DTV - rejected 1st time under workaction in Hanoi, approved 2nd time under soft power in Vientiane

This group has been super useful as we were preparing for our application for the DTV, hence wanted to share our experience here alongside some tips that might be useful for others going through it. It has been an intense journey for us - it took us 4 weeks, 2 countries & lots of patience :D

Below you'll see the details + tips of the process. Turned out that Hanoi workaction route was not easy for us, even though we provided everything correctly we still got rejected without any reason why.

If you have any questions about any of the below, let me know, happy to help!

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-30th September left to Vietnam

-2nd October non B visa expired

-8th October further documents requested (further invoices & proof of income from company)

-9th October further documents requested (previous visa)

-10th October further documents requested (asked for work permit & business license in Thailand, submitted cancelled documents for both from our lawyer)

-10th of October few hours later REJECTED "unsuitable for DTV, please apply for non V visa & work permit, which doesn't make sense at all if proper look would have been given to our documents)

-11th October went to embassy - no help/support at all at the little window there, told us to send an email, which we did, but never got a reply

-11th October reached out ot Siam Legal for advice & support; they confirmed that our documents submitted for application make total sense & they don't understand why it was rejected; advised us to fly to Laos & apply there again (can highly recommend them!)

-12th October flew to Vientiane Laos

-14th October submitted all documents for soft power Muay Thai route via agency

-15th October went to the embassy to pay the visa fee of 10,000TBH. NOTE: we went to 10 different banks, non of which could exchange US or KIP to TBH. Best, do it at the airport.

-19th October received email for scheduled interview for the 28th of October

-28th October 10min interview at the embassy (what's your plan in Thailand, why Muay Thai, which Muay Thai school, show me payment for it in your bank account, how do you make income, show bank statement)

-28th October 4 hours later - DTV approved

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to share my experience. After two rejections, the first one in The Netherlands, the second one in Vietnam, I've finally been approved for the DTV Workation Visa.

I went to Laos, and in comparison to the two previous applications, I would strongly recommend anyone being in doubt to do the same. In Laos is the 'in-person' interview, which gives you the opportunity to explain your situation and show your finances.

For me personally, I believe the reason my first two applications were rejected, is because of a more complex company owning structure, which they don't seem to understand in Thailand, but which is common in The Netherlands. The in-person interview gives you the possibility to explain everything properly in person, with showing additional proof of income through your bank app.

Laos/Vientiane is not the most entertaining city in the world, but the total process in Laos cost me 10 days.

Hi everyone, I’m planning to apply for a DTV in Laos, but some people said that to get the visa, you need to have at least 500,000 baht in your bank account for at least 3 months. Is that right?

Anyone in laos doing their dtv? What’s the process there? I’m hearing online only but then people going in for meetings also.

Help a bro out!

I want to apply for DTV & do it via an education visa.

I plan to go to Laos to do my DTV visa for it but I also need to leave the country cause my tourist visa will end Feb 16.

How long does it take and what are the steps to apply for the ED visa / DTV Visa?

Very confused by how to start the process (but I do understand already what other things I need to show such as proof of funds, etc as shown on the Laos website seen below)

Hi, has anyone applied for DTV in Laos during these days and got approved? Is there an interview? May I know the process and what do they ask during the interview? I'm planning to next week for the visa run and some said Laos is difficult to apply without the agent. Thank you in advance.

Hello I have a question guys. The DTV laos requirements says that I must apply from the country where my employment is based. Does it mean I cannot apply if my employment is based outside Laos?

I plan to apply DTV visa in Laos (Vientiane) next month as a freelancer.

I have

- work contract stamped by employer

-pay slip

Do I need to have contract approved by embassy or labor office?

Please tell me someone who already had experience in Laos

Hey guys, I'm sorry if this question has already been answered, I tried searching here but was a bit unclear still.

I am currently one month into my last 3 month extension (3rd extension) of the one year ED visa and therefore still have two months left of the ED visa. I would like to get the DTV visa as soon as possible and I plan to get this by going to vientiane as people here have successfully gotten it from there. My question is do I need to cancel my ED visa before leaving or should I get a re-entry permit (just in case I don't get the DTV visa), leave to Laos, get the dtv visa and re-enter with dtv visa and then cancel the ed visa once I'm here? Are there any issues with doing the latter?

Someone here mentioned having to cancel your ED visa before leaving which I didn't really understand so wanted to ask how this works before I leave. Thank you so much!

Hello. I am interested in heading to Laos to apply for a 3 month visa. Would anyone happen to have any updated information on how it works? How long it takes to receive and how much it costs etc. Thank you so much in advance