Who this DTV track is for
This page is for business owners and entrepreneurs who run companies registered outside Thailand and want to base themselves in the country for extended stays. The Destination Thailand Visa, launched on 15 July 2024, is a 5-year multiple-entry visa designed for the so-called workcation track, and it covers self-employed professionals, freelancers, and the owners of foreign-incorporated businesses.
You are a fit if you are any of the following:
- A SaaS founder running a company incorporated in the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, the EU, or anywhere else outside Thailand.
- An e-commerce or Shopify store owner whose entity sits in Delaware, the UK, or your home country.
- A consulting firm partner or boutique agency owner serving international clients from a foreign-registered company.
- A self-employed professional, contractor, or independent consultant who invoices overseas clients through a foreign LLC, sole-proprietorship, or sole-trader registration.
- A creative agency, design studio, or production company owner with a foreign business license.
You are not a fit on this track if your business is incorporated in Thailand, if you are a director of a Thai company, or if your income comes from Thai clients. The DTV is, in legal effect, a long-stay tourist visa. Holders cannot obtain a Thai work permit, sign Thai employment contracts, or invoice Thai clients while on a DTV. If you run a Thai entity, you need a Non-Immigrant B visa and work permit, not the DTV.
Eligibility under the workcation track
The Royal Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs sorts DTV applicants into two main buckets: the workcation track and the soft-power track. Business owners apply under workcation alongside remote employees and freelancers.
To qualify as a foreign business owner, you must show:
- Your company is registered outside Thailand, and you are a director, partner, shareholder, or sole-proprietor of that entity.
- The business serves clients or customers outside Thailand, or operates a product/service business with revenue collected outside Thailand.
- You are at least 20 years of age. Applicants under 20 can only join as dependents of a primary holder.
- You can hold liquid funds equivalent to 500,000 THB (around 14,000 to 16,000 USD depending on the day's exchange rate) in your personal name.
One nuance worth flagging: holding shares in a Thai company is permitted as a passive shareholder, but you cannot serve as an authorised director or manage day-to-day operations of a Thai entity on a DTV. If that is your situation, talk to us first so we can map you to the right visa.
Documents you need as a business owner
The MFA's Destination Thailand Visa checklist sets the baseline. Embassies often ask for more, and the workcation track has slightly different evidentiary expectations for business owners than for salaried remote workers.
Identity and personal documents
- Passport with at least 6 months remaining validity from your intended travel date.
- A recent passport-style photograph taken within the past six months.
- Completed DTV application form, submitted online through the Thai e-Visa portal in most countries.
- Proof of current location or residence in the country where you are applying.
Business ownership evidence
This is where the workcation track diverges for entrepreneurs. The MFA checklist explicitly lists, for self-employed and business-owner applicants, a copy of your company's registration or business license. In practice, embassies look for the following package:
- Certificate of Incorporation or equivalent (Articles of Organisation for an LLC, Companies House extract for a UK Ltd, ACRA bizfile for a Singapore Pte Ltd, etc.). Some embassies require this to be authenticated by the Thai embassy or apostilled.
- Business license or operating registration from your home jurisdiction, where applicable.
- Most recent corporate tax return or annual filing, demonstrating that the entity is active and trading.
- Evidence of ongoing operations, which can include a sample of recent invoices, signed client contracts, a live company website, professional services agreements, or merchant statements from Stripe, PayPal, or your payment processor.
- Proof of your role in the company (a director's resolution, a shareholders' register listing you, a partnership agreement, or your name on the business registration).
The cover letter
A cover letter is not always listed as mandatory, but in practice every embassy that sees workcation files reads one. Yours should explain, in plain English on company letterhead:
- What your business does and where it is registered.
- That your clients, customers, and revenue are based outside Thailand.
- That you intend to continue serving foreign clients while staying in Thailand.
- Your travel pattern and approximate Thailand stay plans.
Financial documents
- A bank statement covering the most recent three months, with an ending balance of at least 500,000 THB or local-currency equivalent.
- The statement should be on official bank letterhead, ideally stamped, and printed within the last 24 to 48 hours of submission. Online-banking screenshots are commonly rejected.
- The account must be in your personal name. Mixing personal and business funds in a single account is acceptable as long as the balance and ownership are clear.
Other supporting items
- Proof of accommodation for at least your initial stay, such as a hotel reservation, lease agreement, or invitation letter from a host in Thailand.
- Health insurance is not formally required by the MFA checklist, but it is highly recommended and some embassies request it.
The 500,000 THB rule for entrepreneurs
The financial requirement is the single most-misunderstood part of a DTV file. The headline is simple: you must show 500,000 THB or its foreign-currency equivalent in liquid funds. The detail is where business owners trip up.
What the MFA checklist and the e-Visa portal actually require:
- The funds must be in your personal name. Funds held only in your company's corporate account do not satisfy the requirement on their own.
- Acceptable account types include personal checking, savings, and fixed-deposit accounts. Foreign-currency accounts are accepted at the prevailing exchange rate on the statement date.
- Cryptocurrency holdings, brokerage balances, and pre-IPO equity are commonly not accepted as standalone proof. Liquidate or transfer to a regular bank account at least three months before applying.
- The closing balance, not the average balance, must be at or above 500,000 THB. Some embassies want to see the threshold sustained across the three-month window.
For founders who pay themselves erratically through their company, a clean approach is to declare a director's bonus or owner's draw, move it into your personal account, and let it season for a few months before submitting. If the only liquid funds you can show sit inside your business account, talk to us early. We can help structure the file so the embassy sees the numbers it expects to see.
Application process step by step
You cannot apply for the DTV from inside Thailand. Every applicant must apply from a country outside Thailand at a Royal Thai Embassy, Royal Thai Consulate, or through the Thai e-Visa portal.
- Choose where you will apply. Most countries now route DTV applications through the e-Visa portal at thaievisa.go.th. A handful of consulates still accept in-person submissions. Some embassies require you to be a citizen or legal resident of the country you apply from. Confirm with the specific embassy before you book travel.
- Assemble the file. This is the bulk of the work for a business owner. Originals, certified copies, and authenticated documents take time to gather.
- Pay the government fee. The official DTV visa fee is 10,000 THB, roughly 270 to 300 USD depending on the embassy and the exchange rate. Some embassies charge slightly more in local currency.
- Submit and wait. Processing time is typically 2 to 4 weeks once submitted, although ranges of 1 to 6 weeks are reported across different embassies. You should remain in the country of application until you receive a decision, in case the embassy requests an in-person interview or additional documents.
- Enter Thailand. Once approved, you have a 5-year multiple-entry visa. Each entry grants 180 days of stay.
Stay rules: 5 years, 180 + 180
Once your DTV is issued, the mechanics are simple but worth memorising:
- 5 years total validity from the date of issue.
- 180 days per entry. Each time you enter Thailand, immigration grants you 180 days of stay.
- One in-country extension of an additional 180 days, available once per entry cycle. The extension fee is typically 1,900 THB, processed at an Immigration Bureau office. Verify the current local figure with your immigration office before you file.
- Multi-entry. A simple border run resets your stay clock to a fresh 180 days on re-entry, although immigration may scrutinise heavy back-to-back use.
- Financial proof at extension. When you extend in-country, you must produce an updated bank statement showing the 500,000 THB balance again.
If you are reporting from a single address for more than 90 days at a stretch, you also owe a 90-day report to immigration. This is administrative, not a financial hurdle.
Costs at a glance
- Thai Kru DTV service: THB 13,500 all-in. You can pay the full amount upfront, or split it as a THB 6,750 deposit plus THB 6,750 once your visa is approved.
- Government visa fee: 10,000 THB, paid directly to the embassy or e-Visa portal. This covers the full 5-year validity.
- In-country extension fee: typically 10,000 THB, paid at the Immigration Bureau when you extend a 180-day entry by another 180 days.
- Document authentication, translation, courier fees, and any embassy-specific surcharges are billed at cost where they apply.
Our THB 13,500 fee covers the full done-for-you process: eligibility review, document checklist tailored to your jurisdiction and embassy, file preparation, cover letter drafting, e-Visa submission, and follow-up with the consulate until issuance.
Common rejection reasons for business owners
The DTV approval rate is high for clean files and noticeably lower for sloppy ones. Patterns we see in rejection cases for entrepreneurs:
- Applying with a Thai-registered entity. If your company is registered in Thailand, you are not eligible for the workcation track. This is the single most common disqualifier for self-described business owners.
- Vague proof of operations. A certificate of incorporation alone is not enough. The embassy wants to see the business is actually running. Add invoices, contracts, a working website, and a corporate tax return.
- LinkedIn that contradicts the application. Officers do search applicants. If your application says you run a SaaS company but your public LinkedIn says you are a country manager at a Thai office, expect a denial.
- Funds in the wrong name. 500,000 THB sitting in a corporate account, or in a spouse's account, will not satisfy the rule. Move the funds to a personal account in your own name and let them season.
- Online-banking screenshots. Most embassies reject screenshots. Use an official statement from the bank, stamped where possible, ideally generated within 48 hours of submission.
- Cryptocurrency or brokerage balances as primary proof. These are usually not accepted on their own. Hold the equivalent in cash at a bank for at least 90 days before applying.
- Applying from a country where you are not a resident. Some embassies will turn away non-residents. Confirm eligibility with the specific consulate before you fly there to apply.
FAQ for business owners
Can I run my non-Thai company from Thailand on a DTV?
Yes, that is exactly what the workcation track is designed for. You may continue to manage your foreign-registered business, take board meetings, sign contracts, and serve foreign clients while physically in Thailand. You may not, however, work for Thai clients or receive a salary from a Thai-registered employer.
Does my company need a minimum revenue or trading history?
The MFA checklist does not specify a revenue floor. In practice, embassies want to see that the company is real and active. A recently formed entity with no trading history, no website, and no clients is a red flag. A company with even a year of invoicing, a tax return, and a live web presence usually clears the bar.
I'm the sole director of a one-person LLC. Is that enough?
Yes. Single-member LLCs, sole-proprietorships, and one-person Pte Ltds are commonly approved. Make sure your file includes the formation documents, evidence of trading, and the cover letter explaining the structure clearly.
Do I need to authenticate or apostille my company documents?
It depends on the embassy. Some accept clean copies. Others require apostille or authentication by the Thai embassy in the country of origin. We confirm this for your specific consulate before you start gathering originals.
Can I show 500K THB held inside my business?
The 500,000 THB threshold must be in your personal name. Corporate balances do not count on their own. The cleanest approach is to pay yourself a director's draw or salary into a personal account well before you apply.
What if my country's embassy only accepts e-Visa applications?
That is the trend. Most embassies have moved to thaievisa.go.th. You upload scans, pay the fee online, and wait for an emailed approval. A handful of consulates still accept in-person filings. We confirm the route for your specific consulate.
Can my spouse and children come on my DTV?
Yes. Legal spouses and children under 20 can apply as dependents. Each dependent files separately and pays a separate visa fee. Marriage and birth certificates must be translated and legalised.
Can I open a Thai bank account on a DTV?
Some Thai banks open accounts for DTV holders, others don't. Practice varies by branch. This is not formally covered in the MFA rules.
How long does the whole process take?
Plan for 4 to 8 weeks end-to-end: 1 to 2 weeks of document gathering, 2 to 4 weeks of embassy processing, plus buffer. Some embassies report ranges as wide as 1 to 6 weeks for the processing step alone.
Will I owe Thai income tax on my DTV?
Tax residency in Thailand is triggered by 180 days of physical presence in a calendar year. The rules around foreign-source income, remittance, and double-tax treaties have evolved in recent years. Speak to a Thai tax advisor about your specific situation. The DTV itself does not change tax rules.
Get your DTV done with Thai Kru
Our team has filed DTV applications for SaaS founders, agency owners, e-commerce operators, and consulting partners across multiple jurisdictions. The $400 service fee covers the entire workflow from eligibility check to visa in passport. You can pay in full at the start, or split it as a $200 deposit and $200 on completion.
Next steps: book a consultation with our team to confirm you are a fit for the workcation track, or read the main DTV visa overview for the broader eligibility framework. If you decide your situation is closer to a salaried remote worker, see our DTV for remote workers page.
This page reflects DTV rules as published by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs and major Thai legal advisors. Embassy practice varies by country, and policy can change. We verify the latest requirements for your specific consulate as part of every engagement.
