The Destination Thailand Visa (DTV), or “digital nomad visa” as it is also known, is an affordable and convenient visa option for freelancers, digital nomads or remote workers who want to work from Thailand.
You can also qualify for the DTV if you plan to engage in “Thai Soft Power” activities such as attending Thai boxing or cooking classes, sports training, medical treatments, short-term educational courses, seminars or artistic and musical festivals.
This visa option allows holders to stay in Thailand for up to 180 days per entry, and is valid for 5 years (multiple entry).
Below are all the details you need to know about the DTV Visa Thailand and how to obtain one.
Visa Requirements:
- Passport or Travel Document.
- Passport photograph
- Document showing current location (not allowed to apply from inside Thailand).
- Evidence of financial assets:
- Amount of no less than 500,000 THB (approximately $13,650, £10,700.38, €12,575.58)
- Bank statements, payslips or a sponsorship letter will be accepted as evidence.
- Proof of purpose of visit:
- Workcation: Employment contract, employment certificate or a professional portfolio showing your freelance work.
- Thai Soft Power: Proof of confirmation to attend the activity or a letter of appointment from a hospital or medical centre.
- Dependent of Primary DTV Holder: Proof of relationship such as a marriage certificate, birth certificate or certificate of adoption.
- Applicants must be at least 20 years old.
- Visa holders cannot apply for a work permit.
Eligible Persons:
- Remote Workers/Digital Nomads/Freelancers/Foreign Talent
- Participants of activities such as:
- Muay Thai courses
- Thai cooking classes
- Sport training
- Medical treatment
- Seminars
- Music festivals
And the spouse and dependent children of DTV holders.
“Foreign Talent” in the DTV framework is a broad category designed to cover a wide range of creative, entrepreneurial, and professional pursuits that may not fall within traditional job roles. For example, it could include professions like writers, artists, bloggers, music creator; essentially any skill or occupation that contributes creatively or professionally.
To qualify under the “foreign talent” category you must provide proof of your work, typically through a portfolio or other evidence that demonstrates your expertise.
NB: Notably, there’s no requirement for applicants to earn a specific income from these activities while in Thailand; just to have the background and intention to pursue them.
Visa Validity:
Upon successfully applying for a DTV, you'll be granted a 5-year multiple-entry visa. This allows you to stay in Thailand for up to 180 days per visit. The 180 days need not be consecutive. After reaching the 180-day limit, you must exit and re-enter the country to maintain legal status. Since it is a multiple-entry visa, you can leave and return to Thailand as often as you like during its validity period.
Visa Fee:
- The visa fee is 10,000 THB (per visa).
- Provisions will be made for family members (legal spouses and legitimate children) to accompany the visa holder to Thailand. Further details will follow.
Extension Option:
You have the option to extend the 180-day stay by another 180 days once per year for an additional 10,000 THB. This means you can effectively remain in Thailand for almost a full year before needing to exit and re-enter.
Where to Apply:
You can apply for a visa by visiting the Royal Thai Embassy or General Consulate in your country with the required documents, or online via the Thai e-Visa portal, which provides step-by-step guidance.
Income Tax Consideration
Visa holders will be eligible to stay for a maximum of 180 days each year, and will therefore not be subject to foreign income tax rules. However, there needs to be clarification as to what the situation would be should a person use their 180-day extension, because that would mean staying longer than 180 days in one year. This would therefore make that person a tax resident.
DTV Vs LTR Visa
Note that the DTV visa is very different from the Long Term Residence Visa (LTR). The LTR visa has a number of categories for eligible high earners and wealthy retirees, whereas the DTV is targeted at younger, not so affluent digital nomads, remote workers, and freelancers.
An LTV requires a minimum average income of $80,000 and $50,000 health insurance cover. If you're employed, you'll need a valid employment contract from a company with at least $150 million in combined revenue over the last three years. More on the LTR requirements here.
Details are still emerging on the DTV, and further clarification is expected on the finer details. I will update this post accordingly.
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In a bid to rejuvenate its economy, Thailand's government has announced major updates to a number of visa rules. In addition to the DTV, there have been updates made to the visa-on-arrival and visa exemption programs, and relaxed restrictions for the Education Visa (ED) and Retiree Visa (O-A). These changes follow Thailand’s recent efforts to boost tourism by relaxing immigration restrictions, marking one of the most substantial shifts in immigration policy in the post-COVID era.