Has anyone here applied for a DTV visa from the UK while having a criminal record? I’m just trying to understand how it works — do they ask about criminal history at any point or request any kind of police check? And has anyone with old convictions still been approved?

I’m looking to apply for the DTV visa via the soft power route to train Muay Thai, so would really appreciate hearing people’s experiences. Thanks!

Hi everyone

I registered for Muay Thai academy to get a dtv visa

Muay Thai Academy told me to wait 45 days to receive dtv documents

Does it usually take this long?

How long did everyone else get the documents?

Muay Thai DTV Visa – Vientiane, Laos 🇱🇦 (5 workdays Approved ) No agency

Timeline:

• Mar 3: Submitted application

• Mar 4: Paid visa fee

• Mar 6: Requested to submit additional documents

• Mar 10 (noon): Status changed to Pending Approval

• Mar 10 (evening): Received approval email

Interview: None

Nationality: Chinese

Muay Thai Gym: Muay Thai Fever

Documents submitted:

• 3-month bank statements

• Proof of savings

• Muay Thai training photos

• Training plan

Approved after interview in Manila. (Soft Power Muay Thai)

Just got approved in Manila two hours after in person interview at embassy (took maybe 3 minutes for the interview). Just to let you guys know there is still hope if you have been rejected. I was rejected twice, once in HCMC and again in Hanoi. No idea the reason for rejections, the only thing I did different this time was use Issa Compass and it was 100% worth the extra 200 USD. Whole process… submitted to Issa compass all documents on February 23. Request for interview March 2, which I pushed back to March 10 due to being on a super small island way out of the way in Cebu and had just been in a motor bike crash 4 days prior. The Embassy was very accommodating to this. Interview conducted on the 10th, only questions asked was to show on my phone my mobile banking info and my reason for interest in taking Muay Thai classes (no prior Muay Thai experience only a military background but not sure if that even mattered). Good luck to everyone out there. 🤙

DTV approved!

Submission: 1/13

Pending document check: until 2/3

Pending approval: 2/3

Approval: 2/3

It took 14 business days for the turnaround in Sydney. There was also 1 public holiday in between.

Everything changed yesterday going from pending document check to pending approval. Then 3 hours later I got my approval email (8:30PM).

Big thanks to Tiger Eye for being so helpful and responsive! And everyone in the group for sharing their previous experiences 🎉

How I applied for the DTV Soft Power and got approved without extra documents required (step-by-step).

Used Wise and Revolut. No seasoned funds (10 days only).

No agent whatsoever and applied in Hanoi.

First and foremost, thank you for everyone who shared their information here. Made my process much smoother.

Here's a condensed post for everyone else:

Timeline:

• applied on december 15

• status changed to pending on december 17

• approved on december 22

7 days total.

here’s exactly what I submitted and how I structured it.

1. Purpose of stay (soft power)

I applied under the soft power sports category (muay thai).

Included:

• official acceptance letter from muay thai gym in bangkok.

• proof of payment for a 6-month training program.

• training schedule.

• gym business registration and legal documents (this is provided by the gym itself)

2.Source of funds letter

Short, direct explanation stating:

• Funds come from foreign income

• Money is under my control

• I will not work in thailand

This went together with the financial proof document as the first page.

2.1 Financial proof

I used two accounts, each with a clear role.

Wise

• main account where I receive my client transfers.

• showed funds above the 500,000 THB requirement

• included balance confirmation and transaction history

• demonstrated foreign income source

• document showing I was the owner of the account.

Revolut

• daily spending account

• 6 months of transaction history

• showed normal living expenses, travel, food, transport

• Document showing I was the owner of the account.

Wise proved I meet the requirement.

Revolut proved I live like a real person.

And, yes, no seasoned funds. I only had 500k thb in my account for the past 10 days, and didnt have it in any point in the past 6 months.

4. Proof of location

I applied from Hanoi, so I made this very clear.

Included:

• Vietnam e-visa.

• Vietnam entry stamp.

• Flight ticket and boarding pass.

• Hotel booking confirmation.

• Time-stamped photo taken in Hanoi in front of hotel.

Plus a signed letter confirming I was physically present in Vietnam at the time of application and applying under the hanoi embassy’s jurisdiction as the first page.

How I packaged everything:

• Clear file names.

• Logical order.

• Every file with a 1-pager cover letter explaining what they will see on the respective file.

• Zero contradictions

• No unnecessary documents

Make it easy for a consular officer to understand my situation in seconds.

Result: approved in 7 days.

Extra details that might be important:

1. The last page of the application can "update" your details and therefore your last name can get mixed for the middle name. Fact check before uploading.

2. Never use auto-fill.

3. Write your accomodation name in english.

4. Put at least 10-14 days after applying as your departure date.

5. I used Ilovepdf to merge each respective file and document.

6. Make sure the gym is verified; language courses are susceptible to getting refused.

7. Sign every document sent out.

Thank you all. Hope to help 1000s with this post too.

Approved in Hanoi (soft power)

Posting this on behalf of a friend who doesn't have Facebook but who used this group to help with the DTV application.

Privileged western passport, applied for more than the normal 6 months of Muay Thai training, and was approved after 1 calendar week.

6 months of bank statements provided despite 3 months being requested, with the opening and closing balances always being far in excess of the required ฿500,000 minimum.

Photo of me outside the hotel in Hanoi showing boarding pass, hotel room keycard and the passport biodata page. Also submitted the hotel invoice billed in VND with the hotel parent company's official stamp and address on it.

Cover letter stated how the applicant can support themselves using the substantial bank balance and mentioned a genuine desire to train Muay Thai long-term over 5 years.

The Muay Thai gym provided all necessary paperwork which was then aggregated and compressed using iLovePDF.com. This included the payment receipt for the full course. I had no back and forth with the gym at all - the paperwork they provided included everything that was needed.

No additional documents were requested nor questions asked. Stamped straight in at DMK no issues whatsoever.

Overall a clean and smooth experience. A huge thank you to this group from where I acquired a lot of the information to put together a comprehensive and complete application.

Update from Phuket airport. Just arrived tonight from Vietnam and they cracking down hard on both non visa and visa holders. I been on my DTV for over a year and i needed to show 20k cash, pictures from my softpower training (muaythai) and they even asked me to call the gym owner to confirm i was still training there. Lucky the owner picked up the call. Was about 20 more people in same room as me and atleast 10 got denied entry and deported. From start to finish was around 2 hours to get my stamp. Be ready with your documents and proof.

Hello 🙏. I am looking to apply for a DTV visa in Laos as I heard it was a fast process (around a week)

I am currently talking to a gym in North Phuket about getting a letter of acceptance for a 6 month course that I can present to the embassy along with my bank account funds.

The gym is fully certified as a professional Muay Thai Camp. There is a plaque outside stating their certification by the Office of Boxing Sport Board , Sports Authority of Thailand Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

My question is do I just need to get the letter of acceptance written by the gym (1 day) or do I have to wait for the Boxing office in Thailand to approve me first before applying in Loas. I think the gym owner doesn’t fully understand the process about this letter and keeps trying to refer me to his agent.

From my research I understood he can write the letter and I can immediately go to Loas and be approved quickly. Am I correct ? Thanks 🙏

📌 My DTV Approval Experience Softpower Muay Thai (Applied in Hanoi – Full Breakdown)

Posting this because I struggled to find proper info on using a WISE account for DTV, so here’s my full process to help others.

I’m a 26-year-old Belgian who’s been in Thailand over 2 years (mostly on ED visa, two tourist stamps, one border bounce), with a brand-new Belgian passport issued in Bangkok.

-I live in Huahin and applied under King of Muay Thai 17,500 baht for 6 months (10 group courses)

-Flight to Hanoi around 6,000 baht roundtrip

- I was reluctant to apply myself and use an agent and i'm glad I did not -- all they do is apply as you online anyway, you'll still need to fly, pay the fees, submit the documents.

📅 TIMELINE (4 BUSINESS DAYS)

15th November (Saturday), 11:30 PM – Submitted my DTV application in Hanoi, Vietnam.

16th November (Sunday), around 12:00 AM – Payment completed right after midnight.

17th November(Monday) – Status changed from Document Checking → Pending Approval.

20th November (Thursday) – Approved, no additional documents requested.

💰 ABOUT WISE (IMPORTANT)

I had 500,000 THB for less than 3 months in my WISE account, but the account was actively used, and I had a little over 300,000 THB at the start of the 3-month period.

There’s almost no information online about using WISE, but mine passed without issues.

📄 DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED (ALL DOCUMENTS FOR EACH CATEGORY MERGED INTO ONE PDF VIA ILOVEPDF)

1. VIETNAM PROOF – 1 PDF

(Everything below merged into this single PDF)

• Hotel booking

• Hotel receipt

• Picture of me holding my passport + room key in front of the hotel sign so the address is clearly visible in big letters

• Close-up picture of me + passport + room key

• Photo of me at a Vietnamese café

• Entry stamp into Vietnam

2. BANK DOCUMENTS – 1 PDF

(Everything below merged into this single PDF)

• WISE certificate proving ownership of the account

• 3-month bank statement with my name and ending balance highlighted

3. MUAY THAI GYM DOCUMENTS – 1 PDF

(Everything below merged into this single PDF)

• 3–4 pages from King of Muay Thai (merged + compressed); Acknoledgement letter + Payment received letter + Certificate from Sports Authority of thailand stating they recognize the Muay Thai gym + Muay Thai Gym Business details + Owners passport + Owners work permit

4. PASSPORT DOCUMENTS – 1 PDF (FIRST DOCUMENTS YOU SUBMIT AT THE FIRST PAGES)

• Recent photo with white background

• Scanned passport

⚠️ PASSPORT PLACE OF ISSUE — VERY IMPORTANT

If your passport was issued abroad, do NOT select your home country.

Mine was issued in Bangkok, so I selected Bangkok or Exactly as writted in passport.

Many people get rejected for choosing their nationality instead of the actual place of issue.

✈️ CONFUSING QUESTIONS & HOW I ANSWERED THEM

“Place of last embarkment / last place of embarkment”

→ This means the airport you will fly from before entering Thailand. I put Vietnam airport.

Flight number

→ I used the flight I booked via Trip.com (it was a flexible ticket set for the 25th — not sure if that helped speed things up).

Commercial or charter flight?

→ I chose Commercial.

Arrival date:

→ I put 25th, the date of my booked flight.

Departure date:

→ I counted roughly 6 months from my arrival and put a date 1–2 days short of exactly 6 months.

First address they ask for:

→ This MUST be your current address (hotel address or the address where you are physically staying while applying).

Then it asks: “Is this also your permanent address?”

→ I selected NO.

→ After that, I entered my permanent home-country address.

(There’s almost zero guidance online about this step, so take note.)

Address in Thailand + how long you’ll stay there

→ I used my home address and the number of days matching my 6-month renewable lease.

⚠️ IMPORTANT SUBMISSION TIPS

• Double and triple check everything — I checked my submission 10 times.

• Copy-pasting my hotel address did not work because the website does NOT support Vietnamese accented characters. I had to search the hotel on another website to copy a non-accented version.

• All PDFs were merged cleanly using iLovePDF before uploading.

💡 NOTE:

I did NOT submit a cover letter or table of contents.

Many people say it’s needed, but I didn’t include anything extra and still got approved smoothly.

Everything I learned from this group is exactly what helped me apply and get approved. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences — it genuinely helped me get through this.

Good luck to anyone applying, and feel free to ask me questions. I was in the same boat as you.