Already in Thailand? How to Get a DTV in 2026

The short answer

No. A DTV cannot be applied for from inside Thailand (the e-Visa form itself warns that "You CANNOT apply for a Thai e-Visa while you are physically in Thailand"), and it is not among the 20 visa types the Immigration Bureau lists for obtaining or changing a visa here. Since 31 August 2026 the run to a neighbouring mission has gone too: the Royal Thai Embassy in Vientiane says new DTV requirements "will take effect worldwide", the first being "Be a national or permanent resident of the country where the visa application is submitted". So keep your current stay legal, go back to the country where you are a national or resident, and file there yourself at thaievisa.go.th.

Question	Answer	Official source
Can I apply for a DTV while I am in Thailand?	No	thaievisa.go.th application form; Washington DC, edited 17 Sep 2026
Can I change my stamp or tourist visa into a DTV here?	No. It is not on the Bureau's list of 20 categories	Immigration Bureau
Can I file in Vientiane or Savannakhet as a visitor?	No, not since 31 Aug 2026	Vientiane, Savannakhet
Can I extend a 30-day exemption stamp while I prepare?	By up to 30 days if the officer agrees: form TM.7, ฿1,900, in person	Washington DC, Immigration Bureau

Updated 17 October 2026. Every official page linked here was read that day, and each date we give is the page's own unless we say otherwise. Siam DTV is an independent private consultancy, not affiliated with the Thai government or any embassy, and everything on this page can be done without us.

Why it cannot be done from inside Thailand

Two separate rules close the door.

The application has to be made from outside Thailand. The application form at thaievisa.go.th carries an "Attention" notice: "You CANNOT apply for a Thai e-Visa while you are physically in Thailand." (We read that line in the portal's own published code on 17 October 2026, because the portal does not render as plain text.) The Royal Thai Embassy in Washington DC says the same in one line: "Please be informed that the Royal Thai Embassy is unable to issue visas for foreign nationals who are currently in Thailand." London states the other half: it is "unable to issue visas for foreign nationals who are outside the United Kingdom (UK), Ireland, or UK Territories". The form is online; where you are standing still counts.

Immigration cannot turn your stay into a DTV. The Immigration Bureau's page on obtaining and changing visa type lists 20 categories, from work (B) and study (ED) to retirement and family (O), religion (R), media (M) and long stay (O-X). The DTV is not one of them. That list was posted in February 2022, before the DTV existed, so its silence is not a ruling; but none of the Bureau pages we read mentions the DTV at all, and the e-Visa notice above settles where the application is made. If someone offers to "convert" your stamp into a DTV inside Thailand, ask them for the official page that allows it.

What Immigration does handle is the stay of someone who already holds a DTV: London lists an extension "One time for a period not exceeding 180 days per entry" through the Thai Immigration Bureau. That extends a visa you have; it does not issue one. See the 180-day extension guide.

Since 31 August 2026, the missions next door that have published the rule take only their own nationals and residents

A short trip out to file at a neighbouring mission no longer works for a visitor. Vientiane, on a page edited 28 August 2026, publishes the rule that ends it:

"The Royal Thai Embassy, Vientiane would like to inform applicants that new additional requirements for Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) applications will take effect worldwide from 31 August 2026."

"1. Be a national or permanent resident of the country where the visa application is submitted; and 2. Provide a certificate of criminal record clearance issued by the authorities of either their country of nationality or the country where the application is submitted."

What the missions in the region published, read on 17 October 2026:

Mission	Who may file a DTV there, in its own words	Page last edited
Vientiane	"Lao nationals or permanent residents of the Lao PDR"	28 Aug 2026
Savannakhet	"Lao nationals or permanent residents of Lao PDR"	27 Aug 2026
Ho Chi Minh City	Vietnamese citizens; "For foreigners: Only a Temporary Residence Card (TRC) or Permanent Residence Card (PRC) is accepted"	18 Sep 2026 (in the page's metadata; the page shows no date)
Kuala Lumpur	Its checklists, published as images, ask every applicant for "Proof of permanent residence in the country where the application is submitted"	7 Sep 2026
Singapore	"Singapore Citizens and Singapore Permanent Residents" (a limit the page already carried in May 2026, before the change); its checklist on the same page still lists a current-location document	7 Sep 2026
Phnom Penh	Nothing about the change	23 Jul 2024

Three things follow.

The test is residence, not presence. An entry stamp in Laos, Vietnam or Malaysia makes you a visitor, not a resident. Ho Chi Minh City spells it out: a temporary residence declaration (NA17), a residence confirmation (CT07) or any other equivalent document "will not be accepted as proof of long-term residence in Viet Nam". Do not be misled by an undated graphic further down Vientiane's page (its file path and sample stamp say 2025) whose first step is "Travel to Laos (an entry stamp from Lao Immigration is required)": for the DTV, the nationality-or-residence text above it, which refers to 31 August 2026, is the newer rule.

A silent page is not an open door. Phnom Penh's DTV page has not been edited since July 2024, and Vientiane calls the requirement worldwide. One page we read still points the other way: Mexico City, edited 2 October 2026, accepts applications "regardless of the applicant's nationality or residency status, provided that the applicant is physically present and remains in one of the countries under its jurisdiction throughout the application process, from application submission to visa issuance". That sits under a heading still called "Document Indicating Current Location", the item the 31 August change replaced. We could not establish how Mexico City treats a DTV file today, and it is not a route from Bangkok in any case.

Files already lodged keep the old rules. Vientiane: "Applicants for which the visa applications have been submitted and completed visa payment prior to 31 August 2026 will not be affected by the new regulations." Ho Chi Minh City's announcement says applications "submitted before 31 August 2026 will continue to be processed in accordance with the previous requirements".

A correction: our 31 August guide recorded Vientiane as silent on the residence rule when we read it on 3 September 2026. The page's own edit stamp is 28 August 2026, with no later edit recorded, so that entry was very probably wrong.

"DTV border run" means two different things

A run to get a DTV is over, at the missions that have published the rule, for anyone who is not a national or resident of the country they run to; Phnom Penh's page predates the change and says nothing about it. The trip itself is also rationed. The TAT Newsroom (1 September 2026) says that from 15 September 2026, "For entry through land-border immigration checkpoints, travellers using the 30-day visa exemption may generally enter Thailand under this exemption no more than twice per calendar year", and that "This limit does not apply to nationals of Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Singapore, or to other nationalities as may be designated by the Minister." The Royal Thai Embassy in London words it more broadly, with no mention of land borders: eligible passport holders may enter under the scheme "only twice within a calendar year".

A run on a DTV you already hold is normal use of the visa. It "is valid for 5 years from the date of issuance", each entry allows "up to 180 days" (Savannakhet), and London adds: "After the maximum stay of 180 days + 180 days, the visa holders need to depart Thailand and re-enter the country with the same DTV visa within the visa's validity date." That is re-entry on your own visa, not a new application, and both the TAT limit and London's are written for entries under the exemption scheme. When to extend and when to leave is in the extension guide.

What you can do while you are here

On a 30-day exemption stamp

Since 15 September 2026, holders of passports from 60 countries and territories get up to 30 days visa-free for tourism (MFA summary, status as of 31 August 2026; TAT). The Royal Thai Embassy in Washington DC (page edited 17 September 2026) says the stay "can be extended for another period not exceeding 30 days" and that "Extension of stay is solely at the discretion of the immigration officer." The Immigration Bureau's extension page, in its section on extensions for tourism, lists form TM.7, filed by the applicant in person, and a fee of ฿1,900; that section is written for tourist-visa holders and does not itself name the visa exemption. One caveat: the same section still limits nationals of some countries to a 7-day extension, and nothing we found says whether that survives the September change; ask your office first. More in the 30-day exemption guide.

On a TR tourist visa

The Royal Thai Embassy in Mexico City (page edited 2 October 2026) states: "A tourist visa permits a maximum stay of 60 days per entry. An extension of up to 30 additional days may be requested in person at a unit of the Thai Immigration Bureau." The Bureau's tourism-extension section is the same one as above: TM.7, in person, ฿1,900, and the officer decides.

Changing visa type, only into a listed category

If you genuinely fit one of the Bureau's categories, you can change into it without leaving. Its document sheets for retirement, a Thai spouse and study, posted in 2022, share these rules:

• form TM.86 if you hold a tourist or transit visa, TM.87 if you entered without one;
• "Application fee of Baht 2,000", for a grant of up to 90 days;
• "DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED MORE THAN 15 DAYS BEFORE VISA EXPIRATION" (the Bureau's FAQ says not less than 15 days), which on a 30-day stamp means roughly your first two weeks;
• "IF YOU HAVE OVERSTAYED, YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION";
• "The Applicant must appear in person every time", signs every page and shows the Section 38 residence notification, form TM.30, which the house master, owner, occupier or hotel manager must file within 24 hours of your moving in.

Each category then has its own test. Retirement: age 50 or over, with ฿800,000 in a Thai bank, an embassy letter certifying a pension of ฿65,000 a month, or the two combined to at least ฿800,000 over a year. Thai spouse: a foreign husband shows ฿40,000 a month by embassy letter or ฿400,000 in a Thai bank, a Thai husband his employment certificate, and both spouses attend every time. Study: letters from the institution and the education authorities. Work (B) is for a job with a company in Thailand. None of these is a DTV, and the officer decides.

Do not let the stamp run out

Overstaying "would normally incur an overstay fine of 500 baht per day" (Immigration Bureau, 28 November 2025), up to ฿20,000 in total (Bureau FAQ), and it closes the change-of-type door. If you have overstayed by more than a few days, or there is an arrest, a court date or a blacklist question, speak to a licensed Thai lawyer before planning anything else.

Getting the DTV from where you live: the timing

Three clocks decide how long you will be away; the slowest sets the date.

1. Your residence proof. It has to be what your mission names: London asks for "Proof of permanent residence in the UK, Ireland, or the British Overseas Territories", Washington DC for "Proof of permanent residence (i.e. valid U.S. Visa, Permanent resident Card)", Ho Chi Minh City for a residence card. If you live nowhere in particular, start with the mission in your country of citizenship, since Vientiane's wording covers nationals as well as residents, then read its page: London, for one, takes applicants who "currently reside in the UK, Ireland, or UK Territories" and asks "all DTV applicants" for proof of permanent residence there. If nothing fits, no mission may be open to you yet; the honest options are to settle somewhere, wait, or pick a visa you qualify for. Which embassy to apply through goes further.
2. Your money's history. Washington DC asks for "Recent saving or checking bank statements for the last three months with an ending balance of no less than 500,000 THB or ($16,000 USD) for each month"; London states only an amount, £12,000 (500,000 THB). Prepare to the stricter reading: if the balance has not been in the account for three full months, that is your earliest filing date. See proof of funds.
3. Your police certificate. It comes from home, not Thailand. Vientiane wants one "issued by the authorities of either their country of nationality or the country where the application is submitted"; Ho Chi Minh City one from "the applicant's country of nationality or Viet Nam". On that wording a Thai police certificate fits neither. Windows differ: London accepts one "issued within 6 months from the date of submission", Washington DC an "FBI certificate issued within 3 months". Order it once you know your mission, and check the issuing authority's own page on ordering from abroad.

Then the mission's own time, and at some missions you must wait it out where you filed. Kuala Lumpur's DTV page says "The processing time for DTV may take approximately 1 month or more, evaluated on a case-by-case basis"; London recommends applying "at least 6-8 weeks before their departure"; Washington DC advises applying "at least 30 days prior to the departure date". These are the missions' statements, not anyone's promise. London also warns that an application "may be cancelled if the applicant departs from these countries and territories during the visa process and before a visa decision is made", so do not plan to fly back before the decision. Fees are set per mission (£300 at London, 400 USD at Washington DC), and Kuala Lumpur notes that "the visa application fee is non-refundable"; see what a DTV costs. Before you fly back, London reminds travellers they "must submit the TDAC within 3 days before they arrive in Thailand"; it is free, at tdac.immigration.go.th.

Find your situation

You are…	What you can do	Where
On a 30-day exemption stamp, living somewhere else	Extend by up to 30 days if needed; leave before the stamp ends; file from home	Immigration (TM.7, ฿1,900); then thaievisa.go.th
On a TR tourist visa	Ask for an extension (up to 30 days, on Mexico City's wording) if you need time; leave and file from home	Immigration (TM.7, ฿1,900); then thaievisa.go.th
A national of Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia or Singapore, or a resident there in the sense that mission's page uses, visiting	Go back and file with the mission there, on its own rules	thaievisa.go.th, from that country
Settled nowhere: rolling stamps, long-term travel	Look first at the mission in your country of citizenship; if it also wants you living there, no mission may be open to you yet	That mission's own DTV page
50 or over, married to a Thai or enrolled to study, with more than 15 days left	A change of visa type into that category, not a DTV	Immigration (TM.86 or TM.87, ฿2,000)
Already holding a DTV	Nothing to apply for: extend once by up to 180 days, or leave and re-enter	Immigration; extension guide
Filed and paid before 31 August 2026	Your file runs under the old rules	Your mission
Overstayed by more than a few days, arrested, facing court or a blacklist question	Stop planning the DTV and get legal advice first	A licensed Thai lawyer

Doing it yourself, and where we fit

Everything on this page can be done without a consultant: the extension or change of type yourself, in person, at Immigration, paying the Bureau's fee; the DTV yourself at thaievisa.go.th from the country where you live, paying the mission's fee; the TDAC free at tdac.immigration.go.th. Siam DTV is a private consultancy, not the Thai government or any embassy, and a DTV filed for someone who is in Thailand is not one a mission will issue, whoever files it.

If you will file from home and want a second pair of eyes on the mission, the residence documents, the statements and the certificate window, the DTV File Review is a written review of the file you assembled yourself, delivered within 24 hours of your upload, for ฿2,999 and credited in full against any package bought later. Our professional fees are non-refundable once work begins, and government fees are never refundable by us. If the honest answer is that no mission is open to you yet, the review says so. For staying legal meanwhile, Already in Thailand shows how to do each step yourself.

This is general information, not legal advice; the immigration officer decides.

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Missions revise these pages without notice; read yours on the day you file.