputable Thai cooking school/s in BKK area that have a good track record for having DTV visas go through successfully? And also any visa company recommendations that could help with the visa process if the school wasn't able to help with that part? I've read that Issa Compass seems to have a good track record for getting the DTVs to go through, so they seem trustworthy.. I think there are others that people have had good luck with also?

Also, if anyone has recommendations of places to apply from that seem to go smoothly?

I think Hanoi and Jakarta seems to be smooth for a lot of folks, but there seems to be other recommended places as well, and also places to avoid..

Thank you so much to everyone in this group for any help you might be able to provide.. I learn a lot from you guys.. 🙏🏽

I'm in the states now, have US passport, but will be in Thailand beginning late August, so can apply from anywhere outside Thailand that anyone recommends..

Thank you in advance to everyone! 🙏🏽🦋

Not sure if this is the page. But I have a Thai girlfriend. I'm 56 she is 51 . She applied for UK visa and got it within 3 weeks.

I've heard lots of stories that it's failed for other people.

I think it's down to the person you want to invite.

My girlfriend has 3 properties a son that is graduating and has a good job.

Ties to having to go back to Thailand is important.

Without ties you may struggle to get your girlfriend here.

Hi folks! How are you? I would have a rather specific question for you, please (bottoms up your pina colada before venturing any further would be my suggestion) :

I'm sure it's going to feel as good a breeze of renewal as it feels for me, but hey, I want to work remotely as a digital nomad (self-employed, offering counselling services online, not working for any company) in Thailand.

I have not started my business yet and spent the last many months travelling, so my only asset is savings, a bit of education and a plan. I have the proper education/diploma and realistic funds, above the minimum required to have to apply for DTV in my country.

Did anybody in a similar situation (only having a proper budget, education and business plan to show the Ambassy) apply for DTV among this group?

If so, did you miserably fail or whimsically succeed? Also, may you share any of the following with me, please? Suggestions, fair concerns, comments on what went wrong or could have been done better, gibe, what were the extra admin steps to achieve this goal, murder*us looks, etc., please?

Thanks a whole bunch for reading the words of this lost lamb. May the good vibes of travels chase you whenever, wherever (we're meant to be together) you go. :)

I've applied for a "non immigrant - O", 3 month e-visa, but still have not heard any response. I have a flight booked back to Thailand with my Thai family on Thursday 24th. Do I have to wait behind in UK for the visa, or can I come in on a 60 day exemption and get an extension on that? Thanks in advance.

Retirement extension: every year I try to make a perfect application but every year I am thwarted! Today I had all the documents on the current list. 10 is a Google map of your house with lat and long. No use printing it out and writing on it. No, you need to drop a pin on it to show the lat and long. Fortunately the copy shop near room 103 could do this. Print with north to the top of the paper. Also, the photos of you in front of your house showing the house number should be printed across the page, not full page. I think this is so everything can be understood without rotating any document 90 degrees.

When I picked up the document list a couple of days ago they gave me form 2, form 9 and 11 I think which are for acknowledging that you know the penalties for contravening the terms of your extension.

However, it was effecient and helpful; only an hour from entering the bank for letter and statement until departing Immigration. Collect passport at 4pm next day.

Hello, I plan to apply for DTV visa under power soft muay thai category, already have gym documents and +500k thb in my Thai bank. I recieve passive income from my savings and make some extra with affiliate maketing but nothing significant.

Is it okay if I say I’m Unemployed in the application? It might give the impression I make not income which is not true. Could this make visa denial more likely? Thanks.

Hi! I’m currently trying to obtain a DTV visa but was rejected without any explanation. Here’s some background on my situation:

I applied for the DTV Soft Power Visa in Ho Chi Minh City and submitted the following documents:

- Entry stamp to Vietnam.

- Bank statement showing a balance of over $60,000.

- A treatment plan from one of Bangkok’s top dental clinics for braces, which is a two-year process.

- I indicated that I am currently unemployed and have no income.

Additional context: I held a 1-year ED visa in 2023/2024, made one border run in 2022, and entered Thailand multiple times via airports. During my last visit to Thailand in December 2024, an immigration officer handed me a form to fill out and informed me that next time I won’t be able to enter visa-free because I had spent too much time in Thailand. He advised me to apply for a DTV visa for future entries.

After submitting my application, I was asked to provide the following additional documents:

- "Provide the entry stamp to VN": I’m unsure why this was requested again, as I had already provided the same stamp.

- "A deposit account shows the transactions last 6 months and the account balance or a combination of a deposit/saving account totaling not less than 500,000baht. Stock/Crypto/Bitcoin/Investment/Business/PayPal account and sponsor are not accepted": I provided a transactions list (during the last 6 months, I consistently maintained at least $50,000) concatenated with my bank statement from the previous stage in one PDF document.

- "Please prove your monthly income. In case you are unemployed, please explain how you will sustain your life in Thailand": I attached a PDF explaining that I have over $60,000 in savings and experience in poker and IT, but I currently don’t plan to work because I have enough money.

Despite meeting the official requirements, my application was rejected. I suspect it might be due to my unemployment status (even though it’s not a requirement for the Soft Power Visa) or my extensive travel history (despite the officer recommending the DTV visa).

Given that I’ve provided all the required documents, should I try applying at another consulate, or is there a high chance of being rejected again?

Looking to apply via soft power Muay Thai (no income but have the proof of funds needed) - I'm going back to the UK from Bangkok for 3 weeks as it's my home country, so might aswell apply for the DTV from there, as I've only seen good things about applying with the London embassy on this group.

Does anyone have any tips on what to include apart from the standard proof of 500k, UK address, recent photo, muay Thai course registration and proof? Do they ask for any more than this as extra docs? Anyone had a tough time getting it from the UK?

(Arrived in BKK at the end of Dec and used 1 visa exemption and just extended it a few weeks ago)

Just wanted to thank this group for the wealth of information and help available here. After an anxious wait I had my workcation DTV approved in the UK this evening. Since I delayed the application waiting for documentation from an employer, the real processing time was no more than 3-4 working days. The extra documentation requested was reasonable in all cases and I felt that I was dealing with intelligent people. They didn't, by the way, accept cash in a brokerage account as evidence for the 500,000 THB equivalent.

In case it's of any use to future UK applicants, I didn't fit what I take to be the 'ideal' profile for the workcation - either permanent full time employment done remotely or a thriving business with proper registration and client testimonials.

I demonstrated a mix of seasonal contract employment and online activities (not onlyfans!) plus management of personal investments. It seems therefore that they are prepared to consider people with a 'portfolio' career rather than one simple occupation.

I suspect the seasonal employment was the decider as my employer, somewhat grudgingly, wrote a letter confirming it and saying how many years I'd been doing it. I did demonstrate savings and investments well in excess of £11,000, but it's impossible to know for sure whether this is taken into account.

My advice for future applicants is to rent Adobe Acrobat to make sure your document bundles are presented professionally (I personally paid Adobe through gritted teeth and passionately hate the SaaS model!). Also to take the time to get your ducks in a row with any evidence they request and write a professional cover letter introducing yourself and making clear that you will respect the law of Thailand, particularly as it relates to employment. Lastly, with the anecdotal reports of soft-power applicants who applied at SE Asian embassies facing scrutiny at the border, I'm glad I went for the workcation route in my home country even if it meant a little more stress.

Good luck to everyone!

In which situations are they asking for the full scans of your passport? Is it better to attach this to the original application upfront to prevent unnecessary delay?