I would like to share my experience. I have received the approval for DTV Soft Power in September from the Thai Embassy in Paris (I am French).

I have applied with Arun Cooking School for their 6 months course. The application was prepared with the help of a visa agency in Bangkok.

Visa was approved by the Embassy. However when entering Thailand to activate it this weekend, they were reluctant at first because I had already spent some time as a tourist before during the year.

Immigration officers in Suvarnabhumi were super nice and calm during the whole process. I had to wait a bit for an 'interview' with them. They were surprised that I was granted DTV for cooking school, and were wondering if I should have an education visa instead...

In the end, they stamped me for 180 days and told me they were going to notify the Embassy about their feedback. I find it weird because they are the one to set the rules for DTV anyway and visa was granted already.

So a bit of a stressful experience but it ended well!

I wonder what will happen in May 2026 when I want to stamp another 180days! Especially if I have not extended my cooking lessons (not sure if I will, I would like to try something else)