DTV Approved. HCMC (Remote worker category).
Consulate: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
My experience:
Booked appointment 2 weeks in advance. Emailed in advance to confirm what documents they required.
They were quick to reply - between 1-3 days, linking to info on their website. I provided exactly what they asked for (in the order they asked for it).
1. Application with 1 photo stuck on
2. Passport
3. Employment certificate and employment contract (I had both so put them both in, but only 1 of these is required) with wet signature and stamp.
4. 6 months of bank statements showing evidence of 500K+ (THB)
⭕️ Also provided (but not asked for) which they kept:
1. Company registration document (with signature and wet stamp).
2. Colour photocopy of my passport.
⭕️ Also provided but they disregarded:
1. A brief cover letter / contents page.
⭕️ Backup documents I brought with me after reading posts here but never needed:
1. Airbnb/ hotel booking in HCMC
2. My condo rental agreement from Thailand
3. Examples of my work
4. Tax records (I’ve paid tax in Thailand for the past 6 years)
I had concerns that as I already live in Thailand and have done for the past 6 years, previously on a Non-Immigrant B visa, they may have more questions/ request further documents regarding the changes, but they did not.
⭕️Further info about the appointment:
The previous posts here that described the consulate perfectly were very helpful.
Look for the guards under the red bull umbrella, that’s your entrance. (Not the entrance the grab taxi takes you to). You can see the green shipping container from the street, that’s the visa office.
I was 20 mins early, and thankfully they saw me early (it’s a bit of a heat trap next to the shipping container and the gazebo that you sit under).
When called up, she wanted to see my application form first, before the other documents. A quick check through them (less than 1 minute), highlighted with a highlighter pen the account balance on the most recent month before they took my $340 USD (crisp, clean notes are specifically asked for) and directed me to take a seat and wait for my receipt, which came 5 mins later, advising to return in 2 days for the result / return of passport.
No questions asked, no additional documents requested.
On collection, again it was very quick. Arrived, entered, picked up immediately, then left in under 1 minute.
Over the 2 visits I spent less than 10 mins in the consulate in total.
The staff are all very friendly. From the guards to the visa staff. Each time saying ‘have a nice day’.
The process was surprisingly quick and easy. Special thanks to everyone in these groups that shared their experiences and to Tod for his solid, reliable advice to all in these groups.
On entry back into Thailand, the immigration officer had to consult her book to look up how many days to give, but once she did, all accurately stamped in for 180 days.
My advice-
1. Make it easy for them. Provide what they want, in the order they ask for it. Avoid additional lengthy documents where possible.
2. Read all the reports in these groups before choosing which consulate to apply through as their requirements differ for each one and reading personal experiences can often reveal more than the information posted.
3. Check you are stamped in for 180 days on arrival.
EDIT- happy to answer general questions.. but not those that have already been well documented in this group, can easily be googled, or any personal questions.
