Just got my DTV approved in HCM, Vietnam.

Hi all, I applied as a Singaporean as a freelancer in HCM and got it approved in about 3 weeks total.

For context, I was rejected twice in Singapore for insufficient funds. First time was my fault- I was trying my luck by submitting my investment accounts (they’ve stated they wont accept that) and second time I got rejected because the *final ending balance* for one of my bank statements did not meet the minimum requirement.

I was advised to apply outside of Singapore. This is the timeline and documents I submitted:

27 Nov evening: submitted all documents- with 3 months of bank statements.

1 Dec: asked for further documents: all passport pages, document describing my self employment, portfolio and resume, and proof of qualifications. (I am an online fitness coach)

2 Dec evening: submitted further documents.

8 Dec evening: status changed on the website from “pending document check” to “pending approval”

12 Dec 5:50pm: received email of approval and PDF of visa.

Total working days: 11 days.

It was definitely a nerve wracking experience, but I’m so happy to finally have obtained it. The wait may have been long but it was worth it. For those applying in HCMC, please be patient! If you meet all the requirements there should be no issue.

Feel free to ask me any questions and I’ll be happy to answer them.

I‘m posting anonymously even it feels strange because in this group I read so many unfriendly comments on posts of some members.

Just to inform you how my process with the Thai Embassy in Jakarta went. I wrote a page of content for each section and listed the documents I uploaded. But they requested some documents again (such as portfolio, freelancer contracts with clients, stay permit). No idea why they wanted me to send it again….

27th November – I applied with:

* Picture of passport (German)

* Biometric photo of myself

* Proof of accommodation in Bali

* Boarding pass

* Visa on arrival

* Bank statements (6 months)

* Approval of start-up grant

* Freelancer agreement with 1 client (valid until 31.12.25)

* Client invoice

* Freelancer registration at the tax office in Germany + tax ID

* Portfolio (screenshots of my website)

8th December – Further documents requested (uploaded the same day):

* Clear and new photograph

* Stay permit from Indonesian immigration

* Professional portfolio in English

* All pages of my passport, without skipping any pages

9th December – Further documents requested via email (uploaded the same day):

* Clear and new photograph taken against a plain white background

* Proof of your contract/work with your clients

11th December – APPROVED

I’m a freelancer, and while my income isn’t fixed, it is consistent, I earn between $2,000 to $5,000 per month. I can also show 500K THB in my bank account.

I’m planning to apply for the DTV visa and move to Bangkok in January 2026. I want to know if anyone here has applied for the DTV visa as a freelancer without business registration or formal work contracts. My work is completely open-source: I do smart contract audits and bug bounties, so I don’t need client contracts or a traditional employer. I can show Income tax returns and Paypal invoices.

If anyone has successfully gotten approved under similar conditions, please share your experience and any valuable tips.

Has anyone tried applying while being both a freelancer and an employee And does anyone know if additional documents were required, or if they were rejected because of it?

Success! Hanoi 6.5 Working days. Workation. Freelancer.

Dec 1 - Applied late afternoon

Dec 2 - Changed Pending Documents Check to Pending Approval

Dec 9 - Approved

I did a thorough search in the group to see what "additional documents" Hanoi has requested in the past, and made sure to include them all. That's why I think I got no "additional documents request".

Pretty straightforward process! If you're in Hanoi highly recommend Egg Coffee at Cafe Giang and Bun Cha at Bun Cha Ta Hanoi.

Good luck!

Hello everyone,

I want to apply for the DTV remote worker, in HCMC in Vietnam. Can anyone tell me if I should go there or somewhere else? Any experience on how long it takes or how hard it is to get everything approved? Do I need notary or apostille stamps for my documents? Obviously I have the money and income but I'm worried about other documents.

I have an official business registration and freelancer work contract from the Netherlands but I'm German myself. Any help and experience would help. Thanks in advance!

Have many UK citizens applying for DTV through London Embassy been asked for tax returns when applying as a freelancer?

Just been approved in Jakarta as freelancer

be aware! If you're already on a multiple entry visa or similar issued by your home embassy this will need to be cancelled before they can continue the DTV.

It will be your responsibly to contact your home embassy and get the visa cancelled. You then upload proof it has been voided to your application

Plan for at least 1 week to get this done.

Applied on Wednesday at Thai embassy London and got this yesterday asking for more documents. Some of the documents they asked for I uploaded with original application . Is this generic ? Also for the company letter I am a freelance in my occupation and work for different company's outside of Thailand so I provided a letter from myself and contracts from my previous 2 employers. Should this be ok ? Has anybody had similar from London ?

Tia

I got my DTV visa for Thailand ✅

Sharing my experience for anyone interested in the DTV Visa.

I applied from Hanoi, where I arrived on November 11, and I did everything on my own, without an agency, for a workation (I’m a freelancer).

🗓️ Timeline of my application

November 11: visa application submitted ( (I apply it late in the evening, just before midnight)

November 12: status changed to Pending approval

No request for additional documents

November 17: visa granted

4 business days

📄 Documents submitted (3 PDF files)

1️⃣ Proof of Location

Table of contents:

Passport Entry Stamp – Vietnam (p.2)

Flight ticket: Chiang Mai → Ho Chi Minh (p.3)

Flight ticket + boarding pass: Ho Chi Minh → Hanoi (p.5)

Photo of me with my passport in front of Hanoi airport (p.😎

Airbnb Payment Receipt (p.9)

Cover Letter ( I affirm that I will remain on Vietnamese territory during my application ) (p.10)

2️⃣ Overview of Digital Nomad Visa (DTV) Application File

Table of contents:

Motivation Letter (p.2)

Information About My Services, Activities, and Clients (p.3)

Portfolio of my first activity (p.5)

Portfolio of my second activity + client recommendation letter with company stamps (p.11)

Business Registration in French + certified translation (p.17)

Income Documents (p.19)

Statement of Remote Work (p.55)

Professional Online Presence (p.56)

3️⃣ Financial Evidences – DTV Application

Bank statements for the last 3 months (August → November 11)

Currency conversion reference of the closing balance in THB

I had over 600,000 baht on my personal account and an average income of 60000 baht /month.

If anyone wants an example of how I structured my file or has questions about a specific document, I’m happy to help 😉