Hello,

I just returned from a 3 day trip to Hong Kong after my 180 days. Not one question asked at BKK. Stamped and straight though.

Soft power- medical

Cheers

Yesterday afternoon, I managed to open an account at SCB in the Airport Plaza in Chiang Mai.

It took three attempts, but in the end, it worked out.

First attempt: I asked what was required to open an account. They told me: passport, visa, certificate of residence, and a work permit.

When I pointed out that I didn’t have a work permit, they informed me that an account could be opened with the DTV (Digital Nomad Visa) for remote work and a translated employment contract for remote workers.

So, I got that done.

Second attempt: Of course, the information I received the first time wasn’t complete. On the second attempt, they told me I also needed a Thai tax ID.

So before my third attempt, I applied for one at the Revenue Department, explaining that I was on a DTV and intended to stay in Thailand for more than 183 days. They issued the tax ID for me.

Third attempt: With my certificate of residence, translated employment contract (which explicitly stated that I work remotely for my employer from Thailand and will stay for more than 183 days), visa, and tax ID, everything went smoothly and quickly.

Oh, and they didn’t try to sell me any unnecessary insurance!

Can I apply for DTV as an Etsy Seller. What documents can I show regarding the same? Do I have to show a certain number of sales or years of operations? Thanks

I got my DTV in 3,5 hours!

Yes you read that right. 3 hours and 23 minutes to honor my German friends here.

So I’m gonna share my story to contribute to this amazing group that helped me a lot in the past days 🙏🏼

I arrived in Manila yesterday night, checked in at my hotel and went straight to bed. Today I finished my documents and at 11:57am I submitted my documents online - already mentally and emotionally prepared for two long weeks of waiting.

So I went out for lunch, had coffee, contemplated what to do with my life in a concrete jungle… and when boredom kicked in I checked my emails. 15:20h … Mail from the embassy … You’re visa is approved.

Wtf.

Straight back time travel to the feeling when I caught Mewtu for the first time in Gameboy Pokémon Blue Edition.

So here‘s exactly what to do:

Preparation is everything (life lesson in here)

- If you’re a business owner, get your documents ready:

1)Certificate of active Status of your company

2) Document proving you’re the owner of the company

- Prepare your employment contract, indicating you employed yourself as a managing director for your company. You must add the following benefit: 100% remote work

- Write yourself a „letter of authorization“ that you authorize yourself 100% remote work. You will find templates and tutorials for this document on YouTube as I did

- Make a nice presentation (I did it with Canva) in which you explain in detail (!) what you do:

1) Add your website and your LinkedIn Profile

2) Explain your services/products and proof your successful business with data/pictures/numbers/metrics // if you are a freelancer show 3 of your projects/clients and explain exactly what you do for them

3) Add invoices, then add the bank statement where this money came into your business bank account and finally add another bank statement from your private account which shows you actually received this money

—> Remember: The better you prepare this presentation, the faster you will be. My presentation was around 18 pages long and took me 4 hours of focused work.

- Have your private bank statements of your last 3 months ready. The front page should indicate the current balance of at least 500.000,- Baht.

- Merge the following documents into 1 PDF (you can use a free tool like „ilovepdf“ for merging pdfs - just google it):

1) Proof of your location: Use the receipt of your hotel booking

2) Picture of your Philippines visa stamp in your passport

3) Passport sized picture (should be exactly measured based on the given size on the Thai website)

4) Booking confirmation of your flight to the Philippines

What else do you need to know?

- eTravel Visa for the Philippines: When you enter the country you are required to show the eTravel document. Be careful: there are services online that charge more than a 100€ while on the official website it is for free I assume. Why I know that some charge over 100€? Don’t ask… 😂🤦🏻‍♂️

- When entering the Philippines you must present a return flight ticket. So have that in mind.

- Don’t book your hotel for too long in advance - you might not need it.

Remember:

- Preparation is everything. The better you prepare, the faster the process will be.

- Make it easy for those who are reading the documents.

- Be kind and friendly in your words, they are still humans.

3 hours 23 minutes - I hereby require my official entry in the Guiness book.

See you in paradise 🏝️

PS: If someone of the honorable team of the royal Thai embassy is reading this post - thank you! You did an amazing job 🙏🏼

Has anyone applied for a DTV as a digital nomad in the Netherlands/the Hague? What kind of additional documents were requested and did they ask for a flight ticket?

Has anyone applied for a DTV as a digital nomad in the Netherlands/the Hague? What kind of additional documents were requested and did they ask for a flight ticket?

Phuket Extension update (posting for science. I don’t care if you think flying out is easier):

Went with the wife and kids this morning to extend (DTV— Digital nomad / remote worker + follower). Did not receive it, but I’ll be going back in a few days. Here’s why—

What I brought (for me):

- Application, 4x6 photo, copy of TM30, passport copies, copy of 90 day notification, copy of lease agreement, proof of payment to landlord

- copy of bank statement (Jan. 26-Feb. 26) showing 500,000 THB (Chase Bank, $15,000+)

- screenshot of current balance

- Articles of Organization for (my own) LLC

- Annual report for LLC

- Document from IRS showing Employer Identification Number

- A copy of one of our digital products

- (self written) Letter of Authorization for remote work (from my own company)

For my wife:

- Application + photo + passport copies + 90 day notification copy

- Bank statement + current balance

- Copy of marriage certificate

- copy of lease agreement, TM30, payment

Outcome

The officer was very kind. He let me know that I truly had everything in order. However there were two problems:

1. The Remote Work Auth. letter was the same copy I used when I applied for the visa originally. It was dated September, 2024. He wanted a newer copy (presumably from 2025). Takeaway: you may need to request a new letter from your company.

2. He wanted to see a bank statement from the current month (truly the last 30 days), not simply my previous statement + current balance. Mine won’t be auto-generated for a few more days, hence the screenshot of current balance. He noticed that the screenshot showed (page 1 of 5). He wanted all 5 pages, not just the one with the balance on it. He was willing to take either what I had (with all 5 pages) or wait for the bank statement to come out. He said “bank statement is better.”

I plan to return after my statement is generated and I update the letter.

Further takeaways and clarifications

- it seems that the process goes like this:

— gather documents and get a queue number

— bring docs to counter for trainee to check

— trainee hands to officer for more detailed check while you wait a few minutes

— officer briefs you on what you still lack (if anything) before submitting, answering any questions

— once you have everything, they will submit for processing

— you come back after a few days after they’ve checked through the documents (even more!) thoroughly for stamp + pickup.

I didn’t have to pay anything today. I’m assuming that you’ll have to attach money to the application when you submit it, and then after a few days they’ll let you know if you were accepted or denied (potentially losing your fee). That’s only after a pre-check and one more thorough check by an officer who (seemed to) be really optimistic that I had everything in order.

The frustration is that this feels like I’m applying for the DTV all over again. I truly wish the requirements were unilaterally consistent and understandable across every immigration office throughout the country, because I think it would really save everyone (including staff) frustration. Ultimately, the staff and officers were very kind and helpful for the whole process.

Hello fellow DTVers,

Which health insurance company do you recommend for being in Thailand on DTV (up 6 months in a year not to hit tax residency) - and not spend fortune on it.

Edit - any experience with Safety Wing?

Cheers,

Piotr

My DTV Visa application was rejected for a second time! I submitted multiple additional documents on four separate occasions including payout slips and still was rejected with no explanation as to why 🤔

Hi,

I have recently applied for DTV from Pakistan . I was called in for an interview on 19th March where the visa officer asked me questions on my intent to stay in Thailand and my employment evidence. He also raised a little bit of concern on my no travel history in the past . Overall, interview went well.

How many days should it take for me to hear back from them ?

If approved, what would be the next steps ?

I have read about challenges at immigration in Pakistan as well as in Thailand while getting in or out on DTV,

Is that true ? What challenges can I expect to have ? What would be the solution?

Which areas should I focus on living in Bangkok, Thailand which are digital nomad friendly and have vibrant nightlife.

Any recommendations or information would be highly appreciated 🙏

Thanks,