Why DTV applications get rejected, and what FITFAC checks first

The five reasons DTV applications are refused

1. The money does not pass

The rule is 500,000 THB (or the equivalent) in a personal savings or current account in your own name, on statements covering the last 3 months — some embassies ask for 6. Refusals come from balances that dip below the line, money deposited the week before filing, business or investment accounts, crypto, or a sponsor’s money without the sponsor documents (letter, proof of relationship, the transfer, the sponsor’s own statements).

2. The wrong embassy, or inside Thailand

The DTV is filed online but assessed by an embassy outside Thailand. Since 31 August 2026 that embassy must be in a country where you are a national or a permanent resident; before that, embassies already checked entry stamps and refused people who were in Thailand or passing through a third country without residence there.

3. Documents missing, expired or inconsistent

A passport with under 6 months left, a photo older than 6 months, a name spelled differently across documents, a statement without the bank’s name and yours, or a paper in another language without a certified translation — the Los Angeles and London pages both require notarised English translations for documents issued elsewhere. Any of these brings a request for more documents at best and a refusal at worst.

4. The purpose is not credible

For the soft-power route the officer wants an accredited school and a course long enough to need a long stay — the Ministry of Education licence and the Board of Boxing Sport certificate are what embassies ask FITFAC for. For the workcation route, a thin contract, no company registration or no portfolio has the same effect.

5. The new rules since 31 August 2026

Proof of permanent residence in the country where you apply, and a criminal-record certificate from your country of nationality or residence (London: no older than 6 months). Filing without them, or from a country where you only hold a visa, is now a refusal. Details on our 31 August 2026 page.

What FITFAC checks before you pay the embassy fee

Our eligibility check is free and comes first, because a refusal costs you the embassy fee (not refundable) and months of time — and costs us the full refund.

1. Nationality — FITFAC does not issue letters to passport holders from China, Hong Kong, India, Myanmar, Cambodia, Pakistan, Bangladesh or African countries other than South Africa.
2. Passport validity — at least 6 months, ideally a year.
3. Bank statements — 3 or 6 months, the right account type, the balance never under 500,000 THB.
4. Where you will file — your residence, that embassy’s own list, how strict it is.
5. Your story — why Muay Thai, why 9 months, what you will do in Thailand; the letter we write matches it.
6. Since 31 August 2026: residence proof and a police certificate, with the time to obtain them.

If your application was refused

You may apply again, in the same category or another, at the same embassy or another one — but the risk of a second refusal stays high unless the reason has changed. Fix the cause first: top up and season the funds, move to the right embassy, replace the weak document.

The embassy does not refund its fee. If you applied through FITFAC, the fee you paid us is refunded in full, for any reason — and we tell you honestly whether a second attempt makes sense.

Sources

• thaievisa.go.th — DTV visa — the e-Visa portal
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs — DTV checklist (PDF)
• Royal Thai Embassy Moscow — announcement of 28 Aug 2026 — the 31 Aug 2026 documents
• Royal Thai Embassy London — DTV
• Royal Thai Consulate-General Los Angeles — DTV

Refusals — frequently asked questions