Not sure how bad the situation really is but this may become an issue for Soft Power DTV to show proof of being able to sustain oneself for 5 years in Thailand. And yes I am aware that there is no income requirement specified for the Soft Power DTV....yet!

[members only]/

I'm flying into DMK on the 21st on an ED visa. I was sternly warned my last entry in July to get a DTV next time because I had abused the system with short term visas. I had an ED visa in 2022 and have been out of Thailand for 6 months. I'm concerned I may be denied entry and am considering using a fast track service. Any advice is appreciated.

If 180 days per year in Thailand are allowed on a tourist visa, is that a calendar year from Jan to Dec (as it is for tourist visas in India) or is it 180 days within any 365 day period?

FYI folks

[members only]

Heads up!

my son and his GF have been in and out of thailand on visa exemptions for a year or so ( they do Mauy thai). long story short they came back to Australia to apply for Multiple entry tourist visa. They were approved in 3 days.. Happy - took flights to Phuket yesterday ( with flights out of the country in less then 90 days). They were totally grilled and eventually let in but told they can not return again this year! ( despite the visa being approved for 6 months). They were advised to get a DTV ( but GF under 20).

evidently to do with spending more then 180 days in one year in thailand. just thought i’d let people know.

Does anyone know why immigration tells people to get the DTV and not the ED for example? Is it because you need to have more money for the DTV?

Hopefully this can be a sensible discussion, Is it just me or is the DTV being abused to a ridiculous extent? admittedly the Thai government left it full of loopholes and open to abuse but for me it really isn't working

Is it common to get questioned when re entering the Kingdom? I come in and out a few times a year. This time I did 6 weeks here then flew to Taipei for 10 days, when I came in this time he asked how long I intended to stay and wanted to see my onward tkt.

I was planning to do another 6 weeks and go to the Philippines for a few weeks before returning again. Feeling a bit apprehensive now.

I hear people doing border runs for a day without any problems.

Hello, I just want to share my experience with re-entering on the DTV visa in Phuket (remote work).

A few days ago I arrived back to Phuket after a short 2 day trip in Dubai. I presented my passport to the immigration officer and he said "oh DTV". He took my passport to his colleague and after a quick chat asked me to follow him to the immigration office. I was asked to provide all the documentation I used to apply for the DTV visa. Luckily I had it on my laptop.

The immigration officer asked all sorts of questions like: Did I apply for the DTV visa myself? Why did I apply in Hanoi if I am an Australia citizen and UAE resident? How much money do I have?

After about 1 hour of talking to multiple immigration officers and sending my documents via email to the imm. office at the airport, I was granted a 180-day stamp.

All the immigration officers were very nice and even explained why they decided to check all my documents. According to them, it turns out that a lot of fake papers were used to obtain DTV visas in Vietnam, Loas and Myanmar,... He said if I applied in Australia or Dubai then there would be no issues. The imm officer said they do a better job of checking papers in non SEA countries.

I have a remote work DTV visa (workaction) and am employed by a US registered company. Everything is fully transparent and documented.

However, I do want to use this opportunity to caution people against using DTV visa services, where agents will provide "all the papers you need" for a fee. I have seen many ads like this around FB and telegram groups.

One person next to me in the imm. office was issued a DTV visa with what they suspect to be fake papers and according to the immigration officer they will contact the embassy of that individual and notify them that the visa has been cancelled. I don't know what happened to that person after that, but it doesn't sound like you get a chance to just buy a ticket to KL and leave.

Please use common sense when deciding to apply for the DTV visa and treat it like you are applying for a visa in any other European or western country. If you applied for a DTV visa with a 2 week cooking course and are re-entering after 6 months, expect some questions. If you have used dodgy or even fake employment or course papers to apply for a DTV, then good luck to you.

Hope this info helps. Happy to answer any questions on my experience if I forget to mention something in the post.

Is visiting Thailand too many times an issue? I went there 6 times this year, none of my stays were longer than 7 days.