Where to apply for the Thailand DTV visa, and why Bali or Da Nang no longer works

You apply for the Thailand DTV visa at the Thai embassy or consulate that covers a country where you are a national or a permanent resident. Since 31 August 2026, a tourist in Bali, Da Nang or Vientiane can no longer apply from there, unless they hold permanent residence in that country. The rule was first disclosed by the Royal Thai Embassy in Vientiane and now shows up at every post, according to tdac.info.

This page walks through where you can still apply, what the transition rule protects, and what to do if you are already in Southeast Asia on a tourist entry.

Where do you apply for the Thailand DTV visa now?

You apply through the post that serves your country of nationality or your country of permanent residence, and nowhere else. ThaiLawOnline summarises the rule in one line: the deciding mission must be the one covering a country where you are a national or a permanent resident. Applications go through the official Thai e-Visa portal, thaievisa.go.th.

You can see the rule on the ground at the Royal Thai Embassy in London. Its DTV page now asks every applicant for proof of permanent residence in the UK, Ireland or the British Overseas Territories. Erickson Immigration Group notes that this document replaced the earlier proof of current location, and that the change took effect on 31 August 2026.

The same date added a mandatory police clearance certificate, issued within six months of submission. Per tdac.info, it can come from your country of nationality or from the country where you submit the application.

Two rules did not change. The DTV is issued only outside Thailand, so you cannot convert a tourist entry at an immigration office (ThaiLawOnline). And the financial and eligibility criteria stay the same, including the 500,000 THB balance (Royal Thai Embassy in London).

Can you still apply for the DTV from Bali, Da Nang or Vientiane?

No, not as a visitor. Tdac.info quotes the Vientiane notice directly: from 31 August 2026, a DTV application in Laos is accepted only from a Lao national or a permanent resident of the Lao PDR. The same page reports that missions in Vietnam and Cambodia apply the same limit, so being there as a tourist no longer qualifies you.

Before that date the DTV was, in practice, location agnostic. A German in Da Nang could apply through a Thai post in Vietnam. A Briton in Bali could apply in Indonesia. Vientiane became the best known route because it was close, quick and used to the volume. All of those options closed on the same day.

Which Thai embassy is best for a DTV application?

The best embassy is simply the one you are allowed to use, because the choice is no longer yours. Work through these five questions in order. It takes about two minutes and it can save you a lost fee.

1. Did you submit and pay for your application before 31 August 2026? If yes, the new rules do not apply to you. Tdac.info cites the notice: applications submitted and paid before that date are not affected. Existing DTV holders are not affected either.
2. Are you inside Thailand right now? Then you cannot apply from where you are. The DTV is issued only outside Thailand (ThaiLawOnline).
3. Are you a national of the country you are standing in? Then apply at the post responsible for that country. For you, nothing changed.
4. Do you hold permanent residence in the country you are standing in? Then you can apply there, with proof, the way London asks for it.
5. If none of the above applies, you apply through the post that covers your nationality. In practice that usually means going home.

What counts as permanent residence for a DTV application?

Nobody has published a country by country answer, so treat anything short of a permanent permit as uncertain. An Indonesian KITAS, a Vietnamese temporary residence card, a Malaysia My Second Home pass and a Portuguese residence permit are very different documents. The notices we have read use the phrase "permanent resident" without defining it for each of them.

A long term residence card in Portugal or Spain is a stronger case than a one year work permit in Indonesia. We have not seen a published statement that settles either one. Email the post that covers the country you live in, describe your status precisely, and ask whether they will accept an application from you. It costs nothing.

Guessing costs more. The DTV base fee is 10,000 THB, charged by each post in local currency (300 GBP in London), and ThaiLawOnline states that it is non-refundable on rejection. An application lodged at the wrong post is not a delay. It is a lost fee.

What should you do if you are in Bali or Da Nang today?

Four options work, and the right one depends on how soon you need to be in Thailand.

Fly home and apply. It is the plain answer and usually the right one. The police certificate is easier to get where your records live, and the paperwork is familiar. If a trip home is already planned in the next six months, move it forward and build the application around it.

Apply where you hold permanent residence. Many remote workers hold residence in Portugal, Spain, Mexico or the UAE while travelling most of the year. That residence is now the thing that decides where you can apply.

Bridge with a tourist entry. The tourist visa gives up to 60 days per entry (Royal Thai Embassy in London), and one 30 day extension at an immigration office costs 1,900 THB (ThailandKnowledge). The visa exemption dropped to 30 days on 15 September 2026 for 60 countries and territories, according to the TAT Newsroom. That makes the paid tourist visa more useful than it was. If you rely on land crossings, read our post on the twice a year land border rule first.

Stay where you are and plan Thailand later. If you are settled in Da Nang, cycling Vietnamese e-visas may be simpler for now. Our DTV vs Vietnam e-visa comparison sets the two strategies side by side.

How long does it take to prepare a DTV application from home?

Plan on about three months, because the bank balance is the slowest part. Thai Visa Services reports that posts expect statements for the last three months showing at least 500,000 THB. Officers look for the balance to have been held throughout those months, not only at the end. The same guide calls a large deposit shortly before applying the most commonly reported cause of refusal in 2026.

So start the money clock today, even if you have not picked a date. Move the 500,000 THB, or the equivalent, into the account whose statements you will submit, and leave it there. While it seasons, order your police certificate. Our post on how long a DTV police certificate takes in six countries gives the timings.

If you are not sure the DTV is your best route, Visa Check ranks the Thai options against your nationality, purpose and length of stay. For the full list of Thai visa fees, see Thailand visa costs in 2026, in one table. If you are still deciding whether this lifestyle suits you, our guide on how to become a digital nomad covers the groundwork.

This is not legal advice, and practice varies between posts.

Updated on 25 September 2026. Rules and prices change: confirm with the official source linked above before you act.