The DTV visa allows you to live in Thailand for up to 5 years on the condition of leaving every six months, work online for a foreign company, study Muay Thai or culinary arts. Since 2024, it can be obtained not only at your place of registration: applicants go for it in Laos, Vietnam and Sri Lanka, and some consulates accept documents online and issue a visa in two days.
What visa allows you to legally stay in Thailand longer than a tourist stamp and work remotely for a foreign company? The DTV visa.
Let's break down its conditions, list of documents, and four ways to obtain this visa: remote work, sports, culinary courses, and medical services, with real schools, prices, and requirements.
those who work online for a foreign employer or take orders from foreign clients
participants in cultural and sports programs (muay thai courses, Thai cooking, and other "soft power" directions)
those who come to Thailand for medical services
You cannot work for a Thai company on a DTV visa: income must come from outside Thailand.
Validity period: 5 years from the date of issue, multiple entry visa.
Maximum stay period per visit: 180 days.
Extension: once per visit, an additional 180 days.
Visa cost: 10,000 ฿
Applicant age: from 20 years old.
Reputation requirement: no registered violations of Thailand's immigration law.
Adding family members: available for spouse and children, each person needs a separate visa with their own fee.
Method | What the applicant confirms | Pros | Cons | Approximate preparation cost |
Remote work | Employment contract, income from a foreign company | Suitable for any freelancer | A complete package of corporate documents is needed | Translation and notarization expenses, 3,000-10,000 ฿ |
Sports (muay thai) | Enrollment in a licensed muay thai school | The school provides the document package | You need to actually attend classes | From 20,000 to 65,000 ฿ per course |
Culinary courses | Enrollment in an accredited culinary school | The school provides a ready document package | Courses are on average more expensive than muay thai classes | From 29,400 to 58,900 ฿ per course |
Medical services | Confirmation from a hospital of scheduled treatment | Does not require a multi-month course | You need a real reason for treatment, cost is not fixed | Price depends on the medical program, there is no fixed rate |
Bank statement from any bank in the world with a balance of at least 500,000 ฿ ($15,100 at 2026 exchange rates) or equivalent in another currency.
Bank statement showing fund movements for the last 3 months: the amount must remain in the account throughout this period. A screenshot from a mobile application is not accepted by most embassies; you need an official PDF statement from online banking or a paper certificate from a branch.
Contract or employment agreement (for the remote work category).
Certification from the employer that the employee can work remotely from Thailand and not for a Thai company.
Company documents: registration certificate, tax registration document.
Screenshots of the company website, its social media pages, client agreements.
Salary payment confirmation: payment orders, pay stubs.
Covering letter from the applicant.
Passport with at least 6 months validity and a photo.
For family members: marriage certificate, birth certificate, adoption documents, or other document confirming relationship to the main applicant.
Licensed muay thai schools prepare a document package for the applicant (enrollment letter, school documents, payment confirmation), and the applicant submits the visa application themselves through the embassy or the thaievisa.go.th portal.
The final decision on the visa is made by the embassy or consulate; the school only confirms participation in training.
School | Location on Phuket | Program | Cost | What else is needed |
Phuket Muay Thai | Rawai | 9 months, 36 trainings | 20,000 ฿ | Regular attendance at training sessions is required |
Phuket Muay Thai | Rawai | 12 months, 96 trainings | 30,000 ฿ | Same as above |
Petchnumnoi Muay Thai Gym | Patong | Basic, 9 months, 15 trainings | 23,000 ฿ | Financial confirmation of 500,000 ฿, passport, photo, document of current place of residence |
Petchnumnoi Muay Thai Gym | Patong | Contender, 9 months, 30 trainings | 45,000 ฿ | Same as above |
Both schools are officially licensed by the Boxing Commission under the Sports Authority of Thailand, which is under the Ministry of Tourism and Sports: this confirms the school's status for the embassy.
The logic is the same as with muay thai: the school issues a certificate of enrollment, business registration documents and a class schedule, and the applicant submits these documents together with the rest of the package to the embassy.
School | Location on Phuket | Program | Cost | What else is needed |
Arun Thai Cooking | Cherng Talay | 12 months, 60 classes | 58,900 ฿ | Financial confirmation of 500,000 ฿, passport, photo; visa support if desired - 8,000 ฿ plus embassy fee 10,000-14,000 ฿ |
House of Taste Thai Cooking School | Karon | 12 months, 16 classes | 38,900 ฿ | Financial confirmation of 500,000 ฿, passport, photo |
Phuket Thai Cooking Academy | Katu | 9 months, 30 classes | 37,500 ฿ | Financial confirmation of 500,000 ฿, passport, photo; visa support separately for 18,000 ฿ (5,000 ฿ school service plus 13,000 ฿ embassy fee) |
Documents for the visa application are issued within 2-3 business days after paying for the course.
This category works differently from sports and cooking: instead of a fixed-price course, you need a real medical reason and a hospital that will agree to issue an official letter of appointment for treatment.
The mechanism is as follows: the applicant books a consultation or procedure at an accredited hospital in Thailand (for example, Bangkok Hospital Phuket or another international hospital with JCI accreditation), and then requests an official letter from the hospital on letterhead with a seal, where the diagnosis or purpose of treatment, the treatment plan and appointment dates are indicated. The letter is accompanied by financial confirmation of 500,000 ฿ and a standard set of personal documents: passport, photo, proof of current place of residence.
The cost of this route is not fixed: it equals the price of the treatment itself or medical program (including referrals for traditional Thai medicine or extended wellness programs) and is not comparable in format to a muay thai or cooking course. If the duration of treatment extends beyond 180 days, an updated letter from the hospital will be needed to extend the stay.
Applications are submitted in person at the consulate of your country or online through the official thaievisa.go.th portal by uploading document scans. Some consulates are already operating fully remotely without personal interviews. Document packages and processing times vary from country to country; there is no unified procedure here: you need to check the rules on your consulate's website.
The formal rule to submit documents where the applicant's workplace is based is not strictly observed in practice. For example, in addition to Laos, where application and visa issuance can take just 2 days in some cases, in 2025-2026 we personally encountered successful DTV cases of remote workers applying in Vietnam and Sri Lanka.
The DTV visa is valid for 5 years, but you can stay in the country continuously on one entry for a maximum of 180 days. You are allowed to extend your stay once per visa at the local immigration office for an additional 180 days.
After using both periods, 180 plus 180 days, you need to leave the country and re-enter. The visa remains valid for all 5 years, and the number of entries is unlimited.
The DTV visa does not give you the right to work for a Thai employer. It confirms remote work for a foreign company, participation in cultural and sports programs, study at an accredited culinary school, or medical services in Thailand.
There are more ways to obtain the visa than in 2024: consulate in your home country, neighboring Southeast Asian countries, a licensed muay thai school or culinary school on Phuket, a hospital with a treatment program.
The choice of method depends on what the applicant is actually ready to do in Thailand and what requirements the embassy where they submit documents has.
Yes. Foreigners can purchase condos as Freehold subject to quota, and also use long-term leasehold structures. We advise on transaction structure for both primary and secondary markets.
Off-plan often allows entry at an earlier price with installment plans. The resale market offers a ready property with clear ownership history.
Phuket combines developed infrastructure, international schools, private hospitals, and high service levels. We help select areas and projects that fit your family's lifestyle.
In most cases, yes. We support clients outside Thailand and arrange the remote purchase process.
Yes. We advise on management, rental, and possible resale of your property.
Yes, through separate rights: the villa is registered as Freehold, full ownership, while the land under it is taken on a long-term lease for 90 years. This is the most common and effective method for foreigners in Phuket, and we arrange it for most of the villas we select for clients.
