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immigration tips

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This page displays all the results for the Immigration Tips tag, sorted by the most recent activity. There are a total of 47 questions that have been tagged with Immigration Tips. Explore the questions to find discussions and information relevant to this topic.
Jul 19, 2025
19 hours ago
Regarding the 500,000 THB bank requirement for 3 months (Thai visa), I’d like to share some insights.

(Note: Requirements can vary by country and case.)

🔑 Key Point:

The most important factor is proving that your source of income is genuine and stable. Your bank statement must clearly reflect this.

At the closing date, your balance should be at least 500,000 THB.

Simply depositing 500,000 in one go right before the submission or splitting it into large sums over a short period is not ideal and may not be accepted.

🇰🇭 Cambodia (As of July 2025):

If your 6-month statement shows regular income and expenses, and your balance at the closing date is at least 500,000 THB, it should generally be acceptable.

But again, do not just make a single lump-sum deposit of 500,000 THB right before your application. Immigration often reviews how your income came in over time.

Make sure your bank account clearly shows your income source — for example:

If you are a freelancer or remote worker, ensure your payment slip matches the amount shown in your bank statement.

You can strengthen your case by providing screenshots of your income source (e.g., Upwork, Fiverr, Wise, etc.).

📘 Bank Documents to Prepare:

Know which visa type you used when opening your bank account.

Keep your bank book updated, including stamped pages.

Take clear photos of:

Latest statement

Updated passbook

App balance (with timestamp)

If your bank account was opened with an old passport, make sure to update your new passport details at the bank.

If pages in your new passbook are linked to the old one, take photos of any reference stamps as well.

📸 When submitting photos of documents:

Include timestamps if required.

Be sure they’re clear and readable.

❗❗❗ Warning About Fakes:

Please don’t trust some agencies just because they are well-known. There have been real cases where agents faked documents, including:

Fake deposits without real money

Fake income sources

Photoshop-altered bank statements

Some people got into serious trouble because of this.

Always ask questions and verify everything yourself. Fake documents might seem easy, but the risk is high — you could lose money, get blacklisted, or be banned from entering the country again.

💡 Final Advice:

Work with a reliable and ethical agent who cares about doing things properly.

Before applying, double-check all your documents at least 3 times.

If you can’t afford to meet the full requirement, look for a legitimate company that can help prove your real income source (not fake paperwork).

I wish everyone the best of luck! I’ll continue sharing tips as I learn more.

Just remember: every country and case is different, so the safest way is to make sure your documents are genuine, consistent, and explainable.
Jul 18, 2025
2 days ago
Hey anyone ! I’m a freelancer looking into the DTV visa – wondering if anyone’s done it via an agency or on your own? Also curious if anyone here applied in Laos? Any tips would be awesome. Thanks heaps! 😊
Jul 2, 2025
18 days ago
Mal ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Hello folks ...

My current Thai wife visa extension of stay is permitted up to 2 August 2025.

My current US passport expires in May 2026.

Would you confirm that I can apply for my visa extension with my current passport, however, the extension of stay will be permitted up to my passport expiration date in May 2026?

Thank you kindly ...
Jun 8, 2025
a month ago
Guillermo *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
DTV Approved HANOI - BUSINESS OWNER- AMERICAN

Hello! This group has been super helpful and I wanted to share my experience. I applied in Hanoi and before i came to Vietnam I read multiple posts to make sure i would not make any mistakes

Was going to Apply June 1st but there were still some issues on my application when i checked all the documents. PLEASE BEFORE YOU APPLY MAKE SURE YOU FILL ALL THE INFO OTHER PEOPLE HAVE SAID IS NEEDED OR REQUESTED. Because of this delay i applied next day Monday June the 2nd. What is requested varies by embassy so always check before you submit . They might be requiring something now that maybe was not needed last month

Timeline

06/01. Ready to applied but postponed due to document check was missing info

06/02 applied late at night around 9 pm Hanoi time

06/04 received an email to resubmit my picture as it was blurry per their standards

06/05 sent a nice email asking for an update ( later the email came back undelivered ) emails do not work at Hanoi tried 2 emails none work

06/08 visa approval ( Monday and tuesday embassy was closed ) so 3 working days it took for me the fastest i have seen in this forum . If you are thinking about applying HANOI is your best best as i write this post

Couple of reminders.

The DTV is so broad that there are many ways to have a succesful application. Find the easiest one “ the one you have more documentation and you will be fine.

I went with the Business owner route and on the last page before submitting i had 3 folders or pdf files

Please find a website to lower the resolution of the docs . I had like 26 mb at some point and you can only do 3 MB per file ( REALLY LIMITED)

1) Location file . Here i included my ticket out of thailand. my vietnam visa and my arrival stamp . I also included a copy of the reservation of my airbnb showing the dates and the address and my long term contract in bangkok . YOU HAVE TO APPLY OUTSIDE OF THAILAND FOR THIS VISA. Do not go back to thailand while you are waiting and do not travel outside . Thechnically you can but i would not risk it in case they call you for an interview

2) personal file. Here i did an index with all the info i thought would help me in the application.

*cover later ( why i thought the dtv was a good fit for me i reinforce tha idea MY INCOME AND EMPLOYMENT WERE OUTSIDE OF THAILAND

* CV put emphasis on what you do Digital Nomad etc

* contract ( since this was my own company i have been with this format since i left the us in 2020 i hired myself this is good for us taxes )

* paystubs 6 months

*bank statements ( BIG ONE SHOW 500k bath and they want to see continous flow) I read some people deposit money right before they apply . Some were fine but i would not apply in such terms . They want to see you can support yourself.

* wise bank statements for local usage. Here i told them i was aware that i would not qualify for a normal bank account in thailand as this was a tourist visa after all so they could see i was already used to having this restrictions

3) business file

* letter of recomendation ( yes i recomend it myself and specifically stated that as an employee of this company i was authorized to work from abroad and i would not seek local employment . Company must have a seal and make it professional . They really care about formality in asian countries

* company registration ( my company is registered in florida so took a screenshot of the website where they can verify this and included the incorporation papers

* bank statements ( business ) here you have to show the payments going from the business to your personal account . I included 6 of thoses and HIGHTLATED THE MONTHLY PAYMENTS to my personal account

* taxes and invoices from some clients

If you follow this structure and apply as a business owner you should be good to go. PLEASE CHECK EVERYTHING BEFORE SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION. I spent 1 hr yes i checked 10 times if all the info was correct names address etc . Do not trust the passport scanner CHECK NUMBER BY NUMBER if you miss one they will reject the application. When they ask you where was your passport issued ( put the country that issued it) they dont care if it was an embassy abroad … embassies are considered part of those countries so please dont make that mistake. I saw at least 20 people that put thailand as they got their passports at their embassies there and were rejected NO REFUNDS if your application is rejected

I want to thank everyone here as i would not have done this without the help i got from this forum . As of last week i was still really lost in the process. For me it took 3 days to prepare everything and there was A LOT of info to be put into those 3 files . Good luck to everyone

Feel free to ask any questions.
May 23, 2025
2 months ago
Wanted to post my experience from getting my DTV Visa in Hanoi May 2025, as this group was super helpful for me!

I applied the Digital Nomad route (whatever its called) as I have a working contract with a company from Hong Kong. American passport.

What I submitted:

-Passport biopage

-Photos

-Work contact (signed by my boss and I)

-Bank statements (above 500k) going back 6 months (wanted to be thorough and the more you send the better.)

-I originally submitted my Hanoi hotel booking as proof of location

Timeline

-Tuesday May 13th I submitted it at 8am the day I flew to Hanoi.

-Thursday May 15th I got a request for more paperwork. (They wanted Vietnam entry stamp and "business certification" for work

-Friday May 16th, resubmitted all of this (the business cert I had to wait for my boss, they wanted the official registration from the country of your company)

-Friday May 16th it went into "pending approval"

-Friday May 23rd, received eVisa approval at 10am

My flight back to Thailand was scheduled for May 24th.

This is my 3rd eVisa and each time I received approval on a Friday. It appears 5-6 working days is the sweet spot as long as it's not around a holiday or something. The process was very simple, my main advice is give them more paperwork than you think you should. Everything you have, combine into a PDF and submit.

Good luck! Feel free to ask questions, happy to help.
Mar 31, 2025
4 months ago
180 days on a DTV coming up, living in Pattaya. Can I border bounce either via BKK airport or via a van service to Cambodia on the same day to get another 180 days or do I need to spend time out of the country?
Mar 13, 2025
4 months ago
Marks *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Spouse Visa Approved! Royal Thai Embassy , Washington DC.

Sunday 2 March application submitted. Passport. Marriage license. 3 months of her bank statement (December, January, February). Driver’s license. Bank statement and drivers license noted as proof of current residence. My DTV. Fee paid. Next status was pending document review. Monday March 10. Request for additional documents, my passport bio data page. Status awaiting documents Submitted Tuesday, March 11, status pending document review. Wednesday March 12, 9:15 pm, email received, we would like to inform you that your Visa application has been approved. What a relief. By the way, I did have one question that this group answered before I submitted her application, I listened to the good advice, and everything worked out fine. Thanks again to most of you, you know who you are, and you are greatly appreciated. 🙏 
Mar 13, 2025
4 months ago
*Edit* Printed out the visa. Handed it to the immigration officer with my passport. 0 questions asked. A simple thank you and smile and that was it.

Edit2 I forgot to mention I already had a 1 year lease agreement that expires in November with my name in it. I provided it in full with my application.

Edit3* I have been living in Thailand for 3+ years already on a Special Tourist Visa , Ed visa, a few border bounces and a couple of visa on arrival through the airport.

DTV Approved from HCMC as a contract worker. I'm Canadian and teach English online for a reputable platform.

Prepared all of my documents and uploaded them to the E-visa site ahead of time.

1) Proof of work. Provided:

- a certificate provided by my company stating I work for them on a contractual basis.

- My full contract

- Screenshots of my profile page with hyperlinks and step by step instructions on how to access my public profile showing in active status.

- My company would not provide a registration number but I found it online from a regulatory body in the country it is based in. I also provided hyperlinks to this site so they could find it themselves then provided the number and explanation in my cover letter.

2) Proof of Income

- 6 months of bank statements from an account in Canada. I only had the necessary funds for over 1 month. It was around 100,000baht for the 5 previous months.

- screen shots of payments for 6 months from my payment profile page with my end balances and my lump sum deposit 1 month before highlighted

- statement of received payments for 6 months with another bank account with dates and amounts corresponding with my payment profile page.

*I did not hide anything on the statements. I've read about too many people doing this and it only leads to a request for the full document and/or problems

3) Proof of location

- picture of boarding pass

- picture of visa stamp into Vietnam

- proof of accommodation

4) Cover letter explaining anything unclear in a bullet format. Also stated that I will respect all Thai laws and authorities and will not work illegally in Thailand.

Timeline:

- Flew into HCMC on March 6. Submitted application around 6pm.

- Friday morning stays showed awaiting approval

- Received approval of DTV March 13 @ 14:00

- waiting at the airport as I type to fly into Thailand now.

Overall a very smooth process. One important note is that I manually entered all of my information. Even though it autofilled my passport info correctly I did not want any potential glitches to cause issues. There are too many stories of applications being cancelled because of this. People please triple check all of you information before submitting. I cannot stress this enough.

Another note for those of you that have a cc. I signed up for the Adobe 1 week free trial. It will then give you the option to extend the free trial an additional week if you check close to the end of your first free week. Adobe will protect your data better than the free pdf editors you find online. Protect yourself. I wish I did before using them a few times before.

Ask me anything. This group has been so helpful for me so a big thank you to you all.
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