Need Police Records Help -- Living Abroad

[drkwtsn]

I am currently a contractor overseas for the US Government and my wife is living with me overseas as well. We were married about a year ago and we are now working on doing her green card paperwork. Everything has been easy, except for the thai police records. I sent her home awhile ago to take care of some things (she is from Khon Kaen) and she also was going to do her police report. Now this is mostly my fault, but failing to do any research, she went to Bangkok (after calling and bringing all papers they told her to bring) to obtain the police report. They failed to tell her that she needed a letter from the US Embassy stating why she needed the police report, so that trip there was a bust. Now she is back with me overseas and we need to get her police report. We went to the thai embassy here and they are stating that she needs to do a power of attorney etc..... but I read that I can just mail 2-3 (i forget) copies of her fingerprints, and a few other documents to the police station in bangkok along with a self addressed stamped envelope and they will mail it back.... Is this true??? None of her family is in Bangkok and it would be not that easy to send someone down there to get it for her... I really dont want to have to send her back to thailand for another month while we do all this....

do i have any options? Will mailing the fingerprints and everything work (will they send the police report back???) Also, does the police report come back in english, or will i have to get that translated again?

Please help, this is the last document I need and we will be finished.

Thanks

[drkwtsn]

i guess what im really asking is has anyone ever mailed away for the police records and been successful?

if so, what steps did you take?

[acron45]

i guess what im really asking is has anyone ever mailed away for the police records and been successful?

if so, what steps did you take?

My wife is about to apply for a spouse visa from within Australia after having a successful fiance visa granted. I spoke with immigration about 2wks ago and they told me that I will

have to obtain another police check from Thailand which put me in the same boat as you. I was thinking surely Im not going to have to send my wife back to Thailand to obtain a free police check which will cost me the best part of $2000 in airline tickets and hotel bookings. The lady at immigration told me that I should be able to get the Thai Police to send me a copy and my response was that they have no idea how the Thai police work and that would be almost impossible. I have dealt with them before and shudder at the thought of having to get them to send a copy oversea's without my wife being there in person.

Anyway, after another telephone call, I spoke with someone from immigration who works in the spouse visa section, and he knew all the ins and outs of how things work. He told me that because I have already had a police clearance before from Thailand in the last 12 months I dont have to do another one. The Police Clearance is valid for 12months unless my wife returns to Thailand for more than 2 months. Which means she will have to obtain another clearance.

Same goes for the medical, it lasts for 12 months unless you return to Thailand for 2 months or more.

I know that doesnt answer your question but just a bit of info for others on how things work....

Troy.

[drkwtsn]

i guess what im really asking is has anyone ever mailed away for the police records and been successful?

if so, what steps did you take?

My wife is about to apply for a spouse visa from within Australia after having a successful fiance visa granted. I spoke with immigration about 2wks ago and they told me that I will

have to obtain another police check from Thailand which put me in the same boat as you. I was thinking surely Im not going to have to send my wife back to Thailand to obtain a free police check which will cost me the best part of $2000 in airline tickets and hotel bookings. The lady at immigration told me that I should be able to get the Thai Police to send me a copy and my response was that they have no idea how the Thai police work and that would be almost impossible. I have dealt with them before and shudder at the thought of having to get them to send a copy oversea's without my wife being there in person.

Anyway, after another telephone call, I spoke with someone from immigration who works in the spouse visa section, and he knew all the ins and outs of how things work. He told me that because I have already had a police clearance before from Thailand in the last 12 months I dont have to do another one. The Police Clearance is valid for 12months unless my wife returns to Thailand for more than 2 months. Which means she will have to obtain another clearance.

Same goes for the medical, it lasts for 12 months unless you return to Thailand for 2 months or more.

I know that doesnt answer your question but just a bit of info for others on how things work....

Troy.

Yeah the medical I got done in the country we are at right now... No one else here has ever had a problem like this obtaining a police report... A lot of my co-workers have foreign wives and they were all able to obtain their wives police reports (from places like India, Belarus, etc)... Not sure why Thailand makes it so hard... and with things being how they are in thailand right now, I really don't want to have to send my wife back

[fishhooks]

This thread is very interesting as will be the outcome.

We "could" be in the same situation here in Australia. We have just sent to Immigration in Canberra, the final papers for my wife's application for the type "100" Spouse Visa to enable PR.

We have had some trips back to Thailand over the past 2 years whilst on the 309 Visa and a couple of these trips have been more than 3 months in duration, mainly as her mother had a serious heart operation and we have explained that in the latest paperwork.

Thus, I don't at this stage know if she will be required to present another recent "Police Report" (or even "Medical") from Thailand.

If so, does anyone know the in's or out's of getting a Thai Police Report from here in Australia, thus much the same question as the OP for this thread.

Has anyone here in Australia been in this boat! or have the knowledge of same?

[drkwtsn]

At least if i DO have to send her back, its only about a 630 US Dollar round trip ticket for me... But that doesn't include me giving her spending cash / etc for the 20 some days she will have to wait while in Thailand.....

Thats assuming that the Thai police aren't too busy fighting the Red shirts now anyways...

I am going to call the American Embassy in Bangkok on Monday (tommorrow) to see if they have any insight.

[drkwtsn]

The american embassy in bangkok is pretty much useless... they won't give me any info and can't advise me on anything.. basically if its not on their website, you have to figure it out for yourself... how worthless is that....

i am going to bite the bullet and send my wife back to thailand here soon, it seems to be the only sure way of getting it done....

i could take the chance and mail everything off, but id rather spend the $ on the sure thing..

maybe someday thailand will be up to par with all the other countries in regards to getting the police report at least.

[gburns57au]

This relates to Oz but maybe handy for the US as well

http://www.thaiconsulatesydney.org/f_thaipolice.html

[david96]

This relates to Oz but maybe handy for the US as well

http://www.thaiconsulatesydney.org/f_thaipolice.html

If there is any difficulty in obaining a police clearance contact DIAC, they have a proforma form that you sign and it is witnessed at the embassy. It is a Stat. Declaration.

[fishhooks]

Thanks Graham & David re info, much obliged.

In your experience, do Second Stage Processing usually require this Thai Police Clearance, in the case of Thai nationals returning to Thailand for around three months during "309"

As said above, we returned mainly to help with family due to my wife's mother having open heart surgery and I have explained that in the recent "100 Visa" application docs.

[gburns57au]

Thanks Graham & David re info, much obliged.

In your experience, do Second Stage Processing usually require this Thai Police Clearance, in the case of Thai nationals returning to Thailand for around three months during "309"

As said above, we returned mainly to help with family due to my wife's mother having open heart surgery and I have explained that in the recent "100 Visa" application docs.

Usually the second stage doesnt require a new Police Clearance from Thailand, an Oz Fed Police Clearance is required. However in your case of the three month visit back to Thailand, I dont know the answer to that one.

The Website states that you MAY require a new one from overseas if the applicant has spent more than 2 months accumulated time outside of Oz and a new Health check may be required if the applicant has been to a high risk country for a period of 3 months or more.

Thats as far as I can take that one

[bjoe97]

its all so pointless, so banal

do they honestly think that somebody cannot get a clean statement even if there a baddy

my God, are we so naive?

[bjoe97]

The american embassy in bangkok is pretty much useless... they won't give me any info and can't advise me on anything.. basically if its not on their website, you have to figure it out for yourself... how worthless is that....

i am going to bite the bullet and send my wife back to thailand here soon, it seems to be the only sure way of getting it done....

i could take the chance and mail everything off, but id rather spend the $ on the sure thing..

maybe someday thailand will be up to par with all the other countries in regards to getting the police report at least.

useless or great- i love all this BS red tape and their pathetic efforts at security

you may be told you have to wait week, do this and that.... its all about one thing

knowing the right people, having the $$$

i got a someone a visa in 2 days, they are single, female, do not even come from here.....

criminal check, oh please... another compolete and utter waste of time, like the fingerprint scanning

[fishhooks]

Thats as far as I can take that one ........................GB

We'll just have to sit back and wait-see.

The application was in on the 12th this month and acknowledged.

[david96]

For some countries one has to be in the country to apply for a police certificate, Saudi Arabia is one such country.

There are a number of reasons why a certificate may not be able to be obtained and for this reason DIAC have a Commonwealth of Australia Statutory Declaration proforma document in English which the applicant reads at the Embassy and then signs the document in front of an Australian official, who witnesses the applicants signature.

The onus is on the applicant where it should be.

Let us face it Police certificates in many countries are not worth the paper they are printed on.

[fishhooks]

*******There are a number of reasons why a certificate may not be able to be obtained and for this reason DIAC have a Commonwealth of Australia Statutory Declaration proforma document in English which the applicant reads at the Embassy and then signs the document in front of an Australian official, who witnesses the applicants signature*******

How does this apply though David, where the applicant is already in Australia, DIAC wants another certificate for whatever reason and it is difficult to obtain.

I gather there is no hard and fast rule about what circumstance may require one to obtain another Police (or Medical) check and it is up to your case officer to require you or not?

Medical wouldn't be much of an issue, as it could be done here, but of course with much more cost than if handing over THB in Thailand!

[david96]

*******There are a number of reasons why a certificate may not be able to be obtained and for this reason DIAC have a Commonwealth of Australia Statutory Declaration proforma document in English which the applicant reads at the Embassy and then signs the document in front of an Australian official, who witnesses the applicants signature*******

How does this apply though David, where the applicant is already in Australia, DIAC wants another certificate for whatever reason and it is difficult to obtain.

I gather there is no hard and fast rule about what circumstance may require one to obtain another Police (or Medical) check and it is up to your case officer to require you or not?

Medical wouldn't be much of an issue, as it could be done here, but of course with much more cost than if handing over THB in Thailand!

It applies when the applicant has worked or lived in another country and it is difficult to obtain the police clearance certificate for some reason.

[fishhooks]

So the Stat.Dec. circumstance can only be performed off-shore?

I would not be too confident in obtaining a Thai Police doc from Thailand whilst on Australian soil, even though as described in the link that Graham supplied, there may be a way!

Particularly during the present situation over there which is certainly not going anywhere but south at this time.

[gburns57au]

Try this link......this is from the Police Clearance Service centre in Thailand

http://pcscenter.sb.police.go.th/eprint.html

I think you will find this is accurate and applies to all countries.

[david96]

So the Stat.Dec. circumstance can only be performed off-shore?

I would not be too confident in obtaining a Thai Police doc from Thailand whilst on Australian soil, even though as described in the link that Graham supplied, there may be a way!

Particularly during the present situation over there which is certainly not going anywhere but south at this time.

As this is a Commonwealth of Australia Statutory Declaration DIAC will have it available in Australia, you should contact DIAC and state your concerns regarding obtaining a Thai Police Certificate while the applicant is in Australia.

[fishhooks]

Thanks all round, will report back on progress.

[drkwtsn]

my wife is still stuck over in thailand trying to get this darn paper.

the 20 days is over (the amount of time the police told us to wait) and the paper is probably finished, but the police office is closed!

my wife keeps calling them trying to get them to mail the paper since the royal police are located right where all of the action is happening according to google maps

hopefully they will open again soon and be able to mail it to her up in Khon Kaen

[drkwtsn]

My wife is waiting on her police report over in Thailand and we are both unsure if it comes back in Thai or in English.

Anyone got one and care to shed some light on this? I'm thinking Thai and we will also need to have that translated, but just making sure...

Edited May 18, 2010 by 7by7
This post moved from new topic to this existing one.

[fishhooks]

Reporting back, as said earlier:

My wife received her PR, took 5 weeks from lodgement. No additional Police or Medical certificate required.

Thus the frequent and longish trips did not come into play. I did explain with the application that the 3 month trip was due to her mother having heart surgery in Thailand and even though not asked for I did enclose a paper copy of recent social photographs for which I said did not need to be returned us.

Made sure all t's were crossed and all i's dotted.

..........drkwtsn

Our original Thai Police doco came back in English and marked to the attention of the Australian Embassy, I imagine they will all be this way.

Edited May 27, 2010 by fishhooks

[abs02]

I'm staying in melboune

We needed thai police clearance for our PR processing for in Australia. I have sent all of the document requied by them as mensioned in their web site Police Clearence Certificate to Travel Aboard along with my job offer letter copy and thai tax file copy.

I got my thai police clearance certificate in 20 days. give it a try