@Lew *****

16k thb for me, 3 weeks ago, INCLUDING administrative visa fee (around 12k). Obtained in less than 4 days. Did they recently increase their price? When did they quote you 18k?

@Luit ****************

whatever, you'll obviously stick to your assumptions and believe that spending 6 months here and 6 months out is the only rightful way to use a DTV. By the way, Elite visa holders go through a 1 to 2-month background check by local authorities, which includes some police / judicial check both from Thailand and from your country of origin, something that prevents most fraudsters, scammers and gangsters from using this visa inappropriately in Thailand. That's one big difference with DTV applicants, which itself could justify why the former can open bank accounts while the latter can't.

@Luit ****************

well, we just disagree. Have a good one.

@Greg *******

just curious, did you have access to any stats showing what percentage of DTV users actually went for an agent? Any public information? I'm wondering as well.

@Luit ****************

again, where does it publicly say that DTV holders shouldn't stay more than a few months per year? Having to extend it twice a year means nothing, as most other visas need to be extended in a way or another as well, at some point. Using something to its full extent is not abusing the system, as long as you're not breaking any rule.

@Luit ****************

5 minutes or a few days' trip, I think it doesn't change the fact that foreigners under 50 who wish to live in Thailand and do not need to work anymore to generate funds have currently NO option to stay in this country. Apart from forking over substantial money for the Elite visa. The DTV is the only other legal option that we have, and it allows us to learn Muay Thai or Thai Cooking. Retired people over 50 can freely and quite easily stay in Thailand indefinitely, spending their cash here, so why could younger people not do the same? And nothing says that DTV holders should not spend more than a few months in Thailand and then leave. If they really intended to make it very restrictive, they would have limited it to 1 year only, not 5. And to all the 'digital nomads' who got the DTV, who can say if they will still have the same activity in 6 months or a year? More realistically, this DTV was probably made to attract foreigners to Thailand and have them inject money to the local economy / pay taxes. Elite visa is also nothing more than a 'Tourist visa', with almost same limitations.

@Luit ****************

5 minutes at the border checkpoint and back to the LoS, not a big deal. But I get your point.

@Luit ****************

what 7305 days are you talking about? I am a former Elite visa holder, I know what this visa is about. I had to extend it every year (instead of every 6 months for a DTV, not a BIG difference), and Elite goes from 5-year (like a DTV) to 20-year membership. But again, it needs to be 'renewed/extended' several times during its lifetime, you can't just pay and stay in the country without dealing with immigration.

@Luit ****************

possibly, I used to leave at least once a year to avoid a painful trip to CW so I can't really say. But apart from this minor difference, both are still tourist visas for extended periods of time.

@Mark *******

OR an ELITE visa, which is ALSO a 'glorified' Tourist visa, and same as for the DTV, you need to have it extended (not every 6 months but every year). Surprisingly, all local banks let you open as many accounts as you want when you hold that visa.