I am currently applying for a DTV (Freelance Visa) from the U.K.

I have bought a flight and entered the date and flight details, now I must add an "intended date of departure"

-It is a five year visa that I am applying for, so should I put in a date five years from my initial arrival?

Or should I enter a date that is within 180 days or my arrival?

It is a bit unclear.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you kindly.

DTV Approved in Fukuoka, Japan 🇯🇵

9/9 - Submitted online application for workcation (freelance)

* Passport Page

* Visa Photo (I used the same as my passport as my passport is brand new)

* Page screenshots from my professional website and digital portfolio showing my work (I'm a creative)

* Contract with one client + screenshot of an email where I had an agreement with another client

* Official bank statement from the bank showing my current balance + digital banking screenshot to show 3 months worth

* Payslips from clients as well as corresponding deposits highlighted from my bank statement just to show that I'm actually getting paid (different bank so different screenshot to above)

9/10 - Additional documents requested (flight ticket proof & accommodation in Bangkok)

* I am staying with my mother who is a Japanese national with a work permit in Thailand for the past 20 years

* I submitted a copy of her rental agreement with the landlord that covers the duration of my stay, her passport copy and her Thai work permit copy just in case

9/11 - Approved!

I was quite worried I wouldn't get it after reading so many posts about rejections + people getting a METV instead but I didn't think I would get it this fast🥹 For reference, I'm a Japanese national living in Tokyo. I chose the Fukuoka consulate as I read that the Tokyo consulate is one of the most difficult consulates.

*Edit: Added more details in case it helps any future applicants. *

I applied for a DTV visa at the Mumbai consulate, India and instead got a 'Tourist TR' visa!

Despite submitting all the documents and fulfilling the criteria with well above income and bank statement. I was basically 'rejected':(.

Think twice about applying from Mumbai. They are very stringent about it. They don't support soft power applications nor the freelance application.They are most prolly looking for people with traditional jobs with fixed regular income. Also, i assume i cannot get them to give me the correct DTV visa now?

I'm so confused why they are asking for letter from company, etc...

I selected freelance.

Anyone have any advice for this?

I'm interested in the freelance and wondering about the timeline for application to approval for purchase of airline tickets? I know it will be different for all embassies but what is the range or the longest someone has waited for an approval? I would be applying from Europe. TYIA

Visa Approved - application from Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.

Workcation freelancer category

Nationality: Singapore

Applied: 13 August

Additional Document Request: 18 August

Approved: 25 August

Documents submitted as follows.

PDF 1:

- Flight booking itinerary into VN

- Immigration stamp on passport

- Booking.com receipt of accommodation

- Passport full book with biodata page and ALL pages. I scaled down the sizes of my scans in order to fit multiple images across a few pages

PDF 2:

- Financial evidence letter clearly explaining the order of the following pages. I included a tabulation of all bank account statements and converted them to THB in this letter.

- Webpage showing the latest forex rates to THB taken from the Bank of Thailand website

- Bank account statements (2 separate banks). Included bank account summary screenshot on the day of submission and three months of official bank statements

- Client invoices from Upwork over the past three months.

- Proof of income clearly showing withdrawal transactions from Upwork into my bank statements. Pertinent information (i.e. bank account number, date of transaction, and amount transferred) were clearly highlighted

PDF 3:

- Letter stating my intent to continue my freelance activities under the DTV visa

- Certificate of earnings letter from Upwork proving my freelancer status

- Screenshots of my Upwork portfolio

- Client contracts from Upwork. I had only submitted recurring contracts from one major client dating back to January 2025

Additional documents (2 PDFs):

1. Photos of ALL pages of my passport, which required a timestamp as per the embassy's instructions. I used a free timestamp app for this

2. Uploaded all of my client invoices for the past 6 months (previously submitted 3 months). Had to provide proof of income showing withdrawals for the past 6 months too

Huge thanks to this group, it was definitely heaps easier to gather my documents thanks to the amount of information and testimonials available here.

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to apply for the DTV at the Helsinki Embassy under the freelance/professional route.

I run my own recruitment company and work fully remotely with European clients, invoices through my registered business. I plan to travel to Thailand in late September.

Before submitting, I’d be really grateful if anyone could share their recent experience with the Thai Embassy in Helsinki, especially if you applied under the freelancer route.

Specifically:

1. Did they require 3–6 months of bank statements showing a consistent balance of 500,000 THB+, or was it enough just to have the amount in the account at the time of application?

2. What supporting documents did they ask for (e.g., invoices, proof of client payments, contracts, CV)?

3. How long did the processing take from submission to visa approval?

4. Were there any surprises or additional documents requested during the review process?

Any tips, timelines, or document checklist would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Got through BKK airport from Hanoi. First time using DTV (Workcation/Freelance) which I got from Hanoi on July 8. (Please see my application documents below)

Burmese (Myanmar) passport, with last two years of Thai language school visa history.

IO looked at my small (A6 size) print of DTV visa and asked "You work here?". I said "No, I worked only online for my organization in Myanmar". She nodded and scanned the visa. Then she flipped through my passport, took some time looking at my ED visa stamps but didn't ask anything. Then she stamped on the empty page.

Applied in Hanoi on July 2 (3:35 pm) - approved on July 8 (3:21 pm). 4 working days, no additional documents asked.

Application documents I submitted:

Workcation/Freelance docs:

- Cover Letter

- Freelance Translator (English - Burmese) Portfolio

- 2 Freelance contracts (I don't actually have contracts so I draft them up based on the work with 2 of my regular clients)

- 6 Invoices for the last six months

- Statement of Burmese bank account where I highlighted the incoming transactions matching the invoices (on average the monthly income I showed is less than 20K if converted to baht which I was a bit worried might be too low, but apparently it was fine)

Financial proof:

- 6 months bank statement with each month closing at 500,000 + baht (I used my Thai bank account for this - I have opened one with my ED visa two years ago)

- Bank certificate certifying that I have *,* in my account (my friend who was helping me with the prep suggested I get this so I did)

Location:

- all passport pages including the arrival stamp

- flight boarding pass

- hotel booking

And then, four working days (or six days cause I couldn't manage to apply till a Wednesday) later, approved.

Hope they're clear. Please ask if you have any questions.

This page has been a huge help to me. I wish everyone applying good luck too. Cheers, everyone.

Has anyone recently obtained a DTV Visa as a freelancer? I would like to know how to establish freelancer status, including documents like payment slips, customer contracts, proof of six months of steady income from freelance work, and a portfolio. I have prepared all of these items and want to ensure they meet the requirements. How can I make them strong enough?

I've arranged proof of funds of 500,000 THB. If anyone has experience with this process, I would greatly appreciate it if you could share your insights.

Interviews

If you’re called for an interview, what are the questions they’d ask? esp if you’re applying as a freelancer