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Do I need to provide a physical DBS certificate for a visa to Thailand if I have an online DBS record?

UK DBS Thai Visa Requirements Non-OA Visa Criminal Record Check Visa Application Process Immigration Procedure Expat Guidance

Oct 29, 2025

6 months ago

Jason ******

ORIGINAL POSTER

I am from UK, and some say I may need a police DBS criminal record clearance for certain visas  , I have a physical copy of my UK DBS from 2019 , which Is obviously all clean,  but after 2019 ,  I registered my DBS on the online update service ,so you pay a yearly fee for it to be online for ever if you wish to do so, this is so any employer or who ever needs it can access it online , so no print out Is required no more , they are doing away with paper work as digital is the future,  so my question is do I just give thailand my permission to view the DBS through the  UK goverments online system.  Just wondering if Thailand are this up to date yet ? And if not what have I got to do, I can't go to DBS criminal check people and say I need a new certificate as I can't see them issuing it, there is no point to issue me one they will think it's very odd and this may raise concerns like I am trying to get duplicate copies to forge or something ?

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TLDR : Answer Summary

An individual from the UK inquired about the requirements for providing a criminal background check for their visa application to Thailand, specifically with regards to the UK's online DBS service. They questioned whether they could grant Thailand access to their DBS through the online system, expressing concern about the relevance of the paper certificate in an increasingly digital world. Responses indicated that only the Non-OA visa requires such a check, and the general consensus was that Thai authorities likely do not accept online verifications and will still require a physical certificate. Several comments emphasized the unpredictable nature of bureaucratic processes in Thailand and recommended thorough research on specific visa requirements.

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Simon *******

Apply for a Non O 90 day visa ,no police checks ,no health insurance, get a bank account when you arrive then extend the visa to 12 month when in Thailand ,simple renew every year,you can pay the 800,000bht into your Thai account or pay an agent to do this for you and leave the money in your home country getting more interest that the agent costs,this visa can be renewed every year

6 months ago

Pete *******

Suggest you give your head a wobble and then actually do some research into what are the visa requirements for your specific circumstances.

6 months ago

Gerry ********

@Pete ******

blimey. Give the guy a break. He's just asking for some help here.

6 months ago

Reply to

Gerry ********

Owen ********

Please do a search on the group but I've never heard of anyone discussing this topic in 5 years.

6 months ago

Brandon ************

You're putting the cart way ahead of the horse.

There only visa type that requires a background check is the Non-OA visa, which is not widely used.

If you ended up applying for a visa that DOES require a background check, you absolutely, 100%, will require a certificate. You expect the embassy staff to sign up and login to a portal to view your background check? Not a chance in hell of that happening.

And you also think that the company that provides background checks has never, ever had a single person ask for a certificate? I guarantee they have a way to still provide this.

Seems like you've never been to Thailand before, or never done any type of bureaucracy in Thailand. If you had, you wouldn't have asked basic questions like this. Expect nothing to be easy, everything to require reams of paper, and you to not understand why anything works (or doesn't work) the way it does.

6 months ago

Jason ******

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Brandon ***********

uk Goverments reply : No, once you are registered in the DBS Update Service, you do not get a new physical certificate. The service is designed to keep your single certificate up-to-date online, allowing employers to check its status for free with your consent. You will only receive a new physical certificate if your original one is lost in the post or if a new check is initiated due to a status change. , ( and if my original one is Lost , they will send another but with the date of 2019 on it , which is no good for visa requirements, they want see certificate within last 3 months. Surely thailand dont let in any Tom Dick and Harry with criminal records in , Fred west may as well tried to emigrate to Thaialnd, and maybe they learned there lesson from Garry glitter lol

6 months ago

Brandon ************

@Jason *****

the Thai government is not a UK employer. They do not care what agreement you have with some company. They want a criminal history certificate.

But as I said, I don't know why you're even asking about this because you likely won't need it.

6 months ago

Stuart ***********

@Jason *****

you would think there would be some criminal records check before permitting entry to Thailand, but nope. If you apply for a non-O visa instead of the non-OA a criminal check is not required. It is a bit worrying i can agree with you.

6 months ago

Jason ******

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Stuart **********

for me even if they don't ask for criminal check I would still supply them one , cos for me that makes it look good in applying for a visa with no hassle or consequences in the future , maybe it would put me in there good books, they may have a laid back attitude ,but for me things are changing in thialand like the recent banking problems, they are becoming strict to stop the riff raff coming to there country and I don't blame them , if Thailand end up like UK, I will find another place to live , so I do hope they implement more checks , I would not want any of my children in danger if you know what I mean lol

6 months ago

Brandon ************

@Jason *****

as I said, you clearly don't understand the way Thailand works. Including something that's not requested is just asking for trouble. You'll confused them and likely complicated things for yourself.

Thais are taught from elementary school not to ask questions, not to question what they are told. They are given a list of things to check, and anything that deviates from that list is a problem. They have no capacity to think outside the box, to help you if something doesn't match exactly what's on their list. They are punished for making suggestions to their manager that could improve something, because then the manager looks bad.

When you have an official government process, you provide what is asked for. Nothing more, nothing less.

6 months ago

Reply to

Brandon ************

Jason ******

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Brandon ***********

they will just say the whole point of having the DBS online system , is so anyone can view the certificate, I think the only way Is for me to apply for another DBS certificate the old way, but I just know this is going to confuse uk Gov , and they may end up delete my online certificate, all at my cost yet again I guess. Stupid when I already pay a yearly fee for the service.

6 months ago

Graham ******

@Jason *****

if "anyone" can vie it then you can view it and look to see if it's possible to download your report to be printed or saved to be uploaded to the eVisa application

6 months ago

Reply to

Graham ******

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What is the process for obtaining a police clearance for UK visa applications from Thailand?

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