doubling back for anyone interested: i asked the thai embassy in Australia and they said you can indeed go to thailand on a visa exemption entry while awaiting the DTV
Anyone know if you can apply for a DTV where you reside, then go to Thailand in the meantime on a tourist visa to wait for the DTV to get approved, then fly out and in on the DTV? I’m running out of time where I am and the DTV seems to take more than ten business days to process.