DTV Visa Success from Jakarta!

But I wanted to share an unusual document request I encountered during the process.

Context:

* French passport

* Four previous consecutive visa exemptions

* Six months of bank statements with a balance over 500,000 THB

* Six-month soft power course at Arun Thai Cooking School

I received my DTV visa in two weeks. However, the Thai embassy first requested a copy of every page of my passport, and then something unexpected: official documentation confirming that the soft power course is offered by a school accredited by the Thai Ministry of Education.

I was surprised by this requirement, as I wasn’t aware it was necessary for the DTV visa. I contacted Arun Thai Cooking School and discovered that they are not officially accredited. In fact, it turns out that in Bangkok, the only accredited cooking school is the expensive Bangkok Thai Cooking School.

Following advice from my visa agent, we asked Arun Thai Cooking School to provide a clarification letter explaining the situation. The letter highlighted their professionalism and commitment to the DTV program and included a few photos. Fortunately, they responded quickly with a perfect letter — and my visa was approved the very next day.

I highly recommend Arun Thai Cooking School for their great support, and a big thanks to my visa agent Ben (Line: bkjan), who provided excellent and affordable assistance throughout the application process (3,000 THB for assistance!).

Hey guys, if my current savings bank account doesn't have the sufficient amount but my Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) has more than enough. ASB is a fixed-price unit trust fund (not a traditional bank). ASB is designed as an investment vehicle for long-term growth and capital preservation, with a fixed price per unit and no sales or redemption fees.

Can I:

1. Apply using my ASB account

2. Move the sufficient amount of money from ASB account to my current savings account , show the proof of transfer and then apply for the DTV the next day. (But it wouldn't have the 6 months past record of 500,000 baht).

I am a Malaysian and thinking to apply in Malaysia.

Thank you 🙏🏼

I am an American and I'm currently applying for soft power dtv through the Washington embassy. Im on the "Document indicating current location". I'm currently staying with my mom while I'm here so I don't have any "documentation". Is going and getting a hotel the only way around this? Thanks in advance!

Question about Thailand Digital Nomad Visa (DTV) Entry Requirements at the Airport

Hi all,

I was approved for Thailand’s 5-year digital nomad visa back in September 2024 but I haven’t entered the country yet. I plan to go soon and I already have the paper visa approval in hand — it has my photo and personal details (E-Visa).

My question is:

Do I need to present supporting documents again (like bank statements, income proof, insurance, etc.) when I arrive at the airport, even though the visa has already been granted?

It seems unnecessary to bring all the original documents again, but I’ve read mixed info online. Just want to know from others who entered with this visa — what was your experience at immigration? Do you need to show for example, proof of accomodations or bank info? Was anything asked of you?

Thanks in advance!

Hi

Any one had to get a replacement driving licence x 2.

I lost my wallet Saturday.

My two licenses were 6 months old from rayong.

I am getting different answers about what forms are actually needed.

Rayong transport centre closed until Wednesday.

Thank you

Hi probably a silly question but is it easy to get a copy of your TM30 after check in at a hotel Pattaya? Can you get it straight away or have to wait? Thanks.

Sharing my successful DTV extension experience at Chiang Mai Immigration (Workaction category). Took 2 visits, but I was approved for the full 6-month extension. Yes, it was a lot of documentation to provide, but I'm happy with taking this route for the 1,900THB fee over funding a border bounce. I hope this information is helpful to somebody out there!

What I Submitted:

* Passport

* TM7

* Copy of passport bio page

* Copy of visa page in passport

* Copy of entry stamp in passport

* Copy of TM30 (printout from landlord)

* Copy of 90-day report (and had to show the original)

* Bank account verification letter

* 3 months of bank statements (originally provided 6 but the officer gave 3 back to me)

* Printout of the current bank account balance (printed from my bank's website)

* Job offer letter

* Employment verification letter

* Resume

* Portfolio

* Employment agreement

* Copy of Rental Lease

* 3 months of rent payment slips

* STM.2, STM.9, STM.11 (basic acknowledgment and consent forms on Thai visa/immigration laws. provided at the office, quick to fill and sign)

Final Thoughts:

* You can apply up to 45 days before your current stamp expires. Highly recommend using that window.

* Foreign bank accounts *are* accepted, but the officer required a bank verification letter (in addition to printed statements). My bank (U.S.-based) simply provided a letter with my name, account info, and balance. That seemed to do the trick.

* Didn't apply to me, but I was told that while we must show the equivalent of ฿500K held in the same account for 30+ days, shared accounts may be asked to show ฿1M

* One officer at this branch seemed to specialize in the DTV requests. He was helpful and professional, and openly acknowledged the inconsistency in how extensions are handled across Thailand.

Ok, adding my experience to be helpful, even though I'm sure I'll get plenty of snide comments for using a Visa company.

Have been on plenty of different visas over the years, as my situation has changed many times, and I've always done it myself, because it's just basic paperwork.

With this one, I have reasons for deciding to use these guys, especially with their money back guarantee, and I'm not going to get into the details about why.

I had my paperwork submitted by Issa Compass, and overall had a good experience with them.

My nationality: USA

Applied in: Jakarta

Date applied: May 17

Date approved: May 29

No additional paperwork requested. Applied as a freelancer. I'm an online tutor.

Papers I gave to Issa Compass:

-bio data and Thai related visa pages of passport.

-my address in Thailand

- my booking in Indonesia and my evisa confirmation from when I entered Indonesia

- 6 months of personal bank statements, where you can see deposits from my income and over 500k baht

- my resume, screenshots of my website, screenshot of my classroom software business account, in-class screenshot as an example of what I'm doing

-invoices to my clients for the past 3 months, pdfs of the money hitting my overseas payment service, transfers and receipts of the transfer service I use to convert the currently into USD (that correlate with my US bank records), and because there are so many steps to this.... I made a little info-graphic showing the payment process step by step, with currency conversions into baht on all the relevant payments highlighted.

- a cover letter explaining what I do, how I'm paid, and why I want to be in Thailand, thanking them for their consideration.

-the 1040 Tax return page of my 2024 taxes, showing my previous year income that is listed as freelance tutor work.

Any of the pdfs/images that could be bundled together, I merged as one PDF (money related, proving work related, location related, passport pages, etc), which can be done on websites for free.

I was thorough, I know, but Issa Compass was helpful in telling me what was safe and what was overkill, and verifying that all documents were organized and presented in the way the embassy likes. I got to ask them questions I wouldn't ask publically, and about things particular to my situation that I was worried about- and they let me know if it would affect my outcome. All was well.

They do tons of these, and have a money back guarantee, because they know that if it passes their test, it'll pass the test of the embassies they recommend. They submit for you, so you don't get to log on and check it every 5 seconds (as some of us would like to do), but whenever I messaged and asked how it was going, they got right back to me and assured me I was still in a reasonable timeline and not to worry.

You could totally do all of this yourself and be fine in most cases- but if you have reasons to worry that the stakes are higher for you for various reasons and you'd rather pay for the peace of mind, then I do recommend Issa Compass. They couldn't offer the govnt fees back to their customers (in case of rejection) without it being a terrible business model, if they didn't facilitate what they do with confidence and experience. Anyway, just wanted to share.

I got hit up by 2 or 3 people by DM asking if I actually was using them, after mentioning it in a comment, so I know people are weary of whether or not they're legit. Now that it's finally all done, I can say that they are 👍🏼

I'm giving them this big rundown and praise because before using them I searched for their name in these groups a TON to see if I could trust them, and a good amount of the praise was posted anonymously, or the poster got ripped apart being accused of working for them. So, I wanted to help contribute a real account of being their customer. Yeah, I wish the fee was less for sure- but compared to what I've paid over the years for visas, I'm still super happy with what it cost in the end for me to not stress on this crap for another 5 years 😁

Stay, work online, so I can be paying into the Thai economy. I'm really happy this visa option exists for us now ❤️ 🙏🏼

I don't think I left anything out, but if you have any questions I'm happy to share more details of my experience if it's helpful. I know I relied heavily on the experiences of others to make choices to prepare for this visa myself, so happy to pay it forward. 🫶🏼

PS- if you're staying on Java and don't want to be in Jakarta, but relatively close, I have a great recommendation for a place in Bandung. 30 minute whoosh train from Jakarta, and you're in a city that's way more interesting and is a jumping point for tons of activities. Out guesthouse arranged some amazing day trips for us at half the cost I'd seen advertised online, and they really changed our experience of this visa run from a hassle to amazing. 😊

Hi everyone! 🫟🎼

Been reading about the DTV process and a bit unsure how this would be done in USA with my wife. We are currently in Thailand for 2 months and very interested to move here 🤩

1.) I apply first with bank statements then do we have an interview process? Do we notarize and get everything translated first before submission? ❤️

2.) I wait for DTV approval then apply my wife under same dtv how do we correlate the two — just to make sure, it’s not done simultaneously? 😵‍💫

3.) I own an agency online with 50K followers on IG how do I show the proof of “work portfolio” it’s a modeling agency that provides models for brand designers for their clothing line (big and small brands). The IG account with screenshots doesn’t seem like an official medium to submit as evidence.

Thanks!

Saw a few people approved in 7 days is it purely case by case? Or just having everything ready to go and translated etc? I speak Thai would that help in the application or interview process ? —not sure there is interview…

Again thank you all here 🙂

Hi all, so I have a friend his visa got denied, he’s Nigerian. The email they sent didn’t state the reason.

What’s the best possible solution for him? Because he had submitted all the necessary documentation, and even went for a physical interview.

Can his visa get an appeal or what can he do about it? Thank you all