How To Get A Criminal Record Check From Thailand

[welshtony]

Hi guys, I spent 6 months in Thailand the other year (amazing)! I have to get security vetted by the SIA in the UK. As I spent time in Thailand they want a criminal record check from Thailand. I have a weblink for the thai police force in Bangkok but it doesnt mention a price - is that correct? Also, does anyone know a quicker way to do it or have a contact, as from experience of Thailand, and the fact no money is involved I imagine the "cha cha" aspect of thai lifestyle may be in force when dealing with this paperwork.

I didnt get in any trouble whilst over there but I did visit a lot of the country, I cannot remember all the venues I stayed at, certainly not addresses, so would you advise me to just put tha address of the guest house in Bangkok that we kept coming back to?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[ukrules]

This kind of check is pathetic, where do they draw the line ? If you go on a month long holiday do you also need to prove that you weren't arrested while there ?

What proof is there that you were actually in Thailand, what's preventing you from picking some other country almost at random and getting a police report from there ? Do you need to prove you were in Thailand ?

[welshtony]

This kind of check is pathetic, where do they draw the line ? If you go on a month long holiday do you also need to prove that you weren't arrested while there ?

What proof is there that you were actually in Thailand, what's preventing you from picking some other country almost at random and getting a police report from there ? Do you need to prove you were in Thailand ?

Yeah, it did occur to me after they asked for the crim check that I could have kept my mouth shut about my travelling and they would be none the wiser. They have it on record now so I have to go ahead with it. Worst thing is, as they dont check internationally without it getting brought up, you could get up to all sorts whilst abroad and it wouldnt get flagged up. Unless of course, you volunteer the info like me!

[sierra01]

A few months ago I started going through the process for getting a private hire licence, it was for my job but luckily they gave up on the idea.

Like you I put down my time in Thailand, and they also wanted a check from the Thai police. The Thai police wanted dates, time and places....and copies of my fingerprints, therein lay the problem. UK plod dont have my prints (nor does any country actually) and under no circumstances would they take them and either send them or give them to me to send to Thailand. An insurmountable brick wall. If you're in Thailand then no problem, the Thai police can take them.

Lesson for the future, dont mention you have spent time in another country.

[welshtony]

A few months ago I started going through the process for getting a private hire licence, it was for my job but luckily they gave up on the idea.

Like you I put down my time in Thailand, and they also wanted a check from the Thai police. The Thai police wanted dates, time and places....and copies of my fingerprints, therein lay the problem. UK plod dont have my prints (nor does any country actually) and under no circumstances would they take them and either send them or give them to me to send to Thailand. An insurmountable brick wall. If you're in Thailand then no problem, the Thai police can take them.

Lesson for the future, dont mention you have spent time in another country.

Cheers Sierra01, I have my prints from the UK police, it cost me £66 quid and I had to have them done at the front desk along with the people signing in for bail and people reporting crimes. I got some funny looks. The document I will have difficulty getting is the proof of my time spent in thailand - would a certified photocopy of my visa stamps in my old passport do?

[sierra01]

The Thai police want dates and addresses of where you were in Thailand, so I dont think visa stamps will do, though I imagine they will want to see your passport/stamps as well.

[sierra01]

Strange that my local plod wouldnt do my prints but yours would!

[welshtony]

I had to phone ahead and book on officer to do it - its listed on the internet as a service they provide - maybe your local station had never been asked to do it before so had no knowledge of it. I wont be able to recall which dates and which guests houses I stayed in at the different parts of Thailand so I guess I will have to just give rough guess dates and the main places I stayed. One of the things asked for is proof of staying in Thailand, this seems daft as I wouldnt be asking for a criminal record check if I never stayed in Thailand. Im unsure as to what would be proof apart from my old passport. Most guest houses get you to write your passport number and details in a book but they dont give receipts for that and my visas were just stamps.

I thought getting a CRB from the UK was a pain until I encountered this, I was never asked for proof of living at any of my UK addresses!

[mrburb]

Sorry to drag this from the grave - but I have a question. I also need a crb check to work in Primary Schools. I went to get my fingerprints done for £60 - then after the police read my form, they pointed out I needed THREE copies! That would cost a fortune. I eventually ran away.

You also need a certified copy of your passport - that's around £20 per page.

Has anyone completed this process from the UK - did you get three fingerprints done?

Annoyingly, I may need to do this process again to become a sports coach!

Thanks in advance.

[nightshift]

I am sitting here in Birmingham UK, with my Thai Police check certificate.

It took me 22 days from start to finish. It's complicated and VERY expensive.

I can confirm that the procedure listed above is correct. Here's how I did it.

First, read and print off the notes on applying for the certificate from the Royal Thai Consulate in Hull's website. This contains forms, addresses in Bangkok to send documents and phone number of Special Branch, who deal with the application.

Take this to your local Police station and you have to book to get your prints done. You must take valid UK passport as id ( they never told me this the first time ) and the print off from the consulate. This is the most expensive part. 3 sets of prints cost me £130 and they gave me a discount. It's a long process too, took me over an hour.

Then send your passport to the Hull consulate, together with the printed form off the website to get it legalised. Unfortunately, my passport with all my visas had run out, so I had 2 passports, which counted as 2 documents. The total cost of this was £110, but they do it very quickly, turnaround is 3 days.

I was lucky, as I had an old copy of a rental agreement and an old Thai Drivers Licence. These counted as my proof of residence. Also sent 3 photos.

I then sent the documents, together with a covering letter, again from the Consulate website, by Fed Ex to Special Branch in Bangkok. If you set up an account with Fed Ex, they give you an account number straight away, quote this account number on your letter, for them to send it back. You can send International Postal reply coupons, but I reckoned a private carrier would be quicker.

It was delivered in Bangkok in under 3 days and about a week later, I called the Special Branch number and I spoke in Thai to Police. They put me on to English speaking officer, who gave me my case number and told me when it should be ready. ( be ready to quote your passport number on the phone ) He gave me his name, mobile number and email address. He told me the whole process at the Thai end takes 10 days.

I called him this morning at 4.00am, he told me it was sent via my Fed Ex account 2 days ago. At 9.00am, Fed Ex woke me up to deliver the certificate. They do not send any of the supporting documents back, so I lost my cherished Thai Drivers Licence, but whatever. Cost of Fed Ex was £80 both ways. This can be reduced by using Royal Mail, but if you're in a hurry, use a courier.

Good news, the certificate is in English, so you do not have to translate it.

Total cost about £300 with photos and postage to Thai Consulate.

Moral is, don't put it on your application form.

Hope this helps.

[bjoe97]

This kind of check is pathetic, where do they draw the line ? If you go on a month long holiday do you also need to prove that you weren't arrested while there ?

What proof is there that you were actually in Thailand, what's preventing you from picking some other country almost at random and getting a police report from there ? Do you need to prove you were in Thailand ?

truly utterly pathetic window dressing

pointless waste of valuable time

like all those chips in our passports, the fingerprint eyes scans, the blacklists

all rendered useless by anyone who only needs to google-nothing illegal, i must clearly state this

why do they bother?

by the way, if you are a UK subject,

you neither need a passport to leave nor enter the UK( you will really upset the immigration because they hate being told this and nowadays try to tell you otherwise- you will need some proof of ID ,like you NI number , and it will take awhile, most staff have never met someone who tells them this and actaully have to go and check it,this and legally nullifying the device placed in UK/USA passports can be done legally too,

of coures, they may will take a close look at you because they hate those who do not fall into line like good little robots

almost completely negates their ability to keep tabs and allowing the big brother back in

they have no right, no mandate, no business knowing what a subject is doing outside of its country- and people should be able to contest this without fear

[bjoe97]

A few months ago I started going through the process for getting a private hire licence, it was for my job but luckily they gave up on the idea.

Like you I put down my time in Thailand, and they also wanted a check from the Thai police. The Thai police wanted dates, time and places....and copies of my fingerprints, therein lay the problem. UK plod dont have my prints (nor does any country actually) and under no circumstances would they take them and either send them or give them to me to send to Thailand. An insurmountable brick wall. If you're in Thailand then no problem, the Thai police can take them.

Lesson for the future, dont mention you have spent time in another country.

Cheers Sierra01, I have my prints from the UK police, it cost me £66 quid and I had to have them done at the front desk along with the people signing in for bail and people reporting crimes. I got some funny looks. The document I will have difficulty getting is the proof of my time spent in thailand - would a certified photocopy of my visa stamps in my old passport do?

love it- it now costs more to get ones print done than to have them altered ( a totally legally procedure, like dying ones hair)

what a laugh all this nonsense it