@Paul ******

I bought a ticket from bkk to Malaysia for usd31

@Jan *****************

the extension is a one time extension per 180 days. That means after 360 days of stay, you can't extend again. You'll have to leave and return and start a new 180 day visa - that's when problems will arise if you don't have an ongoing course - this is what I've heard

@Graeme *****

can you point out what really happens then? If a person applies for DTV using soft skills, how does it work? How does it work in future after getting the visa? Care to point out which parts of the AI are wrong?

@Henrik ****

which is? What constitutes 'approved kind of documentation'

@Pete ******

happy to hear from you the real research so that we can be enlightened. Please share...

Hey I did some research using AI. Not as simple as it sounds. Are you ready?

1. Your course should extend 6 months or more. That would make your application solid. You need to enquire if the course provider can stretch your course if it's less than 6 months.

2. Your course must be able to give you a recognised certification. Again, ask your course provider if their certificate is acceptable and recognised for DTV. I'm sure all will say yes but you will need to do your own homework. The best indication is that they can show you preview applicants who used their certs to get a DTV.

3. Getting a DTV isn't difficult, maintaining it is. As you may know, the DTV is a 5 year visa but you need to either leave the country every 180 days (max) or apply for an extenaion. They only show you one extenaion each time you enter, in other words, you must leave after 360 days (max) and re-enter. Every extension is payable by the way and if you leave earlier, you can either choose to request for a re-entry permit (payable) based on that 180 day visa or leave and come back with a new 180 days visa on your DTV. The latter Upton sounds great right?

4. Thai immigration may question you if you leave frequently and return for a new 180 day visa. Although under the DTV, you can theoretically get unlimited 180 day visas till the 5 years are up, they will likely question you for frequent departures since your DTV is supposed to be a long term stay in Thailand. Basically if you play with the system too frequently, they system will catch up to you.

5. Each time they grant you a visa, you need to prove that you have funds of at least 500k thb kept in a bank somewhere. They allow you to use your own bank in your home country for this visa, or to keep the 500k in their Thai bank. If you choose to use your home country's bank, and if they let you in previously based on that, they may not necessarily let you in in future based on that. The best way is to keep the 500k in a Thai bank and you need to show recent records of it each time you re-enter.

6. This is the kicker - if you apply for DTV using a course, they may require you to show proof that you're still attending a course in future when you re-enter. This is a variable factor and dependent on the particular immigration officer. In other words, no fixed standard.

This is what I've discovered in my research. Hope it helps you out.

@William **********

do do you have to attend the course every year? Twice every year? Can you attend the same course every year? 😅

@Malcolm ****

no it's worse. They just announce they're gonna tariff your country for no reason at all.

@Eyal ******

try usa

@Eyal ******

many countries enact regulations at the spur of the moment, not just Thailand.