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What are the steps to obtain a certified FBI/state criminal record clearance letter for a Non-OA visa application from California?
Non-OA VisaNon-O VisaFBI Criminal Record CheckVisa Application ProcessThailand Visa RulesExpats in ThailandDocument Preparation for Visa
Dec 23, 2025
4 months ago
Dawn *******
ORIGINAL POSTERPreparing documents for a Non-OA visa from California and the most frustrated part is the FBI/State criminal record clearance letter. Went to get fingerprinted and the letter received was just a print out and now we have to figure out how to get a certified letter from the state (CA) or FBI. Any advice?
TLDR : Answer Summary
The conversation revolves around concerns and advice about obtaining a certified FBI criminal record clearance letter for a Non-OA visa application from California. The original poster expresses frustration over receiving only a printed letter after fingerprinting. Comments suggest reconsidering the visa type, emphasizing that the Non-O visa might be more suitable for most applicants, requiring less documentation. Various methods for obtaining the FBI clearance are discussed, including the importance of using specific services that provide the necessary certification quickly and efficiently. Advice stresses planning around the visa requirements and potential insurance options for staying in Thailand.
NON-O RETIREMENT VISA RESOURCES / SERVICES
- Go to the Retirement Visa Section for information on requirements, including age restrictions, financial requirements, and necessary documentation.
- For immediate assistance, contact Thai Visa Centre directly via LINE at @ThaiVisaCentre or Email them.
- Explore recent discussions by using the Non-O Retirement Visa tag in the search box at the top of the page.
- Join the Thai Visa Advice Facebook Group to ask your questions, and get advice from others.
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Phil ******
@Dawn ******
forget Non-Oa and apply for the simpler Non ODawn *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Phil *****
non O and renew again in 90 days? how many times can you renew?Reply to
Dawn *******
Reply
Greg *********
You should just do a non O on the website.
Marty *********
I had an OA for 6 years. If he is OK about the insurance requirement then any time after the first year he can extend his OA for 1 year at a time without leaving Thailand. However, he has to check whether the insurance he uses to get the visa in the US will qualify for a 1 year extension inside Thailand. Probably not. The insurance required inside Thailand should be considered when choosing between an O and OA visa.
Dawn *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Marty ********
he is going to need health insurance anyways. He is not planning to come back and live here in the US. We will get the required insurance and plan to continue. I am looking into getting a good coverage insurance for him, and it will be renew.Marty *********
@Dawn ******
If, later on, he tries to get a one year extension of his OA visa he is going to need qualifying insurance. The insurance companies on this website qualify ************
The insurance he uses to get his OA in the US probably will not qualify.
I discontinued my US insurance and bought Thai insurance.
Reply to
Marty *********
Reply
Lonnie ********
I went to IdentoGo, and received the FBI background check for my OA visa. The subsequent PDF was accepted by the Thai embassy.
Dawn *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Lonnie *******
I can’t find the code to submit to make an appointment. How do I do that online?Dawn *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Lonnie *******
how long did it take ? And how much?Lonnie ********
Once the process is complete, they'll send you some opaque link to another website to DL a PDF. The document was sparse as I didn't have anything to report.
Dawn *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Lonnie *******
that is great. One less thing to frustrate me. He doesn’t have anything either, hopefully, it won’t take too long. He wants to go to Thailand so badly now. It’s been so foggy and cold here, and it’s supposed to rain for another week. Thank you very much.Reply to
Dawn *******
Reply
Lonnie ********
@Dawn ******
They said it would take a week or two, but it was complete in a day or two. It was about $85.Dawn *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Lonnie *******
that’s about what we paid at the sheriff department and we couldn’t even use the letter or printout that we got. Thank you so much for the info. I really appreciate it. The nearest one I found is in Fresno, so not too far and an excuse to go get a Thai massage, lol.Reply to
Dawn *******
Reply
Dawn *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Lonnie *******
I will have to look into that tomorrow. He is not a very patient person when dealing with paperwork. I’m just dealing with everything the best I can. Thank you for the infoLonnie ********
Make an appointment ASAP because depending on where you live there could be a delay especially this time of year. Where I did mine there were a few unrelated locations to select for an appointment.
Reply to
Lonnie ********
Reply
Ken *******
I'm from Ohio and got a background check at my county sheriff's office and fingerprints. It was for OA Visa.
Dawn *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Ken ******
our printout came back with a letter stating that it cannot be used as a certified document for visa! Imagine that-and I got the form from their website which stated visa/immigration!Reply to
Dawn *******
Reply
Stephane **********
There is only one way to get the FBI police check. State offices and sheriffs offices not not work. Google it and see how it works. You have to make an appointment at a Mailboxes/private postal office and get finger printed in person. They transmit it securely to the FBI database and you get a certified copy back in 48 hours
Dawn *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Stephane *********
thank you for the clarification. I am so confused. We went to the sheriff with the form (got from the link which said for visa/immigration)we did got the fingerprints and was sent a printout which cannot be used. Now I am even more confused because the letter that came with the printout also actually said we had to send in printed card (fd-268). It’s like nothing is simple at all.Reply to
Dawn *******
Reply
John *********
Adding that Brandon is correct that the non O is appropriate for most.
I did the O-A because I wanted to keep my money in the US, at 60 the insurance was not unreasonable, and I had no urgent deadlines to handle on arrival. 11 days to find a pet friendly condo I liked. Will get a bank account set up in the next week, and start feeding it from my monthly pension instead of pulling from US savings. Not selling the O-A, but just listing why it made sense for me.
I did the O-A because I wanted to keep my money in the US, at 60 the insurance was not unreasonable, and I had no urgent deadlines to handle on arrival. 11 days to find a pet friendly condo I liked. Will get a bank account set up in the next week, and start feeding it from my monthly pension instead of pulling from US savings. Not selling the O-A, but just listing why it made sense for me.
John *********
Yes I can.
Greg yes I can. I have 20 months to put part of my monthly pension into a thai bank account / reach 800k Baht without ever touching my savings or investments in the US.
Greg yes I can. I have 20 months to put part of my monthly pension into a thai bank account / reach 800k Baht without ever touching my savings or investments in the US.
Nongnuch ********
@John ********
you need the financial proof for every annual application to the 1-year extension. Since your embassy doesn't issue any income affidavits, you can use the 12-months of accumulated transfers of a minimum of 65,000 THB into your bank account, month for month, not missing out one single month, as financial proof. Noteworthy: these transfers must be coded in your bankbook FET or FTT - as having come from abroad. WISE transfers recently need a special process (through the Kasikorn bank). If you have to switch to SWIFT direct transfers from your home bank to your Thai bank account, it will be a bit costly, however doable.Dawn *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Nongnuch *******
that will be the next headache, who will he use to transfer money. SWIFT or other APP? Ugh, not looking forward to it.Reply to
Dawn *******
Reply
Greg ***********
@John ********
you can't keep the money in the USA anymore once you do the first extension. You will need 800,000 THB in your Thai bank account. . . . At least for the year of the first extension, unless you have prepared for the 12-months Thai bank statement over 12 months of consecutive transfers from abroad into your Thai bank account of a minimum of 65,000 THB. Plus the mandatory tgia-listed Thai private health insuranceDawn *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@John ********
he’s doing the O-A because he didn’t want to have to do an extension. He wants to just get it over and done with from here. Dealing with documents through the embassy is not something he wanted to deal with.Greg ***********
@Dawn ******
you can only get a maximum of two years out of the O/A visa if you don't want to do the Extension. Then before the expiry of the most recent admitted stay stamp, you need to return to the States and have to repeat the whole process all over again. In case you wish to avoid this, you will have to apply for the 1-year extension of the stay permit, in which case you need to deposit 800,000 THB into your Thai bank account (at least in the year of the first extension unless you can switch to the 12-months Thai bank statement method) and take up the mandatory tgia-listed Thai private health insuranceDawn *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Greg **********
the financial and the health insurance part is no problem. He also has a pension+social security that can be deposited into the Thai account. This is what he decided that he wanted, he didn’t want to buy a round-trip ticket. He didn’t want to run around and get an extension for permit to stay after 90 days. Once he gets there we will figure out what to do in order to stay in the Thailand permanently. I don’t understand the process as much (I have dual citizenship). I will go and help him settle down but I will return to the US afterwards.Reply to
Dawn *******
Reply
John *********
Skip the California DOJ site. Apply through the links on the FBI websites. Get your fingerprints done at a US post office that electronically submits. May people go through a service provider, and those will not get the embossed page, wet ink signature you need. It is relatively fast.
Dawn *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@John ********
he did it through the sheriff department.Brook ********
@Dawn ******
I did too. No problems with Thailand accepting. The FBI/NCIS will also do a gold seal official copy that is acceptable. THE BIGGER QUESTION is why aren’t you doing a NON-O visa instead of a Non-OA?!?. IMHO it’s a much better option.
John *********
@Dawn ******
that would explain it!Reply to
John *********
Reply
Brandon ************
The advice is don't apply for a non-OA visa. Why are you applying for that? It's only useful in very specific circumstances and is not the proper visa for most people. The non-O is the proper visa for most people and doesn't have ANY of the requirements, just proof that you are over 50 and proof of funds, that's it.
Dawn *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Brandon ***********
not sure if he wants to do extension in Thailand. He also doesn’t want to buy a round trip ticket, only one-wayBrandon ************
@Dawn ******
What is the game plan then? Is this just a temporary trip to Thailand? Otherwise the only option moving forward is going to be extensions, or returning back to the US every 2 years to apply for a new non-OA visa.Dawn *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Brandon ***********
I guess I would have to marry him then, lol. He will have to come back here to see his family. Rules and laws might change also. We will see.Reply to
Dawn *******
Reply
Wannikea *********
@Dawn ******
no round trip ticket needed for a Non-O. Yes you can delay an extension on the OA for almost 2 years.Dawn *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Wannikea ********
that’s the reason he didn’t want to do just non-o. He doesn’t want to run around, rush rush. He doesn’t want to run around and do all the paperwork within the 90 days. In 2 years time, he might change his mind and come home. We will see.Wannikea *********
@Dawn ******
itinerary is a planned schedule, not a ticket.Dawn *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Wannikea ********
for regular Non-O, return ticket is required.Brandon ************
@Dawn ******
That says ITINERARY, it does not anywhere say you need a ticket. The e-visa application for non-O just asks for flight information in and flight information out. A quick google flights search can get you that information. It's just ticking off a box because a non-O is only valid for 90 days, so you give a flight out within 90 days and done.Dawn *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Brandon ***********
he is a very honest man. I told him that, but his reply was, “what if they want me to show the actual reservation/booking for the return flight? Can anyone guarantee that can’t/won’t happen?” So, Non OA is best for him. I wish I can just hire someone to deal with his paperwork.Reply to
Dawn *******
Reply
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