Hi. I have been a member of the group for a while and have benefited from the advice of Brandon Et al. I’m from the uk and have been travelling to Thailand for many years, spending up to 6 months per year there. I have used visa-free and tourist visas for this but this time have a non-o 90 day visa based on retirement to arrive in December. My plan was possibly to extend this for one year based on 800k in the bank. But the exchange rate is not great at the moment and I am reluctant to place money in a “ dead” account permanently. So now for the question. I read about the DTV visa (5 years multi-entry). I am retired (62) but didn’t think I would qualify as no desire to work. What I read is that you can get this based on cookery classes (even just a couple of weeks from a registered school?). I enjoy Thai cooking and would like to learn more so would not be an issue. This sounds too good to be true (10k baht for the visa plus the cost of the class). Am I missing something here or is this a viable option? TIA for constructive replies.

I was just approved for my DTV and am elated. I submitted my documents to the Washington DC Embassy electronically on October 17 in the afternoon, so 9 business days in total.

I used my drivers license as proof of residence, used a selfie I took on my phone for the picture (against a white wall). Also took picture of my passport with my phone.

I used an American Express savings account statement showing one month of activity ending on October 6 for proof of funds.

I entered a friend’s condo address and reception I’ll initially stay at as my residence until I get my own place, and entered the flight number for the last leg of my trip to Bangkok.

I was not asked for any additional information.

I went the soft power route, booking a two-week cooking course through the Bangkok Thai Cooking Academy. I paid them for the cooking course on October 16 via PayPal and received all of the necessary documents for my visa application the following day.

They also said it was fine if you want to split their 4-week course into two parts, and taking the second leg of classes at your convenience.

The director of admissions, Tanawan Malan, is extremely helpful and anyone interested in taking courses at the school, located in On Nut, can reach them here:

Ron@BangkokThaiCookingAcademy.com

All in all, it was a pretty seemless process that maybe took 2-3 hours (from paying the cooking school to getting the documents onto my computer to filling out the forms.) Your mileage may vary.

I cannot really see the point of using an agent if you’re doing things above board.

Good luck everyone!

DTV Soft Power : Cooking Classes (2-4 weeks)

I will be in Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam) in 2 weeks and want to apply for DTV Soft Power Cooking Class from the Thai consulate in HCMC. The courses are scheduled for April 2025 and I have the option to choose between 2 or 4 weeks classes.

My question:

1. Is it OK to apply for DTV and enter Thai territory in April 2025 only?

2. Do I have to take cooking classes every 180 days or every time I re-enter Thailand within the 5 years of my Visa?

3. Beside the school deposit with receipt + 500K baht bank statement + stamp on my passport from Vietnam + Hotel proof that I'm applying from outside of Thailand. What else do I need?

If some of you got admitted DTV Soft Power Cooking Classes can please share their experience, specially from HCMC Thai consulate if any.

Thanks for your help.

Hi everyone.

Could people please post the contacts for any cooking classes/muay thai classes you have booked through and received the documentation to have your visa approved.

Also if you could explain how long the courses are for that you paid for/prices that would be very helpful thanks.

Hello,

Been seeing a lot of approvals of the DTV on soft power for Muay Thai. Does anyone know of a Thai Cooking school that has accreditation for the DTV and/or has already students approved on the DTV visa? I'm not interested in muay thai.

Does anyone know of reputable cooking schools that offer DTV? I looked at a couple schools in BKK, and I actually want to learn how to cook Thai food, and I also want to move to Thailand. I saw one school that offered a DTV-eligible 2 week cooking class for 40,000 baht. Is that reasonable?

Is there any Thailand Local Classes which can provide me a letter for DTV visa ( Muay Thai, Cooking or classes which can provide paperwork for DTV visa)

Hello guys, is there anyone who got dtv with muay thai or cooking classes? Thanks

Please advise on a visa agent that will get the DTV done with certainty, using “soft activities” as a basis. Proof of funds can be presented but proof of consistent monthly income may not.

Hello everyone, I need some advice regarding my Thailand DTV visa application.

I’m recently applied for the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV). However, I’ve run into an issue. The Thai visa officer informed me that my current work details don’t qualify for this type of visa, and they recommended that I provide proof of enrollment in a "soft power activity" to support my application.🤗🤗😘

Has anyone faced a similar situation, or can anyone recommend any programs, such as Thai culture or language courses, Muay Thai, or cooking classes, that would allow me to enroll and provide proof of registration? Any recommendations for courses that offer flexible cancellation or refunds would be especially helpful.

Thank you so much for any guidance you can provide!