I just got my DTV visa in Dubai - and it was a mistake 😅

A little background about me. I’m a content creator based in Dubai. I have a 10-year Golden Visa residency in the UAE thanks to my work with the Dubai Media Office. This kind of visa allows me to live, work, and even open a business in Dubai without the need for a sponsor (like an employer), which regular work visas don’t allow.

But I recently quit that job to become a freelancer and travel more.

Excited about the new chapter, I started my DTV application in Dubai on June 8, 2025. I prepared all the required documents:

* A full portfolio as a freelance content creator, with contracts and receipts for paid work (shout-out to a helpful group member who guided me with this!)

* Financial proof of having more than 500K THB in my bank account

* My apartment lease in Dubai and a recent electricity bill as proof that I reside outside Thailand

I submitted the application and paid 1,500 AED (around $408).

A week later, I got a request for additional documents: a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from an employer and a work permit in Dubai, which I didn’t have anymore, since I had quit.

So I wrote myself an NOC explaining that I’m a freelancer and outlined my visa status in the UAE, and then resubmitted the application.

A week after that, they asked for a freelancer permit (in Dubai, it’s mandatory to have one if you’re working with brands or doing paid collaborations as a content creator). I was already in the process of applying for it and once it was issued (which cost me 7,500 AED, approx. $2,000 per year), I uploaded it and waited for their response.

A few days later, I got an email from the Royal Consulate of Thailand in Dubai requesting an in-person interview. They asked me to bring my:

* Original passport

* Emirates ID

* New bank statement from the past 3 months showing over 500K THB with a wet stamp from the bank

* Round-trip plane tickets

* Confirmed hotel reservation

The appointment was within a week.

I prepared everything and I went to the consulate, I was the first person there.

A nice lady came over, took my passport and residency ID, and began the interview, right there, standing in the waiting area. She asked me to:

* Show my social media profile

* Share examples of paid collaborations

* Show my bank balance using my bank’s mobile app, including some payment transactions from clients

* Explain my intentions for the DTV visa, whether I planned to work in Thailand or create travel content (I told her I make science and technology videos only)

Then she said, “Okay, please upload all of these documents to the online portal.”

When I got home, I found new document requests on the Thai visa portal (as written on the online portal):

1. Financial evidence (again, the same one I showed in the interview)

2. Fully-paid round-trip airline tickets from airline

3. A condo rental agreement in Bangkok or a PDF file of a confirmed hotel reservation covering the full trip

4. My Dubai apartment rental agreement (which I had already uploaded before)

I uploaded all the new documents.And just like that… the next day, the visa was approved!

I’m so happy it worked out in the end, but the process was long, stressful, and expensive, it took almost 40 days. Looking back, I probably should’ve just gone to Vietnam or another country where people seem to get the DTV in a week or so.

Also, I think my Iraqi passport may have raised some red flags, which could have made the process more complicated. Honestly, I might be the first Iraqi to ever get a DTV visa 😅

So yeah… I don’t recommend applying for the DTV from Dubai, especially if you’re a freelancer and don’t already have all the official permits in place.

Thanks to this group for all the support and helpful info! Wishing everyone good luck with your applications 💙🌏✈️

Hi everyone,

I’m wondering if anyone can help us, my husband and I are both UK citizens and have been here in Thailand for nearly 3 months.

We got married earlier this month and will be applying for DTV. Our visas expire on July 30th so will need to leave Thailand to apply for our DTV.

We have our legal Thai marriage certificate, does anyone know if this is ok to use as proof for me to join him on his DTV or does the certificate need to be translated back into English?

We will also add our 3 young children to the DTV as well.

Many thanks in advance for any advice :)

Hi I’m currently in KL in the midst of submission of my DTV soft power Muay Thai. I sent extra documentation once already of the first picture and was just sent this second request does anyone know what letter they are referring

How do you add a digital timestamp onto the scanned passport pdf? What is the safest way to go about this without possibly causing concern for tampering with stricter consulates? Because with a basic text overlay i am concerned you can write literally any info… seems iffy. What was your experience?

Hi admin could you please explain to me what the Thai visa office is looking for here please? I’m applying a non immigrant o visa based on visiting family

Arrived in bkk yesterday, was fully prepared with all supporting docs, incase i was asked any questions as ive been in and out alot in the last 4 years it was starting to become an issue, just handed passport and e visa to the io, wasnt asked any questions at all, not even for the tdac and got 6 month dtv stamp in, nice and smooth

When l apply for my o to a visa are phone screen shots of my admin paperwork acceptable.

Hello. I am dtv holder, I am flying back to Thailand. I read in some groups that now at passport check at Thai airports, they need to see all the documentation I sent for getting the visa approved, not only the dtv paper. Is it true? And I read they are asking a lot of questions about the reasons why entering Thailand.

When I entered Thailand last time I just showed my passport and dtv paper, did they change something?

Thanks

Guys this is the stamp I received at immigration for my Non O based on retirement. It looks somewhat different from others I’ve seen. Is the new way of stamping in line with e-visa? The bank is refusing to accept it as a Non O Visa

Which of you applied in vientiane, laos? im here, made application on friday and due to go and pay the embassy tomorrow. Just curious to hear any experiences that may assist me with this process or possibly put my expectations at ease lol.

Have provided proof of everything they ask for so hoping i either just get accepted or get an interview to fill in any blanks if they need more.

Thank you all, youve been very helpful so far with this process. 🙏 I hope you are all successful with your applications also and wish you the best of luck and energy.