Hello everyone!

I’ve just received my DTV visa approval as a freelancer on Upwork, and I’d like to share my full experience — it might be useful for anyone going through the same process.

I applied through the Royal Thai Consulate in Warsaw, Poland.

I’m originally from Ukraine, but I entered Poland before starting my visa application.

During the process, I encountered a few confusing parts of the online form, so here’s how I handled them.

## Travel Document

Place of Issue — my Ukrainian passport doesn’t include this field, only “Authority,” which is a 4-digit code of the issuing office.

I simply wrote “UKRAINE”, as most people on forums suggested. It worked fine.

## Employment Details

I stated that I am a freelancer with an annual income below $20,000 USD.

## Travel Information

This part was a bit strange — they ask for a round-trip ticket and accommodation details even before granting the visa, LOL.

I wrote that I plan to stay in Thailand for 151 days (you can’t exceed 180 days per entry) and that I would enter and leave by airplane.

I’ve never been to Thailand before.

For the flight number, I simply put “TBA” (To Be Announced) — many applicants on forums said it’s completely fine. I didn’t buy or reserve any tickets at that stage.

## Accommodation in Thailand

For accommodation, I made a free 7-day Booking reservation and used that address in my application.

I indicated that I would stay at a hotel for 7 days and selected “No” for additional accommodation.

# Supporting Documents

For proof of current location, I uploaded a photo of the entry stamp in my passport showing that I entered Poland on October 9, 2025.

For financial proof (500,000 THB), I provided a USD bank statement for the last 6 months (they only require 3, but I uploaded 6).

It showed around 15 transactions — mainly my freelance earnings in USD transferred to my local UAH account.

About a month before applying, I deposited $15,000 in cash into the account to meet the balance requirement.

## Professional Portfolio

As a video editor, I created a professional portfolio PDF using a clean online template.

I included my photo, name, background, education, and skills, plus:

* a screenshot of my Upwork profile,

* descriptions of several projects,

* and 8 invoices from the past 4 months, showing payments through Upwork from U.S. clients (LLC, Inc, and individuals).

I didn’t include direct links — I think it’s better to keep it clean for official purposes.

ChatGPT actually helped me prepare and format the entire portfolio.

# Visa Application Timeline

* 11 Oct 2025 (Saturday, 19:23) – Submitted and paid for the visa application.

* 16 Oct 2025 (Thursday, 16:42) – Received a request for additional documents:

1. Document indicating current location:

Please upload copy of Ukrainian ID card/internal passport, both front side and back side/all pages. Documents that consist of several pages must be merged into a single multi-page file.

I uploaded my Ukrainian ID card (both sides) in JPEG format.

2. Other request documents:

Please upload copy of all passport pages (including empty pages). Documents that consist of several pages must be merged into a single multi-page file.

I took photos of all pages of my passport and merged them into one PDF.

3. Other request documents:

Please upload a copy of the business registration (in English or accompanied by a certified English translation) in the case of self-employed persons/sole proprietors. The document must include the applicant’s personal details and activity description.

I’m officially registered in Ukraine as a sole proprietor since January 27, 2025 (even though I’ve been freelancing since 2023).

I ordered a certified English translation of my registration document on October 17, 2025 (Friday) and received it on October 20, 2025 (Monday).

4. Other request documents:

Please upload Letter of Confirmation (in English) stating that the applicant is permitted to work remotely and outlining the scope of duties during stay in Thailand. Document must be signed by an authorized person and bear the official company seal.

One of my clients (a U.S. LLC) kindly agreed to sign the letter. I drafted it myself using online examples and guidance from ChatGPT.

It was signed and returned to me on October 22, 2025 (Tuesday), and I uploaded it the same day.

* 22 Oct 2025 (Tuesday, 22:12) – Uploaded all additional documents.

* 23 Oct 2025 (Wednesday, 12:40) – Status changed to “Pending approval.”

* 23 Oct 2025 (Wednesday, 16:40) – Visa approved!

If anyone has questions about any step — I’ll be happy to answer.

It’s absolutely possible to get the Digital Work (DTV) Visa as a freelancer on Upwork — just be clear, organized, and consistent with your documents.

Planning to apply for DTV Workation in Ho Chi Minh - need you advice & experience pls

👋 Hey everyone!

I’m planning to apply for the DTV Visa (Digital Thailand Visa) this 10th November 2025 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, under the Workation category (freelancer / remote worker).

A bit about me:

• I’m a French freelancer (self-employed) for 2 years, working in marketing digital.

• Until the end of September 2025, I also had a full-time job (CDI) in France, which I recently quit to focus 100% on freelancing.

• I earn around €1,400 per month on average if you smooth out my income over the past 12 months, but before that, I didn’t have any revenue from my own business.

Financial side:

• My parents helped me financially in July so I could reach the required 500,000 THB, and I also have about €9,000 in personal savings.

• All the money (around €20,000 total) is in my Revolut personal account, which I use daily.

• I also have a separate business account for my freelance income (around €3–4K).

💬 I’ve got a few questions for anyone who already applied:

• Does the Thai consulate in HCMC accept Revolut statements as proof of funds?

• Is family financial help (with transfer proof) accepted for the 500,000 THB requirement?

• How many invoices or proof of income did you show (3, 6, more)?

• Should I show both accounts (personal + business) or only the personal one?

• For those who applied in Ho Chi Minh, what docs did they actually ask for?

• Bonus 😅 — I have an uncle who owns a house and restaurant in Phuket. Does that help my case or not relevant at all for DTV?

Thanks a lot for your help 🙏 Just want to make sure everything’s solid before booking my appointment!

Which country would you recommend for applying the DTV? I've heard that, Vietnam should be good?

I should have all requirements and i work online Self-employed as digital Onlinemarketing Freelancer. I have around 600.000 THB on my private wise account since 6 months and contracts with my clients. Should I also apply as freelancer or owner with LLC? I happy to hear from you guys :)

Just got a rejection notice from the Thai Embassy in Singapore.

I applied via the freelancer route - supplied all the documents necessary within the application form. My portfolio, my bank account showing 500,000 THB for 3 months.

I'm also a Singapore citizen applying.

I find it so weird that they didn't ask for more documents nor for an interview, but it just went from "Document Checking" > "Waiting for Approval" > "Rejected"

I'm trying to call them now to find out the reason. Should I head down to the embassy in person to ask for the reason for this 'ineligibility'?

Edit: Is there anything I can do about this now? Or just take the L and try applying from another country?

That $500 application fee hurts and I'm not sure if I would be willing to spend to try again even with Soft Power. It's ridiculous.

Final Edit:

I was just told by the embassy that I was deemed ineligible by the MFA HQ because I am a freelancer without a contracted income with a company. Kinda defeats the definition of ‘freelancer’ in my opinion, but it is what it is.

The staff also told me that things are becoming stricter and they’re approving less DTVs compared to the past.

For anyone else who is applying as a freelancer, just make sure you have yearly or permanent contracts with companies to show consistent income.

Well.. I guess I might either apply again through the soft power route or else just do visa runs every 2 months. Cheers to everyone that helped!

DTV Freelancer (and Spouse). Sweden.

One must be careful. Im main applicant, got VISA as ”freelancer”. Then I applied for Spouse and two kids.

1st kid got VISA without any query (4yrs).

2nd kid got VISA after query on showinh own bank statment (2yrs old!!!).

Spouse. First query on new docs. Employment letter and funds (funds were already provided before but needed to see cash?).

NOW query 2nd round ”DTV visa is required Employment letter with detail of describe how it is your job to be for remote worker as a digital nomad of attend Thai soft power.”

I intend to respond they misunderstand this is Spouse application. Just checking with you of I miss something here. The VISA applications have nothing to do with soft power! Any suggestion? I think just a mistake from embassy.

Thanks

Approved in Vientiane / Laos. Freelancer category.

Timeline:

Application submitted: 14/09

Request for further documents: 15/09

Interview: 23/09 10am (seen at 11am)

Approved: less than 15 minutes after my interview.

Entered Thailand: 23/09 (the evening of approval).

So it was 9 days from submitting and paying for the application to then physically being in Thailand 🇹🇭 very fast. I believe it was fast because I was extremely thorough in my application.

The only request for further documents I received was a clearer photo.

This group helped me a LOT!!!! And I mean, A LOT. So thank you to the admins and also all the members 🙏

My experience:

I own an events and entertainment company in Australia. It’s only small. I have zero staff and run it entirely online alone. I employ entertainment contractors for private events, parties and pub / club events.

I supplied a bunch of invoices and a bunch of remittance notices (payment confirmation slips).

I also supplied screenshots of my website and also a copy of my Australia business registry page from their website with my company name and Australian Business number, which matched all of my invoices.

Nothing more for proof of income.

I uploaded screenshots of my bank balance.

I did also upload 3 screenshots of my bank statements but only the opening and closing balances of each month. Not the whole 3 months of every transaction.

I wrote cover letters on every single document page and wrote as much information as possible.

I specifically wrote on page one of my employment documents specifically that my work was 100% Australian only and I had zero intention to bring that work to the kingdom (I referred to the Thailand as the kingdom of Thailand each time it was mentioned).

I explained that my intention of staying in Thailand was to immerse myself in thailands rich culture, nature and to learn about Buddhist culture whilst travelling and boosting the Thai economy through my remote income.

My 500,000THB had only been in my account 2.5 months. Not 3.

During the interview the staff were very kind. My interviewer was lovely. I was in there for under 10 minutes. He just asked to look at my bank balance on my phone app and also to see my website and asked me 1 or 2 questions about what my business actually did and how I was paid.

I found that the process was EXTREMELY easy (thanks to the knowledge acquired from this group) but quite time consuming. I uploaded so many documents because I just absolutely did not want to risk any chance of rejection and I did not rush.

I used Canva to create documents that were multiple pages long so I could upload around 4-6 screenshots / documents per page and also write notes on things if needed and circle things etc. then exported as a PDF and compressed the files before I uploaded. Because as you will see, there is only the option to upload 1 document per section, but of course we need to upload so many more, so this was the easiest way for me and it worked very well.

Thank you to everyone who helped with my questions during this time I will always appreciate you.

I would definitely recommend Vientiane / Laos for applying for DTV because I believe if there’s any small issues or mistakes in your application you’re going to be able to explain these in the interview. Laos is the ONLY destination that do interviews. This is why I chose it.

Please feel free to ask any questions if you would like some help! I’m happy to pay forward what everyone in the group (except the trolls) did to help me.

🫶

I applied and paid for the DTV application online as a freelancer, from Canada, on September 9. Today on September 18, my application status is still pending document check.

The flight arrival date to Thailand I submitted is October 16, 2025.

Is this timeline normal?

It seems many people in this group are getting progress sooner. Thank you.

Hey everyone,

Sorry this is a longer post — I’d really appreciate any insight or advice ❤️

I recently applied for the Thai Digital Nomad Visa (DTV) from Germany (my passport country), and unfortunately, my application was just rejected. I’m still trying to understand what exactly went wrong.

Here’s what I submitted:

* Proof of funds (over 500,000 THB)

* Invoices from freelance clients over the past 12 months

* My personal Spanish tax return (I was living in Spain until recently)

* Proof of current location in Germany (short-term rental contract)

* A company tax return from a Spanish business I closed in March 2025

I’m currently not registered anywhere, as I’ve been full-time nomadic since March — and was just temporarily in Germany when I applied.

A few days after submitting, they asked me to:

* Provide proof of registration in Germany (which I don’t have - I explained it to them and it seemed ok - so I think)

* Legalize all documents related to any foreign company through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Thai embassy in the issuing country (in my case, Spain)

Since my company was already closed and I wasn’t in Spain anymore, I explained that and asked them to disregard the company tax documents and instead focus only on my personal Spanish tax return.

Still, my visa was rejected — no reason given.

What’s confusing is that a friend of mine (Spanish citizen) applied from Vietnam, had no company, and got approved in just two days — no extra documents requested.

So I’m left wondering:

* Has anyone here successfully applied from a country that’s not their own passport country (like Vietnam)?

* Do they always require legalised foreign tax documents? (If so, what exactly? Just the tax return? Company registration too?)

* Would submitting only my personal tax return be enough?

* I recently opened a U.S. LLC to handle invoicing — will this create the same legalization problem if I use it in a new application?

* Do they expect you to be officially registered somewhere? Or is that flexible for nomads?

I really put a lot of time and effort into this application — so I’m feeling discouraged. I had hoped to spend 6–7 months a year in Thailand, and this rejection feels like a setback I didn’t expect.

If anyone here has been through something similar or knows how to navigate this better, I’d be so grateful for your advice. 🙏

Thanks so much in advance.

Hi everyone, I need URGENT help with my DTV visa application as an Independent Freelancer.

I just got an email asking for more documents, even though I already submitted most during the original application. Can you please guide me on these points:

1. Business License / GST – I don’t have a registered business, I work as a freelancer with monthly contracts. Should I submit my client’s LLC? Or what else can I provide?

2. Flights & Hotel – I only gave flight number + Agoda “pay later” bookings (which now expired today). Do they want an actual ticket + fresh booking?

3. Employment Contract/Certificate – I don’t have a formal certificate, only client contracts (already submitted). Should I add letterhead + client's sign as advised, or is there another way?

4. All Passport Pages – This I can submit.

From what I hear, Mumbai consulate looks for strong proof of regular income + ability to sustain yourself in Thailand.

Would really appreciate guidance from those who have gone through this 🙏

Thanks in advance!

VIENNA, Austria 🇦🇹 . 10 DAYS WAITING. NO UPDATE. What to so?

Hi everyone,

thanks so much for this group and everyone sharing 🙏🏻🙏🏻

Applied for DTV Visa (Freelancer, Workation) in Vienna – Status Still Pending Approval

• I’m Austrian national and applied for the DTV freelancer visa at the Thai Embassy in Vienna (while being here ofc)

• Submitted my application online Friday night two weeks ago.

• I have read posts from others in this group who applied in Vienna and were asked for extra documents, so I proactively included all required docs plus financials, company info, business description, and revenue details.

• Current status: still “pending approval.” No updates or communication since submission.

• I’ve read the Vienna embassy isn’t very responsive, so I haven’t called or emailed yet and thought I’d just wait a little longer.

• Now it’s been 2 weeks (10+ business days).

👉 My question: should I write an email, try calling, or wait another week?

Thanks in advance for sharing your experience!