The right Thailand visa service tells you plainly who submits your application, quotes its own service fee and the government fee as separate figures, and files only where you are a citizen or legal resident. Below are nine questions to ask any service, what some services may offer in answer, and what we do, so you can compare quotes on facts rather than promises.
| Question to ask | What some services may offer | What we do |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Who submits the application to the embassy? | A plan described as "handled for you" that does not say who actually files, or whether you will still need to attend an interview in person. | On Full Service, our legal team files. On DIY Free and DIY Plus, you submit yourself. We tell you up front if your embassy requires you to attend in person. |
| 2. Are the service fee and the government fee shown separately? | One all-in figure, with no split between what the service keeps and what goes to the embassy. | Two lines, always. For the DTV, our Full Service fee is ฿10,000 ($299). The government fee is set by your embassy (typically about ฿13,000 / $395) and paid directly to it. |
| 3. Who reviews my documents, and how closely? | An automated or quick check described as a full review. | We name the level of review on each plan. DIY Free: a preliminary check on upload. DIY Plus: detailed preliminary feedback and guidance on fixes. Full Service: legal review of the whole application and a dedicated case manager. |
| 4. Can you guarantee my visa will be approved? | A promise of approval. | We do not promise approval, because only the Thai government decides. We pre-qualify your documents and offer a money-back guarantee instead (wording below). |
| 5. What exactly is refunded if the visa is refused? | "100% money-back" without saying which fees are covered, which plans qualify, or which situations are excluded. | We publish the exact wording, including what is not refunded. DIY Free and DIY Plus carry no guarantee. |
| 6. Will you file my DTV in a country where I am only visiting? | Filing your DTV from a neighbouring country where you are a tourist. | No. We file a DTV only from your country of citizenship or a country where you hold legal residence. |
| 7. I was refused before. Does that change anything? | A suggestion that applying at a different embassy wipes the slate clean. | We tell you before we start that a reapplication carries no money-back guarantee, and that switching embassy does not change that. We still take the case and hold it to the same standard. |
| 8. How will you contact me, and where do my documents go? | Collecting passports and documents over personal chat accounts or phone numbers. | We process applications only through our secured app and contact you only through our official channels. We do not let any other agent handle an application on our behalf. |
| 9. What if one of my documents does not meet the requirement? | An offer to "fix", edit or backdate the document so it passes. Treat this as a serious red flag: a falsified document puts your visa and your record at risk. | We never alter documents. We tell you what is missing, what a valid document from the issuer looks like, or which other visa route fits your situation. |
Why these questions matter more than a ranking
A list of "best agencies" goes out of date quickly, and it cannot tell you how a service would handle your passport, your embassy or your bank statement. These nine questions can. Each one has an answer you can check, so you can compare two quotes line by line. Ask for the answers in writing before you pay.
Fees: what to compare
Put every quote on two lines: the service's own fee, and the government fee paid to the embassy. If a service gives one all-in figure, ask for the split. For the DTV, the government fee is set by each embassy in its local currency, typically about ฿13,000 ($395), and paid directly to the embassy, not to us. Our DTV plans:
- DIY Free: no service fee from us. You pay the embassy's government fee and submit the application yourself.
- DIY Plus: our service fee is ฿3,000 ($89). You pay the embassy's government fee and submit the application yourself.
- Full Service: our service fee is ฿10,000 ($299), and your embassy charges its government fee on top. Our legal team files for you.
The first 15-minute consultation is free. DIY Free includes one consultation, DIY Plus two, and Full Service five.
Refunds: read the exact wording
A "money-back" promise is only as good as its wording. Ask which fees it covers, which plans it applies to, and which situations it excludes. Here is ours, word for word:
If Issa Compass files a pre-qualified Full Service application for you and the Thai government does not approve it, Issa refunds its service fee. Government and embassy fees are never refundable.
For the DTV, the refund also covers an eligible partner course or gym fee. It applies when you apply from your country of citizenship or permanent residence, have a clean criminal record, and are not reapplying after an earlier Thai visa rejection.
For more on what no service can promise, see what Thailand visa services cannot legally promise you.
Where they will file your application
Since 31 August 2026, you apply for the DTV from your passport country or from a country where you are a legal resident. A hotel booking or a short stay as a tourist somewhere else does not qualify. If a service offers to file your DTV in a neighbouring country you are only visiting, ask how that meets the embassy's rules before you pay. We do not file applications that way.
Checking who you are dealing with
Before you hand over a passport, check that the company is registered and has an address you can visit. We are registered in Thailand (registration number 0105565194414) and Singapore (UEN 202305342W), and our office is at The Commons Cloud 11, 4th Floor, Unit G02, near BTS Punnawithi. You can find more on our company verification page. Our guide on how to vet a Thailand visa agency and read its reviews covers what to look for in reviews.
It also helps to know what a service does not do. We handle Thai visas and immigration status. We do not give tax advice, and we do not arrange bank accounts, driving licences or health insurance plans.
Which of our plans fits you
- You are confident with paperwork and want the lowest cost: DIY Free, with a preliminary check on upload.
- You want to file yourself but have your documents reviewed first: DIY Plus, with detailed feedback and guidance on fixes.
- You want a legal team to review everything and file for you: Full Service, the only plan with a money-back guarantee.
- You were refused before: book a consultation first. We take reapplications, but without the money-back guarantee.
How we help
If you are comparing quotes, bring them to a free 15-minute consultation. We will tell you which visa fits, which embassy you can apply at, and what our service fee and the government fee would be, as two separate figures. Book a consultation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best visa agency in Thailand?
The best one for you is the service whose answers to the nine questions above are clear, in writing, and fit your situation. Compare who files, how fees are split, what the refund covers, and where it will file, rather than relying on a ranking.
Is it safe to use a visa agency in Thailand?
It can be, if you can verify who you are dealing with. Check that the company is registered, has a physical office, and handles your documents through a secure system rather than personal chat. We process applications only through our secured app and contact clients only through our official channels.
Should I use a lawyer or a visa service for my DTV?
Choose based on the support you need, not the title. Ask whoever you are considering who reviews your documents, who files them, and what is refunded if the visa is refused. On our Full Service plan, our legal team reviews your whole application and files it for you.
Does Issa Compass guarantee visa approval?
No. Only the Thai government decides on a visa. Issa offers a money-back guarantee instead: If Issa Compass files a pre-qualified Full Service application for you and the Thai government does not approve it, Issa refunds its service fee. Government and embassy fees are never refundable.
Can a visa service file my DTV from Vietnam or Laos?
Only if you are a citizen or legal resident there. For the DTV, you apply from your passport country or from a country where you hold legal residence, not as a tourist in a neighbouring country.
Is the government fee included in the agency's price?
Ask, because services present this differently. We always quote our service fee and the government fee as two separate figures. For the DTV, the government fee is set by your embassy, typically about ฿13,000 ($395), and paid directly to it.
An agent offered to fix my bank statement. Is that normal?
No. Treat any offer to edit, backdate or otherwise alter a document as a red flag and do not go ahead. If your documents do not meet a requirement, the honest options are a valid document from the issuer or a different visa route.
What if I was rejected before and want to try again?
You can reapply, but expect different terms. With us, a reapplication after any earlier Thai visa rejection carries no money-back guarantee, and we tell you this before we start. Switching to a different embassy does not change that.