DTV Workcation Approved in Taipei for US passport holder living in Chiang Mai
9 March
Departed Chiang Mai, arrived in Taipei.
10 March
*7:42 AM*. Arrived at National Immigration Agency (內政部移民署, 廣州街15號) and took my place behind a short queue of 9 people waiting outside.
*8:00 AM*. Doors open and I retrieve a queue number from a machine and an application form located next to that machine. I fill out the form at the tables provided and proceed to the waiting area.
*8:08 AM*. My number is called and I approach the agent, hand her my queue ticket, passport, and completed form. She also asks for a copy of my passport, which I had on me, and the NT$100 fee, insisting on exact change. I verify my info on her screen, then she leaves and returns with the needed document and a receipt (I speak and read Chinese, so this all happened rather quickly). I go back to the tables at the entrance and pull out my computer and phone. I photo the document, uploaded it (using hotspot) to my nearly complete application, and clicked “Done.” When attempting payment, I received an error message four times. I decide to return to my guest house to try again there in case I need to call my bank. During the bus ride back I review posts in this group and learn it could be any number of issues, including my VPN.
*9:35 AM*. I arrive back at the guest house and try payment once more, this time without VPN. It works.
*11:15 AM*. I receive an email requesting the following:
“• Other request documents: Your company's license.
• Other request documents: Please provide records of salary transfer to your bank account (within 3 months).”
Thanks to a previous post, I already had my employer’s US business license and uploaded it immediately. For the “records of salary transfer,” I used electronic copies of my paychecks plus phone screenshots of US bank deposits made by my employer. I arrange these into a single, separate PDF and submit both documents.
*3:06 PM*. I receive yet another email suggesting my last submission was insufficient:
"• Other request documents: The transaction details must show the bank's name and your name with account number. (within 3 months)"
It’s possible the reviewer missed the info on my initial submission as my name is listed as a joint account holder (with my spouse as the primary). On this assumption, I encircled the relevant info with wider red lines and also included my 2024 W-2 (US annual wage and tax statement) on the hunch that the purpose was to verify sufficient salary. I upload the single PDF and submit it.
11 March
No communication whatsoever. Status remains unchanged at “Processing.”
12 March
*9:35 AM*. To my surprise, I receive an email indicating my visa is approved. I can’t believe my eyes, so I log on to the site and it’s indeed consistent with the email. No request for an interview. So, I change my flight and prepare to head back to Chiang Mai. With time to burn and a copy shop nearby, I go and print the e-visa.
*10:16 PM*. It’s my turn at passport control. I hand the officer my passport and the e-visa printout. Within 2 minutes he scans both, takes my photo, stamps my passport, and I enter Thailand saying nothing more to the officer than “Thank you.”
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Pardon my verbosity—I hope the info is helpful. Sorry in advance for not replying promptly to any questions. Try searching the group posts, use the filters, and patiently read. Thanks to everyone else who’s shared info!
