The DTV — Destination Thailand Visa — is the visa Thailand launched in the summer of 2024 for remote workers, freelancers and entrepreneurs. In short: up to five years of legal life in Thailand — as long as you earn your money outside it. There is one rule that changes the whole plan, and it arrived on 31 August 2026: you can only file in the country where you are a citizen or a permanent resident. Here is how the visa works, who it fits and what to check before filing.
How the DTV works
- Five years, multiple entry. You can come and go as often as you like for the whole five years.
- 180 days per entry. You can extend for another 180 without leaving the country — or simply leave and come back, and the counter resets.
- Remote work is legal. The DTV was built precisely for people who live in Thailand and earn outside it. What it doesn’t give you is the right to work for a Thai employer.
- Family comes along. Legal spouses and children get dependant visas — for the same five years.
Who the DTV is for
Anyone who earns outside Thailand. The first and main category is remote employment: salaried employees, freelancers, business owners and sole traders. A developer on a contract with a European company, a designer with clients on a freelance marketplace, an entrepreneur with clients in another country — all of them are the DTV’s target audience. One caveat: whether a particular consulate takes entrepreneurs is a separate question, and since 31 August it is settled by the country you live in. Moscow, for one, is not taking applications from sole traders and the self-employed right now — we’ve covered what’s left for entrepreneurs in a separate piece.
The second track is soft power: long-term Thai cooking courses, Muay Thai, medical treatment. Yes, Thailand is willing to give five years for a serious interest in its culture — that’s an official part of the programme, not a loophole.
DTV requirements: what you need
Since 31 August 2026 the core of the list is the same everywhere — it is written into the central e-visa form, and consulates add their own details on top:
- 1.Proof of remote employment — a contract, an employer letter, or documents showing your freelance or business activity.
- 2.Statements for the last three months with a minimum balance of 500,000 baht (roughly $15,000) — for every participant, dependants included. Minimum means not a single day below the line; parking the money and printing a statement doesn’t work, they read the history of the account.
- 3.A criminal record certificate — from the country of citizenship or the country of filing. It takes up to a month, so order it first and time the rest of the documents to the date it is ready.
- 4.Tax filings for one or two years — consulates increasingly look past the balance and into where the income comes from.
Where to apply for the DTV: the 31 August rule
You can only apply for the DTV from outside Thailand — and since 31 August 2026 not wherever is easiest, but only in the country where you are a citizen or a permanent resident. The consulate is set by your passport and your proof of permanent residence: citizens of Russia go to Moscow, citizens of Kazakhstan to Astana, holders of a residence permit or permanent residence elsewhere to that country’s consulate. Flying to a third country to file makes no sense any more — and won’t help. The new requirements are taken apart word by word in the breakdown of the 31 August rule.
The procedure, the timelines and the details of the package still differ from consulate to consulate. We keep a live consulate board — it shows where the weather is calm and where there’s a storm.
How long a DTV decision takes
From a few days to a month — and that now depends on your consulate, not on your choice. From recent cases: Astana decides in six to eight days, Moscow in three to four weeks. The consular fee — and how you pay it — differs from consulate to consulate.
Full service through the workshop comes as the Solo Route and Family Route plans: one price covers the whole family, and if there’s a refusal we rebuild the package and support your re-filing at the same consulate for free — all of the workshop’s work is on us. If you have put the package together yourself, you can hand it in for the Preflight Check — one written report on what doesn’t match the consulate’s requirements. The consular fee is paid separately, directly to the consulate.
Common misconceptions
- “The DTV is permanent residency.” No. It’s a long-stay visa: it leads to neither residency nor citizenship.
- “With a DTV you can get a job in Thailand.” No. Working for Thai companies is prohibited.
- “I’ll fly somewhere easier to file.” Not any more. Since 31 August 2026 the consulate is set by your passport and your proof of permanent residence — there is no choice left here.
- “Get the visa and forget about it for five years.” Almost. Every 180 days you need an extension or a border run, plus the standard formalities of a long stay.
How to get the DTV: where to start
By checking three things: employment, finances, consulate. Message Mira — she’ll reply within minutes, match your citizenship and residence status against the consulate map and send the order of collecting documents. And the workshop’s contact stays with you after the visa — that’s how we do things.