DTV Approved (Sole propietorship) - Hanoi- AMERICAN

Hello! This group has been super helpful and I wanted to share my experience. I applied in Hanoi and before i came to Vietnam I read multiple posts to make sure i would not make any mistakes

Was going to Apply June 1st but there were still some issues on my application when i checked all the documents. PLEASE BEFORE YOU APPLY MAKE SURE YOU FILL ALL THE INFO OTHER PEOPLE HAVE SAID IS NEEDED OR REQUESTED. Because of this delay i applied next day Monday June the 2nd. What is requested varies by embassy so always check before you submit . They might be requiring something now that maybe was not needed last month

Timeline

06/01. Ready to applied but postponed due to document check was missing info

06/02 applied late at night around 9 pm Hanoi time

06/04 received an email to resubmit my picture as it was blurry per their standards

06/05 sent a nice email asking for an update ( later the email came back undelivered ) emails do not work at Hanoi tried 2 emails none work

06/08 visa approval ( Monday and tuesday embassy was closed ) so 3 working days it took for me the fastest i have seen in this forum . If you are thinking about applying HANOI is your best best as i write this post

Couple of reminders.

The DTV is so broad that there are many ways to have a succesful application. Find the easiest one “ the one you have more documentation and you will be fine.

I went with the Business owner route and on the last page before submitting i had 3 folders or pdf files

Please find a website to lower the resolution of the docs . I had like 26 mb at some point and you can only do 3 MB per file ( REALLY LIMITED)

1) Location file . Here i included my ticket out of thailand. my vietnam visa and my arrival stamp . I also included a copy of the reservation of my airbnb showing the dates and the address and my long term contract in bangkok . YOU HAVE TO APPLY OUTSIDE OF THAILAND FOR THIS VISA. Do not go back to thailand while you are waiting and do not travel outside . Thechnically you can but i would not risk it in case they call you for an interview

2) personal file. Here i did an index with all the info i thought would help me in the application.

*cover later ( why i thought the dtv was a good fit for me i reinforce tha idea MY INCOME AND EMPLOYMENT WERE OUTSIDE OF THAILAND

* CV put emphasis on what you do Digital Nomad etc

* contract ( since this was my own company i have been with this format since i left the us in 2020 i hired myself this is good for us taxes )

* paystubs 6 months

*bank statements ( BIG ONE SHOW 500k bath and they want to see continous flow) I read some people deposit money right before they apply . Some were fine but i would not apply in such terms . They want to see you can support yourself.

* wise bank statements for local usage. Here i told them i was aware that i would not qualify for a normal bank account in thailand as this was a tourist visa after all so they could see i was already used to having this restrictions

3) business file

* letter of recomendation ( yes i recomend it myself and specifically stated that as an employee of this company i was authorized to work from abroad and i would not seek local employment . Company must have a seal and make it professional . They really care about formality in asian countries

* company registration ( my company is registered in florida so took a screenshot of the website where they can verify this and included the incorporation papers

* bank statements ( business ) here you have to show the payments going from the business to your personal account . I included 6 of thoses and HIGHTLATED THE MONTHLY PAYMENTS to my personal account

* taxes and invoices from some clients

If you follow this structure and apply as a business owner you should be good to go. PLEASE CHECK EVERYTHING BEFORE SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION. I spent 1 hr yes i checked 10 times if all the info waa correct names address etc . Do not trust the passport scanner CHECK NUMBER BY NUMBER if you miss one they will reject the application. When they ask you where was your passport issued ( put the country that issued it) they dont care if it was an embassy abroad … embassies are considered part of those countries so please dont make that mistake. I saw at least 20 people that put thailand as they got their passports at their embassies there and were rejected NO REFUNDS if your application is rejected

I want to thank everyone here as i would not have done this without the help i got from this forum . As of last week i was still really lost in the process. For me it took 3 days to prepare everything and there was alot of info to be put into thise 3 files . Good luck to everyone

Feel free to ask any questions.

[English version below]

🇫🇷 hello to all! I'm contacting you to know if anyone here is currently living in Thailand on a Digital Work Visa (DTV) while being employed on a Permanent Contract (CDI) in a French company. I’m exploring this avenue myself and would really appreciate the opportunity to ask some practical questions about how you set things up, both with your employer and from a administrative/legal perspective. If you're up for a quick chat or share your experience, feel free to send me a private message or leave a comment below. Thanks in advance for your help! 🙏😊

🇫🇷 Hello everyone!

I’m reaching out to see if anyone here is currently living in Thailand on a Digital Work Visa (DTV) while being employed on a permanent contract (CDI) with a French company.

I’m exploring this path myself and would really appreciate the chance to ask a few practical questions about how you set things up—both with your employer and from an administrative/legal point of view.

If you’re open to a quick chat or sharing your experience, please feel free to DM me or drop a comment below. Thanks in advance for your help! 🙏😊

-------------

[English version below]

🇫🇷 Bonjour à tous ! Je vous contacte pour savoir si quelqu'un ici vit actuellement en Thaïlande avec un visa de travail numérique (DTV) tout en étant employé en contrat permanent (CDI) dans une entreprise française. J'explore moi-même cette voie et j'apprécierais vraiment d'avoir l'opportunité de poser quelques questions pratiques sur la façon dont vous mettez les choses en place, tant avec votre employeur que d'un point de vue administratif/juridique. Si vous êtes prêt à discuter rapidement ou à partager votre expérience, n'hésitez pas à m'envoyer un message privé ou à laisser un commentaire ci-dessous. Merci d'avance pour votre aide ! 🙏😊

🇫🇷 Hello everyone!

I’m reaching out to see if anyone here is currently living in Thailand on a Digital Work Visa (DTV) while being employed on a permanent contract (CDI) with a French company.

I’m exploring this path myself and would really appreciate the chance to ask a few practical questions about how you set things up—both with your employer and from an administrative/legal point of view.

If you’re open to a quick chat or sharing your experience, please feel free to DM me or drop a comment below. Thanks in advance for your help! 🙏😊

Hi guy's just some details of my successful DTV application in Vientiane.

46yr old male retired fighter.

Application for soft power Muay Thai.

Landed in Vientiane on Sunday 18/05.

Went to the embassy Monday 19/05 to complete payment for my application.

Received an email Wednesday 21/05 to send a different passport photo, the one I originally sent is the same one used on previous official thai government documents so I just sent the same one again and it was accepted lol, it seems in Vientiane no matter how perfect your application is they will find at least 1 fault, I've seen this with almost everyone I've spoken to in Vientiane that applied. Maybe it's a way for them to gain more time to deal with the high volume of applicant's 🤷.

Monday the 26/05 it went to pending approval.

Wednesday the 28/05 I received an email to attend an interview on 05/06.

Saturday 31/05 I received an email to say my interview had been cancelled and will be rescheduled, 4 hrs later I received another email with an interview date on the same day it was originally set for but just 4 hrs later.

Thursday 05/06 I attended my interview, something to be aware of when attending your interview. The wifi and 5g are extremely bad around the embassy area, this caused problems opening the banking apps to show proof of funds and transactions and it wasn't only me there was several of us freaking out as we waited for our turn.

Thankfully after 30 mins of trying to open my banking apps just as I was about to walk up the stairs for my interview my app opened, I can't tell you the relief and happiness it brought 🤣🤣🤣.

I walked into the interview room and before he even got to say a word i said please sir can you check my banking app straight away please, I explained about the issues and he said yes no problem and understand as it was happening often to others.

He looked at my UK account statement's which has a high balance in it and asked me to show the transitions going from my UK account to my investment account (crypto) and from there to my Thai bank account.

This took under 1 minute.

He then asked what will you do in Thailand, I said I will be training Muay Thai everyday as I've been doing it almost every day for the last 35 yrs.

I'm a retired fighter but still train every day.

I had a letter from the Muay Thai school confirming that I paid for 1 yr and pictures of me on the Muay Thai gym's official Facebook page training there.

I also attached 1 yr of medical insurance to cover extreme sports in Asia, this wasn't required but it made my application stronger.

The whole interview was 2-3 minutes as I had everything well prepared and ready to show.

He said ok that's all I need from you and you will get an email today with the results of your application.

As I was walking down the stairs from my interview I received my approval email, around 20 seconds after leaving the interview room.

I went to the print shop near by to get my DTV certificate printed for immigration then jumped in a taxi and straight to the airport.

I had booked my flights the day prior, if you book them on the same day they are usually double the price.

For anyone thinking about applying in Laos I would advise to choose a different country. There are so many better options.

Vientiane is a horrible city, the rds and paths are all torn up, the pollution and dust are crazy on your throat and chest there is litter everywhere and there is absolutely nothing to do and very few people around.

I got stuck there for 8 days.

I then moved to Vang veing for 6 days, it is an absolutely beautiful area with lots of outdoor activities to do, it's 1 hr on the train for Vientiane. Again all paths etc torn up but anything is better than Vientiane 🤣🤣

I then moved to Luang prabang for 3 days, 1 hr from Vang veing on the train which was very different from the other places, good rds and paths and a very clean town. There are lots of little restaurants and bars but again not many people around.

Also allow for an extra $2-3,000 for expenses over the 3+ week stay

Hope this information helps.

If anyone needs some help or advice I'm more than happy to help.

It can be quite a stressful experience but it really doesn't need to be.

It's better to take advice from people that have been through the process rather than from people that read about it.

Have a great Day guy's 😎😎😀

Approved Vientiane.

Get me out of this Horrible place.

I will write up the full details tomorrow.

I was just curious has anyone with a LTR ever done the 1 year reporting. I doubt many have because most people will fly out a least once a year. Were you notified? what was the process?

Do not apply DTV visa with the Embassy in Canberra…so slow

Just got my DTV in Ho Chi Minh city! Landed on the 15th May, sent in my application via Issa Compass ([members only]/) and it was approved on the 26th May. They're a great visa agent that doesn't charge too much, and they also offer a refund if your application is unsuccessful!

I applied via Thai soft power with Arun Thai Cooking school for a 12 month program which offers a variety of different programs depending on your need. The entire process was really smooth and they were responsive and answered all the questions I had.

Highly recommend!

Hi Guys, normal ? it's been 4-5 working days (not including local national holidays) :/

Thinking about getting a DTV visa in Vietnam by enrolling in a Muay Thai course.

Anyone here tried this route or know how it works? (documents, suggestions etc)

Would love to hear your experience! And if you can share reliable agents or good Muay Thai courses, thank you so much!

Let this be a warning to anyone who is curious: Do not apply for your DTV in Spain.

Just don't.

I'm a legal resident here who applied over a month ago and I still have not gotten a response. Now I have to leave Spain for a family emergency, and I'm basically begging the embassy to give me an update on the additional materials they requested. If you have the option, apply somewhere else, anywhere else. The stress alone makes me want to scream.