Lane 2 of 3 · Soft power · Muay Thai

Muay Thai DTV visa: what each embassy asks for

Muay Thai is named in the DTV's soft-power category. What the camp must provide differs from one post to the next, and some of what circulates online is stated by no embassy at all. Here is what is written, and where.

Checked against official sources on 5 October 2026By Martin Ferret

The category

Muay Thai in the official wording

Every official source names Muay Thai as an example of the soft-power category. None gives a closed list.

Thai e-Visa portal
“Thai soft power-related activities (e.g., Muay Thai, Thai culinary training, and medical treatment)”
Royal Thai Embassy, London
“DTV2 - Thai soft power related activities (e.g., Muay Thai, Thai culinary training, and medical treatment)”
Royal Thai Consulate-General, Ho Chi Minh City
“Muay Thai courses, cooking classes, sport trainings, medical treatment, seminars, as well as music festivals”
Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, infographic of 16 July 2024
“Muay Thai courses, Thai Cooking classes, Sport training, Medical treatment, Seminars, Music Festivals”

The document the portal asks for

“Proof of confirmation to attend the activity or letter of appointment from hospital/medical center”

That is the whole central requirement. It names no camp register, no course length and no content for the letter. The posts fill the gap, unevenly.

Camp documents by post

What each post asks the camp to provide

Read your own post's page before the camp writes anything. Three posts go further than the portal; the rest repeat it.

The Muay Thai or soft-power document, as each post words it
Post	Their wording	In practice	Page date
Paris	“La lettre d'invitation/d'acceptation concernant l'activité de l'organisation d'accueil en Thaïlande, la carte d'identité du signataire, registre de commerce/licence de l'organisation et la preuve du paiement”	Four items: the camp's invitation or acceptance letter, the signatory's ID, the camp's business registration or licence, and proof that you paid.	28 August 2026
Los Angeles	“Please be informed that for Muay Thai, the applicant needs an official letter of acceptance and support from Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) as well as other documents from a boxing gym which has been certified by SAT.”	A letter from the Sports Authority of Thailand, and a gym it has certified.	1 October 2026
Singapore	“Muaythai : Letter from Muay Thai camp to Board of Boxing Sport to confirm the training at the boxing school. (School/Gyms will Provide Documents for Applicants)” “Muaythai : Letter from Sports Authority of Thailand and Ministry of Tourism and Sports”	A camp letter addressed to the Board of Boxing Sport, and a letter from the SAT and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. The same page is partly out of date on other documents.	7 September 2026
Washington	“Letter of acceptance from institute or company organizing activities”	Generic: nothing specific to Muay Thai.	10 September 2026
London	“Proof of confirmation to attend the activity”	The portal's wording, nothing specific to Muay Thai.	8 September 2026
Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich		A confirmation of the activity, in the portal's terms. Nothing specific to Muay Thai.	28 August 2026
Ho Chi Minh City	“Proof of confirmation to attend certain activity or letter of appointment from hospital/medical center”	Generic: nothing specific to Muay Thai.	Undated page

SAT certification

Does the camp need to be certified?

At two posts, yes. Elsewhere, no official page says so.

Where it is stated

Los Angeles asks for a gym “certified by SAT” and a letter from the Sports Authority of Thailand. Singapore asks for letters from the SAT and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Paris asks for the camp's registration or licence without naming the SAT.

Where it is not

The e-Visa portal and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs do not mention the SAT or any certification for Muay Thai. A certified camp is a requirement at Los Angeles and Singapore, not a published rule everywhere.

The SAT procedure

A Thai press report (The Standard, 2 October 2026) describes an SAT procedure in which certified camps send requests through the Office of the Boxing Sport Committee. We found no SAT page describing it, so we do not reproduce its steps or timings. If your post asks for an SAT letter, ask your camp how it obtains one.

Course length

No embassy publishes a minimum course length for Muay Thai.

Short courses are often reported as refused, so a booking that covers your planned stay is the defensible choice, and the post can ask for more.

Not stated

What no post publishes

Claims circulate on gym and agency sites. These are the ones no official page we checked supports. Ask your post.

A minimum course length: Six months, nine months, “a one-month course is always refused”: none of these appears on the portal, the ministry's pages or the posts we checked (Paris, London, Washington, Los Angeles, New York, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Berlin, Kuala Lumpur).
What the letter must say: No post specifies dates, schedule or curriculum in the letter. Paris lists the documents that go with it; nobody lists its content.
Signatory ID and proof of payment: Asked for by Paris only.
A list of certified camps: We found no official list. Numbers quoted in the press do not come from an official page.

The rest of the file

Muay Thai changes one line. The others are the common base: passport, photograph, proof of permanent residence, 500,000 THB or a sponsorship letter, and the criminal record certificate.

DTV visa requirements · Country guides · How to apply

DTV or ED

DTV or ED visa for Muay Thai?

The education visa (Non-Immigrant ED) also covers Muay Thai training. New York lists both, side by side.

The two visas in the New York consulate's table
	DTV	ED
New York's wording	“Thai soft power related activities e.g. Muaythai, Thai culinary training, and medical treatment”	“To study in a short course (Thai or English language) / attend Muaythai training”
Fee at New York	$400	$80
Stay	180 days per entry, multiple entry over 5 years	90 days

These are New York's figures; other posts set their own fees. Which visa suits your training is for the post to assess, not for us to promise. Check your case.

Questions

Muay Thai DTV visa: common questions

Can I get a DTV visa for Muay Thai?

Yes. Muay Thai is named as an example in the DTV's soft-power category on the e-Visa portal and on embassy pages. You need proof of confirmation from the camp, plus the common documents every applicant sends.

How long must my Muay Thai course be for a DTV?

No embassy publishes a minimum. Short courses are often reported as refused, so a booking that covers your planned stay is the defensible choice, and the post can ask for more.

Does my Muay Thai camp need SAT certification?

At Los Angeles and Singapore, yes: both ask for documents from the Sports Authority of Thailand. The e-Visa portal and the other posts we checked do not mention it. Paris asks for the camp's registration or licence.

What should the camp's letter say?

No post specifies its content. Paris asks for the letter together with the signatory's ID, the camp's registration or licence, and proof of payment.

DTV or ED visa for Muay Thai?

Both exist for Muay Thai training. New York lists the DTV at $400, valid 5 years with 180 days per entry, and the ED at $80 with a 90-day stay. Which one fits is the post's call; ask yours.

Can I apply from Thailand while I train?

No. The e-Visa portal does not take applications from inside Thailand, and since 31 August 2026 you file with the post covering your country of nationality or of permanent residence.

Sources

Official sources

Every fact on this page comes from these pages. Each shows the date its publisher prints and the date we read it. The press report cited above is not an official source and is not listed here.

Before you book a camp

Check the rest of your file first.

Six questions on your money, nationality and residence. We reply yes, no, or what is missing.

Check my eligibility The soft-power category