DTV Journey - Da Nang (Ho Chi Minh Consulate)

Posting this a bit late because I have been a bit busy since returning to Thailand

Here are the details of my application journey, I hope this will help others in a similar situation

I applied using Issa Compass, UK passport as a business owner (I own a social media marketing company).

📅 Timeline:

17th Feb — 4:30pm Submitted application via Issa Compass from Da Nang. Arrived same day and provided photos of my passport including my Vietnam entry stamp. As I submitted after the consulate closing time, Day 1 of processing was effectively 18th February.

26th Feb — First Additional Document Request Around 3:44pm received a request from the embassy via Issa Compass for:

* Photos of ALL passport pages including blank pages, with a device showing the current date and time visible in the shot

* A selfie taken at a tourist attraction in Vietnam, again holding a device clearly showing the current date and time

* Income tax from the last 2 years

27th Feb — 11am Issa Compass reviewed and submitted additional documents to the embassy.

3rd March Public holiday in Thailand — Thai Consulate in HCMC was closed. This ate into processing time unexpectedly!

4th March — Second Additional Document Request Around 5:49pm received a second request from the embassy for:

* Company bank statements updated to include February

* Invoices for October and November

At this point I felt my application wasn't as comprehensive as it could be and didn't want to keep going back and forth. So in addition to what was requested I also proactively submitted:

* Further hotel bookings showing my extended stay in Da Nang

* Personal bank statement for February confirming over 500,000 THB equivalent and showing my money moving from business to personal account

* Business bank statements for February

* Client invoices for October, November, and February

* IRS tax form for my company

* Additional examples of work from February and 2026

* Fresh passport photos with device showing current date and time

* Photos of me holding my passport with current date and time visible

* Photos of me outside my hotel in Da Nang with date and time visible

* Receipts from recent purchases in Da Nang confirming my location

Same day ~6:48pm submitted everything to Issa Compass portal.

5th March — 12pm Issa Compass reviewed and submitted full second batch of documents to the embassy.

5th March — 6:13pm ✅ DTV APPROVED! 🎉🇹🇭

6th March - I flew back in to Bangkok at Suvarnabhumi Airport with zero questions. I printed out my E-VISA and gave to the officer, my TDAC was on my phone.

Key Takeaways for Anyone Applying:

⏳ Budget at least 2-3 weeks if you have a complex financial situation like myself

📋 Provide comprehensive financial evidence upfront — show the full money trail across all your accounts (business and personal)

📸 Location proof is important — passport photos and selfies must have a device clearly showing the current date and time (this was never asked by Issa Compass at the beginning but they do advise showing receipts at local restaurants/shops etc)

🏢 Issa Compass were helpful throughout — they reviewed everything before submitting and kept me updated. However their response time was quite bad, sometimes I wouldn’t get a reply for days but when they had something to update me on they did let me know immediately

If you gave any questions or need help please feel free to comment or message me 🙏🏼

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