Police report from US for O-A visa application

[jerry921]

I'm currently retired in Mexico. I am considering moving back to the US (Texas) when my current lease runs out for either six months or a year and then moving to Thailand. So I will have time to apply for an O-A and I will go that route if I can.

 

I've lived in Mexico full-time for two years. Prior to moving to Mexico I lived in Washington State for 11 years.

 

My record is completely clean, all the way back, but my concern is that I'll have trouble getting a police report because I won't have been in the US or in Texas long enough, or because of the recent two years when I wasn't in the country.

 

I'm sure the bottom line is I won't know until I try, but I'm happy to hear everyone's opinions and potentially relevant experience anyway.

[ubonjoe]

Being out of the country for a period of time will not keep you from getting a criminal back ground check done.

[murraynz]

i am definitely NO  expert here like unbonjoe, but... if you get a visa agent to make your application-the need for police report etc , may not be necessary.

the list of requirements for me to obtain my retirement non o ,  also included police report and  very extensive medical reports---these would have been major work to obtain in nz ---my agent "solved " this extra work..i just had to show 800k in my thai bank account -all very simple..

[Jingthing]

7 minutes ago, murraynz said:

i am definitely NO  expert here like unbonjoe, but... if you get a visa agent to make your application-the need for police report etc , may not be necessary.

the list of requirements for me to obtain my retirement non o ,  also included police report and  very extensive medical reports---these would have been major work to obtain in nz ---my agent "solved " this extra work..i just had to show 800k in my thai bank account -all very simple..

He's applying for an O-A visa in the USA.

There are not "visa agents" for that process and even if there are, they could not get around the police report REQUIREMENT for an O-A visa. The Thai embassy/consulate is going to require a police report for ALL applications for that. NO EXCEPTIONS.

 

You're talking about something entirely different. Doing the retirement status legalization process in Thailand for which an O-A visa is never required. For that, no such police reports are required for anyone! Nor is any kind of medical form except in case of a few exceptions in local offices, and in those cases it's a simple matter of paying a small fee at a Thai hospital or clinic (no extensive records or tests needed). Using "visa agents" or not.

Edited January 24, 2018 by Jingthing

[beavercreek]

There are agents in the US, but they are very expensive.  There are travel medical specialists that will do the form for 50-60 USD.  A simple letter from my local police department was enough four years ago, now I would go to my State Police and get a notarized report for 20 USD.  Varies by State.  Would you be dealing with DC or LA?

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, beavercreek said:

There are agents in the US, but they are very expensive.  There are travel medical specialists that will do the form for 50-60 USD.  A simple letter from my local police department was enough four years ago, now I would go to my State Police and get a notarized report for 20 USD.  Varies by State.  Would you be dealing with DC or LA?

In any case, if you're applying for an O-A visa in the U.S., you will definitely be required to include both a medical form and police record report and there will be no exceptions. The specifics of what sorts of police record reports that will be accepted is something else. 

[ubonjoe]

2 minutes ago, beavercreek said:

Would you be dealing with DC or LA?

Since he states he will be living in Texas it would be DC. 

[greg67]

OP is right. It is almost impossible to get a police clearance letter if you can't prove that you've been living in local area for some specified amount of time recently... I tried to get it a few years ago in Los Angeles area and one of the requirements was to show utility bills in my name for at least one year... You can request an FBI clearance letter or whatever it is called but it takes a while to get it.

[Langsuan Man]

If I was the OP I would visit this site.  I didn't have time to go through it but it appears that you can pay for a criminal records check and it appears that there is no residency requirement 

 

https://records.txdps.state.tx.us/DpsWebsite/CriminalHistory/

[ubonjoe]

25 minutes ago, greg67 said:

OP is right. It is almost impossible to get a police clearance letter if you can't prove that you've been living in local area for some specified amount of time recently... I tried to get it a few years ago in Los Angeles area and one of the requirements was to show utility bills in my name for at least one year... You can request an FBI clearance letter or whatever it is called but it takes a while to get it.

That was likely a local requirement.

If you were to go on the state of California website that is only the place you can request a background check now I doubt very much doubt you would need such proof.

[CMBob]

The OP should have no worry....he can easily get the police check.  He's presuming that the police agency will somehow know he's been in Mexico and they likely won't have a clue about that.  Just visit your local police department (in my dinky hometown back in Michigan years ago, I had to go to the Sheriff's Department) and ask for the report....should be simple.

 

The OP also has the option to get a Non-O visa (or Tourist visa) there and then extending based on retirement here (or converting the TV to a Non-O here and then extending) and there will be no need for a police report (or medical report) for either of those options.  

[Srikcir]

15 hours ago, Jingthing said:

In any case, if you're applying for an O-A visa in the U.S., you will definitely be required to include both a medical form and police record report and there will be no exceptions. The specifics of what sorts of police record reports that will be accepted is something else. 

In the US one has three sources for a police report: State, County or City police departments. From my knowledge cities typically require 2-3 years proof of residence, likely less at State and County levels. Regardless, a police report is required for an O-A visa application. For the ambitious apply in DC Embassy Monday morning, pickup visa Wednesday afternoon.

Best path if US residency requirements can't be met is apply for the O-A visa in Thailand as mentioned by others.

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

n the US one has three sources for a police report: State, County or City police departments.

Now in many states it can only be done at the state level.

7 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

Best path if US residency requirements can't be met is apply for the O-A visa in Thailand as mentioned by others.

A OA visa cannot be applied here in the country. They can only be applied for at a embassy or official consulate.

A one year extension of stay based upon retirement can be applied for at immigration here.

[SpokaneAl]

If the event that you are planning on returning to WA state, I am also a WA resident and each year I obtain a new non imm o-a multi entry visa.

 

Go here and follow the links for the on line request for a criminal history.

 

http://www.wsp.wa.gov/crime/criminal-history/

 

Make sure you pay the small extra cost for a notarized copy. It will be mailed to you in a week or so.

 

Easy!

Edited January 25, 2018 by SpokaneAl

[Suradit69]

18 hours ago, murraynz said:

and  very extensive medical reports

The medical report for the Non-imm O-A is just a short list of some pretty awful diseases and unless you have something like TB,  leprosy, third step syphilis or elephantiasis. it wouldn't require much in the way of an "extensive" medical exam. 

 

1 hour ago, Srikcir said:

Best path if US residency requirements can't be met is apply for the O-A visa in Thailand as mentioned by others.

You can't apply for an O-A visa in Thailand.  You're confusing an extension of stay with a visa. The two are not the same and the latter still requires that you are here on a non-imm O or non-imm O-A visa entry or do a conversion to a non-imm O entry.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 25, 2018 by Suradit69

[Suradit69]

1 hour ago, SpokaneAl said:

and each year I obtain a new non imm o-a multi entry visa.

Depending on your timing, you could manage to get a new non-imm O-A less often than every year. 

If you do a border hop while you're in Thailand and while your current visa is still valid, you get a new one year permission to stay when returning to Thailand. Then if you want to travel to the US, all you need is a re-entry permit to maintain that. Conceivably you could stretch each new O-A to as much as two years before needing a new one.

 

 

 

Edited January 25, 2018 by Suradit69

[SpokaneAl]

Depending on your timing, you could manage to get a new non-imm O-A less often than every year. 

If you do a border hop while you're in Thailand and while your current visa is still valid, you get a new one year permission to stay when returning to Thailand. Then if you want to travel to the US, all you need is a re-entry permit to maintain that. Conceivably you could stretch each new O-A to as much as two years before needing a new one.

 

 

 

 

Thanks. I am aware of the points you make. For my personal circumstances, getting a new non imm o-a multi entry visa each year makes the most sense.

 

 

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[SpokaneAl]

You can't apply for an O-A visa in Thailand.  You're confusing an extension of stay with a visa. The two are not the same and the latter still requires that you are here on a non-imm O or non-imm O-A visa entry or do a conversion to a non-imm O entry.
 
 
 
 
 

I find obtaining the medical report to be very easy. I just print off the medical form from the consulate I will be dealing with, drop it off at my doctor’s office, he signs it at his leisure and the office mails the form back to me.


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Jingthing]

3 minutes ago, SpokaneAl said:

 

I find obtaining the medical report to be very easy. I just print off the medical form from the consulate I will be dealing with, drop it off at my doctor’s office, he signs it at his leisure and the office mails the form back to me.


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

Many people don't have such a relationship with a U.S. doctor. Often people are being required to pay for the clinical tests to objectively look at the diseases on the form. 

[ubonjoe]

A inflammatory post meant to derail the topic has been removed.

[BEVUP]

So can't he just come in on a Visa exempt & then just jump the boarder to some where & avoid all that

[Suradit69]

22 minutes ago, BEVUP said:

So can't he just come in on a Visa exempt & then just jump the boarder to some where & avoid all that

If he does a border crossing to a nearby country, he would not be able to get a non-imm O-A.  That visa needs to be applied for in your home country or country of legal residence.

 

He could apply to do a conversion to a non-imm O entry in Thailand and then apply for an extension of stay based on retirement, but getting the non-imm O-A while in the US will allow him to stay in Thailand for up to 2 years without the need for an extension or the need to show money in a Thai bank or proof of income.

 

Many people find the slight extra hassle of getting a non-imm O-A to be preferable to all the extra running around involved when arriving on a visa exempt entry.

 

1 hour ago, SpokaneAl said:

I find obtaining the medical report to be very easy. I just print off the medical form from the consulate I will be dealing with, drop it off at my doctor’s office, he signs it at his leisure and the office mails the form back to me.

Yes, when getting my non-imm O-A some years ago I just went to the doctor I normally see and he was able to complete the form in a matter of minutes. That and the police report were not significant issues for me.

 

 

 

Edited January 25, 2018 by Suradit69

[Lee4Life]

I applied for the O/A at the LA consulate last year. My permanent residence State provides an online application process which provides a notarized criminal background check, I believe it was 15$ extra for the notary and took about one week to receive. 

[Skeptic7]

Isn't it possible to do the entire process here in Thailand...for a price? At least it was possible a few years back. Please correct if wrong, but...

 

Enter Thailand on 30 day visa exemption. Go to an agent ASAP, as must have at least 21(?) days remaining. For B25,000-30,000 can get the entire procees done here in Thailand. They will even put B800k in bank acct for you if needed and escort you through the expedited process.

 

The person I know already had the notarized proof of income document from the US Embassy here, so did not need the B800k temp acct from the agent. Paid B20,000 back then and had the entire process done here...Non-imm O visa w/Retirement Extension & Multiple Entry stamp. Did not need any health or crininal background check either. 

[Suradit69]

10 minutes ago, Skeptic7 said:

Enter Thailand on 30 day visa exemption. Go to an agent ASAP, as must have at least 21(?) days remaining. For B25,000-30,000 can get the entire procees done here in Thailand. They will even put B800k in bank acct for you if needed and escort you through the expedited process.

There's no need to pay an agent to do it. You do a conversion to a non-imm O at immigrations and toward the end of that permission to stay you apply for an extension of stay ... assuming you qualify.

 

If you don't qualify, you are basically paying someone to do something illegal and it could come back to bite you in the derriere.

 

Anyway, the O/P was asking about getting a non-imm O-A while in the US, not applying for an extension of stay once in Thailand.

 

Getting a (legally obtained) visa that could allow you to stay in Thailand for up to 2 years without the need to do an extension and no need to prove money in the bank or income (without using an expensive and possibly dodgy agent) is not the same as getting a visa exempt entry with the aim of getting an extension of stay after jumping through hoops and/or emptying your pocket.

 

 

Edited January 25, 2018 by Suradit69