Long-stay program not found.
Thailand visa answer bank — LTR, DTV and staying on in Thailand
Answers to the Thailand visa questions applicants actually ask: the BOI-administered LTR visa, the DTV for remote workers and Thai Soft Power activities, filing through Thai e-Visa, and extending stay on form TM.7 — plus which supporting documents must be translated and certified. Based on MFA, Immigration Bureau and BOI announcements. (27+ search topics covered)
What is the difference between TM30 and 90-day reporting?
Can I change visa category inside Thailand?
Which activities count as Thai Soft Power for the DTV?
Which LTR categories exist?
How should financial evidence be presented?
Which foreign documents usually need Thai translation for a Thai visa or extension?
What are the fees?
Can a DTV holder work for a Thai company?
- Thai e-Visa Official Portal (กระทรวงการต่างประเทศ) — ช่องทางยื่นวีซ่าเข้าประเทศไทยอย่างเป็นทางการ
- สำนักงานตรวจคนเข้าเมือง (Thai Immigration Bureau) — ระเบียบการต่อวีซ่า รายงานตัว 90 วัน และ re-entry permit
- สำนักงานคณะกรรมการส่งเสริมการลงทุน (BOI) — LTR Visa และ SMART Visa
- LTR Visa – Thailand Board of Investment
Need your documents reviewed or your case assessed? Ask our team by phone, LINE, or email. We reply during business hours (Mon–Fri 9:00–18:00, Sat 9:00–15:00, ICT).

Thai visas and extensions — documents, steps and common mistakes
Keep three concepts separate: the visa (permission to travel), the permission to stay stamped at entry, and the work permit. A visa never guarantees admission — the immigration officer at the border decides.
Documents to prepare
- • Passport with sufficient validity and blank pages
- • The application form for your category plus compliant photos
- • Proof of address in Thailand and a TM.30 filed by the housemaster
- • Financial evidence meeting the category rules, seasoned for the required period
- • Category-specific support: marriage certificate, company affidavit or school acceptance letter
- • Foreign documents translated and legalised through the inbound chain
Step-by-step process
- 1. Match the category to your purpose — Confirm eligibility criteria before assembling any paperwork.
- 2. Prepare and translate documents — Foreign records need home-country certification plus a Thai-accepted translation.
- 3. File through the correct channel — Thai embassy abroad, the e-Visa system, or an immigration office in Thailand as applicable.
- 4. Post-approval obligations — TM.30 notification, 90-day reporting, and a re-entry permit before leaving the country.
Pitfalls and rejection causes
- • Leaving Thailand without a re-entry permit cancels an extension of stay immediately.
- • 90-day reporting is not a visa extension — they are unrelated obligations.
- • Funds must be seasoned for the stated period, not deposited the day before filing.
- • Holding a visa is not permission to work; a separate work permit is required.
Tips from our team
- • Keep copies of every entry stamp and TM.30 for smoother extensions.
- • Read your permitted-to-stay date from the stamp, not the visa validity.
- • Always carry a spare document set; offices differ in copy requirements.
Prefer not to handle the queues yourself, or worried about a rejection? Send us photos of your documents for a free pre-check. We handle the full chain — obtaining certified copies, translation, certification and submission — and keep you updated at each step. Reach us on LINE, phone or email during business hours.
Comparing routes into a Thai visa
Applying abroad, applying online, or adjusting status inside Thailand give different lengths of stay and later flexibility.
| Route | When to use | Certifying authority | Approx. duration | Rejection risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apply at a Thai embassy or consulate abroad | You can plan ahead and want the correct category from the outset | Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate-General | Variable by post | Document lists and residency rules differ per post — check that specific post |
| Official e-Visa system | Your category and country of residence are supported online | MFA Thailand e-Visa system | Variable — file well before the travel date | Files not matching the system's format specification are auto-rejected |
| Change or extend status inside Thailand | You are already in Thailand and meet the published criteria | Immigration Bureau | Variable — file several days before expiry | Too few days remaining forces you to leave and re-apply |
Timelines above are practical estimates from live casework and can change with each authority's policy; confirm with the receiving authority before booking travel. If you would rather not test routes by trial and error, our advisers can assess which route fits your case.
We do not just process documents — we advise you through the whole case
Our team has worked on cross-border documents, certified translation and government liaison for over 15 years. Most rejections we see are not caused by missing paperwork but by choosing the wrong route on day one, so we always start with a case assessment.
Route assessment
We look at your destination, purpose and deadline, then tell you which certification route applies — and which steps you can skip.
Pre-submission review
Name spelling, consistency across documents, document age and translation format are checked before anything reaches a counter.
Timeline planning
We sequence the steps around your appointment or travel date and flag bottlenecks in advance.
Rejection recovery
We read the refusal reasons, identify the underlying cause, and plan a resubmission that answers what the authority asked for.
Rather not learn by trial and error? Send your case details and document photos for a review — reach us on LINE, phone or email during business hours.
Practical questions · Near me / DIY / Required documents
Where do I lodge a visa application — must I go to the embassy?
Can I apply myself, or do I need an agency?
What are the baseline documents?
Visa and immigration matters: advice and cautions
Keep every receipt and acknowledgement
Photograph all filing receipts and stamps; they are key evidence in any later verification.
Make funds explainable
Large deposits made shortly before filing attract questions. Support them with evidence of income and use statements bearing the bank's original seal.
Order documents to the authority's checklist
Assembling the bundle in the required order with an index speeds up assessment and reduces requests for more documents.
Read the official conditions first
Visa conditions change. Check the deciding authority's latest announcement, then use our service to prepare documents and translations that match those conditions.
Ignoring post-approval obligations
Periodic reporting, address notification and work conditions are ongoing duties that affect the next extension.
Form data contradicting the attachments
Dates, addresses or travel history that conflict with supporting documents are a frequent refusal ground and may be read as misrepresentation.
Refiling immediately without fixing the cause
Analyse the refusal grounds and address them; resubmitting the same file usually produces the same result.
Believing guaranteed-approval claims
No provider can guarantee an outcome; only the immigration authority or embassy decides. Our role is to make the file accurate and complete so avoidable rejections are reduced.
Requirements differ by authority and destination country and can change. Confirm current conditions with the receiving authority, or ask our team by phone, LINE or email.
Frequently searched topics about visas and immigration
- Extensions and periodic reporting
- Long-stay holders must report at the intervals set by the Immigration Bureau.
- Documents required for a visa application
- Checklists are set by the embassy or receiving authority; always follow their current published notice.
- A visa is not a work authorisation
- Holding a visa does not automatically grant work rights; a work permit is a separate matter.
- Refusal and reapplication
- Read the stated reason first and address the actual cause rather than resubmitting the same file.
These topics reflect the rules and practice of the relevant authorities and can change. Confirm with the receiving authority, or ask our team by phone, LINE or email.
What clients usually handle next
One document set often moves through several stages — translation, notarial certification, legalization and finally a visa filing. The links below follow that real sequence.
- Certified document translation, all languagesTranslations for Thai and overseas authorities with a certification statement
- NAATI-certified translation for Australia & New ZealandTranslations accepted by Australian government agencies, with certifier stamp
- Notarial services by a licensed Thai attorneySignature witnessing, certified true copies, affidavits and powers of attorney for overseas use
- MFA legalization at the Department of Consular AffairsThe step after translation for documents used abroad or filed with an embassy
- Police clearance certificateFiled with the Royal Thai Police Special Branch, with translation and legalization
- Thai–foreign marriage registrationAffirmation of freedom to marry, embassy certification and district office registration
- กองสัญชาติและนิติกรณ์ กรมการกงสุล กระทรวงการต่างประเทศ — หน่วยงานรับรองนิติกรณ์เอกสาร (legalization) ของประเทศไทย
- สำนักงานตรวจคนเข้าเมือง (Thai Immigration Bureau) — ระเบียบการต่อวีซ่า รายงานตัว 90 วัน และ re-entry permit
Authority requirements change. Verify with the receiving authority before filing, or ask our team by phone, LINE or email.