DTV application at the Royal Thai Consulate in Hong Kong 🇭🇰
Swedish passport, applied as freelance worker/digital nomad (Content copywriter/Translator).
Process took 5 business days (10 days total):
Applied on July 27th, got it approved on August 3rd.
💰 Cost: 300 HKD (around 14300 baht at time of application)
☑️ Step 1, application:
I left Thailand and flew to Hong Kong. Sent my application literally as soon as I got to Hong Kong.
I sent them a work contract from one of my clients, showing that I am employed as a freelancer, and that the position is fully remote. The contract clearly listed the contact information to my client. No info about salary in the contract.
Also uploaded a detailed bank statement, showing all activity in my account from February 1st to July 27th. The balance never went below 500,000 THB during that time.
For proof of location I sent them a photo of my entry slip, that I got when I entered Hong Kong.
☑️ Step 2, request for more documents:
On July 31st, I got an email from the consulate where they asked me to upload a "CV with details including education, employment history and Portfolio" and "Full bank statement(s) with applicant’s name showing secure/stable liquid financial asset with ‘latest 6-month’ account activity details".
So I added a few pages to my current CV where I showed screenshots of my work, both in the original word/excel-files and screenshots of my work published on the clients websites. I included links to every published website I was showing in my portfolio. I also added a page with a cover letter for the consulate, explaining my situation, that I have multiple clients but that the client I sent a contract from, pays me enough to support my ife in Thailand. I also told them that none of my clients are in Thailand and how much my average salary is per month.
I uploaded a bank statement for the same account as earlier, but changed the dates to 31/1 - 31/7 (since they asked for exactly 6 months).
☑️ Step 3, visa approved:
I got the visa in the evening of August 3rd, around 20:00. The consulate closes at 17:00, but I guess the visa is made and sent out through systems that run automatically even after the consulate closes.
I emailed them twice during the process asking for a status update as I had a booked flight on 31/7, but didn't get a reply. So I just waited and booked a new flight after I got my visa.
Landed in BKK today, and got my first 180 day stamp 🥳
Hope this helps some of you! 👌
Also, the HK consulate website says that only residents can apply there. I emailed them beforehand and asked about this and they said I could apply, even though I'm not a resident.
