Updated August 12, 2026

TH-DN

The Destination Thailand Visa

A Thai visa the DTVfor 5 years

A visa for those who work remotely and want to live in Thailand for long stretches. It runs for five years with multiple entry, and each arrival gives up to 180 days with an extension of the same again. The money on the account stays yours: a balance of 500,000 baht is evidenced.

Get a preliminary assessment Go through your situation

The conditions are checked against the Thai Foreign Ministry checklist
Working since 2004
We run the visa, the extension and the questions of stay

Five years at onceThe term of the visa, entries unlimited

180 + 180 daysThe stay on one entry

No investmentThe funds stay in your account

01 / About the program

How the DTV works

Thailand introduced the DTV for those who come for a long stay: remote professionals, freelancers and participants in Thai soft-power programmes. It is not a residence permit but a long-term multiple-entry visa with a long stay.

Five years and multiple entry

The visa runs for five years. The number of entries is unlimited and each arrival gives the right to stay in the country for up to 180 days.

Extension inside the country

The stay is extended by another 180 days at an immigration office. After that you have to leave and enter again on the same visa.

A balance of 500,000 baht

It is evidenced by three months of statements. This is not a contribution or an investment: the money stays yours and remains in your account.

Two categories of applicant

Workcation — remote work and freelancing. A separate category covers muay thai training, Thai cookery and medical treatment.

02 / What you get

What the visa gives you

Five years with no reissue

One visa covers a five-year horizon: there is no need to gather documents afresh every year.

Six months per arrival

Each entry gives 180 days, extended by another 180 inside the country — almost a year without leaving.

The money stays yours

The financial condition is a balance on the account, not a payment to the state. The funds are not blocked in the programme’s favour.

The family on the same visa

A spouse and children under 20 receive the DTV. A balance of 500,000 baht is evidenced for each of them.

The work does not change

The clients and the employer stay foreign: the visa is designed for exactly that form of employment.

The cost of living

Housing, food and services cost noticeably less than in Europe, with developed infrastructure and medicine.

A preliminary assessment

Calculate the budget for your family

Set out who is applying with you. With the calculation you get the full Thai picture: the requirements, the budget, the timeline and a plan of action.

Who is applying for the visa?

Get the calculation

about a minuteno calls and no obligationsconfidential

The full calculation for your family composition
The timeline for each stage of the process
A plan of action: where to start

The Thai DTV visa and a set of documents

03 / Why people apply

Why people arrange the DTV

The DTV closed a long-standing problem: remote professionals used to live in Thailand on tourist visas and visa runs. Now there is a lawful status for it.

A lawful format instead of visa runs

A five-year visa removes the need to leave every 30-60 days and file documents again.

A long stay

180 days per entry with an extension is the longest period among the Asian programmes for remote workers.

A clear financial condition

500,000 baht in the account is a fixed sum, known in advance and independent of the family composition.

The family alongside

A spouse and children under 20 are arranged on the same visa and stay in the country just as long.

A base for Asia

Direct flights around the region, a year-round season and a large community of remote professionals.

A second scenario — study and treatment

The same visa covers muay thai, cookery schools and long-term medical treatment.

04 / Travel

How the stay works on the DTV

The DTV is a multiple-entry visa: its term of validity and the permitted period of stay are counted separately.

Mode 01

Five years of validity

Over the five years you enter the country an unlimited number of times.

Mode 02

180 days per entry

Each arrival gives the right to stay in Thailand for up to 180 days in a row.

Mode 03

An extension of another 180 days

The stay is extended at an immigration office. After that you have to leave and enter again.

Mode 04

The rest of the world on your own passport

You travel to third countries on your passport of citizenship: that is what sets the visa regime.

Sources: the rules on issuing the Destination Thailand Visa and the official checklist of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand.

05 / The composition of the application

Who can obtain the visa

A balance of 500,000 baht is evidenced for each applicant. Open a row to see the conditions.

Remote work, freelancing or participation in Thai soft-power programmes
An account balance from 500,000 baht
Documents on income over six months
Proof of a long-term place to live in Thailand

Receives the DTV as an accompanying family member
Evidences a balance of 500,000 baht
The main visa holder’s documents are attached

They receive the DTV together with the parent
A balance of 500,000 baht is evidenced for each
Children over 20 file their own applications

06 / Cost

What conditions have to be met

The financial condition is fixed: a balance on the account of at least 500,000 baht. The rest depends on the applicant’s category.

Workcation · remote work and freelancing

500,000 THB

≈ $16,000

Evidenced Statements for three months

Salary documents or proof of income over six months
A foreign employment contract or an employer’s certificate, legalised
A copy of the employer company’s registration, legalised
A professional portfolio confirming your standing as a specialist

Thai soft power · study and treatment

500,000 THB

≈ $16,000

Evidenced Statements for three months

A letter of enrolment from the school, institute or organiser
For treatment — a letter from the hospital or medical centre
It suits muay thai, cookery courses and long-term treatment
The financial condition is the same as for Workcation

A spouse and children under 20 · accompanying family

500,000 THB

≈ $16,000

Evidenced Statements for three months

A balance of 500,000 baht is evidenced for each applicant
Documents on the main DTV holder’s income over six months
The main visa holder’s details and their DTV approval
Children over 20 file their own applications

The applicant’s category

The main applicant

Spouse

Children under 20

The conditions are given under the official checklist of the Thai Foreign Ministry. The consular fee, the extension of stay at an immigration office, the insurance, the housing and the support are payable separately. Individual consulates may have different requirements. This is a preliminary calculation, not a decision of a state authority.

07 / Comparison

Thailand against other programmes for remote workers

The Asian programmes differ in format: in some places it is a visa with a long stay, in others full residency.

	Thailand DTV	The UAE	Malaysia	Indonesia	Croatia
The financial condition	500,000 baht in the account	$3,500 a month	a deposit by category	funds in the account	€3,622 a month
The term of the status	5 years	1 year, extendable	by category	5 or 10 years	18 months
Stay	180 + 180 days	continuous	continuous	continuous	continuous
Format	A visa	Residency	A long-term pass	A visa	A temporary stay
Family	A spouse and children under 20	Sponsorship	Included	Included	Through reunification

The conditions are given as at the date this page was updated; the details for each country are set out on its own page.

Full program comparison →

10 / How it works

How the process works

STEP 1

Choosing the category

We settle what suits you: Workcation for remote work or a Thai soft-power programme.

STEP 2

The financial documents

We prepare three months of statements with a balance from 500,000 baht and documents on income over six months.

STEP 3

Legalising the employer’s documents

The employment contract or certificate and the company’s registration are legalised at the embassy of the country where the company is registered. That is the longest stage.

STEP 4

Housing and the portfolio

We assemble a lease of six months or more and a professional portfolio.

STEP 5

Filing the application

The application is filed through the e-visa system or a consulate. We check individual consulates’ requirements in advance.

STEP 6

Extending the stay

After 180 days we run the extension at an immigration office for another 180 days and plan the calendar of entries.

Five years of lawful stay instead of visa runs — with the work and the clients you already have.

ThailandSouth-East AsiaThe Foreign Ministry checklist

Go through your situation

11 / Our role

Why people arrange the DTV with us

Refusals on the DTV most often come down to legalising the employer’s documents and evidencing housing, not to money.

We run the legalisation

The contract and the company’s registration have to be certified at the embassy of the country where the employer is registered. We plan the timing in advance.

We assemble the financial part

The three months of statements must show a closing balance of at least 500,000 baht — for each applicant.

We check the consulate’s requirements

Individual consulates ask for further documents. We settle the list before filing, not after a refusal.

We work out the calendar of the stay

180 days plus the extension and a new entry — we plan it so that you never fall out of lawful status.

12 / Team

Who runs the Thai visa process

The application is run by a permanent team: an immigration lawyer, a documents specialist and a family coordinator.

Irena SokolovskaHead of Europe OfficeThe strategy for the programme and complex cases

Martin DvorzhakDocument Processing SpecialistRunning the application legally and the documents

Hanna BergerTrusts and Succession AdvisorTaxes and the structure of income on a long stay

Maria StavruReal Estate AnalystCoordinating the family and contact at every stage

15 / Materials

Useful materials on Thailand

Materials on the DTV: the requirements by category, the documents and the order of filing.

The main materialPresentation

The DTV visa for remote work

The presentation gathers the essentials: the categories of applicant, the financial requirements, the documents and the periods of stay.

Inside:

which category suits you
what account balance is evidenced and how
which employer documents have to be legalised
which family members can obtain the visa
how the 180 days and the extension are counted
which documents individual consulates ask for
how work with BRIDGES is organised

PDF · free · current as of August 2026

A short check: the form of employment, the account balance and whether the employer’s documents are ready for legalisation.

The list for the applicant and each family member, the legalisation and the portfolio included.

We calculate the financial requirements, the fees, the budget for the move and the support.

All the materials are updated regularly by our team and are used when supporting BRIDGES clients.

16 / News

What matters to know

2026-08-12

The Foreign Ministry checklist requires the employment contract and the employer company’s registration to be legalised at an embassy — the key stage of the preparation.

2026-08-12

For a spouse and children under 20 the balance of 500,000 baht is evidenced separately for each applicant.

Worth having

Prepare for the Destination Thailand Visa

The short document we give clients before the start: the finances, the documents, the stages and the timelines.

Inside the document

What account balance is evidenced
What is needed from the employer and how to legalise it
The current conditions for 2026

We will send it after a short form - no call or obligation.

17 / Questions

Answers to common questions

An account balance of at least 500,000 baht, evidenced by statements for the last three months. It is not a payment and not an investment: the money stays yours.

For five years with multiple entry. Each arrival gives a stay of up to 180 days, extended by another 180 days inside the country.

You have to leave the country and enter again on the same visa — within its period of validity. The visa itself is not cancelled.

Remote workers, freelancers and specialists in the Workcation category, and participants in Thai soft-power programmes: muay thai, cookery courses and medical treatment.

An employment contract or a certificate of employment and a copy of the company’s registration. Both documents are certified at the embassy of the country where the company is registered.

Yes. A spouse and children under 20 receive the DTV as accompanying family. A balance of 500,000 baht is evidenced for each, and the main visa holder’s documents are attached.

No, it is a long-term visa. It gives no resident status and does not lead to permanent residence, but it lets you live in the country lawfully for long periods.

No. The visa is designed for work with foreign employers and clients. Local employment requires a work visa and a work permit.

Yes. Proof of a long-term place to live in Thailand is required — as a rule a lease of six months or more.

There are no restrictions on citizenship. The main difficulty is legalising the employer’s documents and the requirements of the particular consulate; we go through that part before filing.

INITIAL ASSESSMENT

Tell us what outcome your family needs

We will design a solution for your case, choose the country and the right status, and take the whole process through to the result.

Get a preliminary assessment Book a consultation

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Anna Kovalevskaya, lead lawyer at BRIDGES GLOBAL

Anna KovalevskayaLead lawyer, citizenship and residency, 12 years of practice