Transcript of the above video: 

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing the Destination Thailand Visa specifically in the context of dealing with a Thai Embassy outside of Thailand. Let me just jump into this. 

I thought of making this video after reading a recent article from Pattaya Mail, that is pattayamail.com, the article is titled: Individual Embassies interpret Destination Thailand Visa rules and fees. Quoting directly: "If foreigners are wondering about the detail of DTV applications, embassies of Thailand worldwide will likely understand. Several of those already showing DTV registration fees, such as Laos and Sri Lanka, have yet to publish any information. The more prominent, such as Washington DC and London, have published the guidelines of the original Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT), but add discretely that further information could be required." This is what I said from the outset. They talk about this as if it was the greatest Visa ever and everything in the world can be done with it but I don't really think that's necessarily the case. Quoting further: "Others, such as the Thai Embassy in Cambodia, are waiting for the latest online technology before they can even begin processing the DTV." 

So there is a lot going on with respect to this I think longer term one, the five year aspect of this I think as a practical matter is not going to actually play out the way people think. I think by the time people get to the point where Immigration becomes a part of this process, as we've discussed in other videos, Ministry of Foreign Affairs came up with this plan but Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not administer Immigration in Thailand. The Immigration Bureau does and they are under the auspices of the Ministry of Interior so we are talking about two different things when we're talking about Ministry of Foreign Affairs making rules and then Immigration dealing with their mandate here in Thailand. What does that mean? Well they say that this thing is good for five years. Well it's good for five years per Immigration scrutiny. If they want to allow someone to continue to live here as time goes on. That is not a foregone conclusion, as I've discussed another video. Meanwhile, even the Embassies themselves which are under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they are not in lock step behind exactly what all the requirements are nor are there procedures particularly in place. 

What does this mean? Well for those who are overwhelmed by all of this and for those who are looking to get a Visa to Thailand and don't want to sit around going through arcane tomes of all the different visa categories, it is probably not a bad idea to contact a legal professional, and gain some insight and guidance into how best to proceed because the DTV is not the only option out there. In fact depending on your situation, the DTV may not be the best visa for you. So again that will be driven by the underlying facts in the case, and for those who are looking to get assistance with that, again contacting somebody who deals with Immigration on a regular basis is probably not a bad idea.