The only person I've seen specifically say they lost their application fee was someone who applied through the e-visa system and the system read their passport and put the incorrect passport number and the person didn't catch it. A mistake on passport number is an immediate rejection and their application was cancelled.

If you are worried about the fee then go somewhere that still accepts in-person applications like Laos, Taipei or Yangon. They will just reject your application before you pay.

And yes, soft power is generally easier than workcation.

@Reed *********

DTV is still a tourist visa so it's not likely to change much

@Darin *******

IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE. NO ONE IS DEPORTED FOR TM30! You literally have people that WORK AT IMMIGRATION telling you that your advice is garbage.

@Darin *******

Once again, you clearly either didn't read or cannot comprehend what I posted.

@Willem ***

I said that immigration will ONLY accept embassy certified income for the first 1-year extension. No where did I say it's only accepted for the first year.

You cannot use monthly transfers to satisfy the requirement for the first year, but can use that for subsequent years if your embassy doesn't certify income.

@Ralph ******

you want information from the person giving wrong information on this group. Okay good luck

For a retirement visa it's one or the other. But for most their only option is the proof of funds in a Thai bank account because immigration will only accept embassy certified income for the first year and many embassies no longer offer this.

@Ralph ******

You can't read either? The first sentence of my post says what the law is.

@Tom ******

almost every immigration office requires a new TM30 if you leave Thailand.

@Darin *******

no one is deported for not having a TM30. It's not even your responsibility. It's the property owner's responsibility. You can't be deported because your hotel didn't fill out a form