What experiences can be shared about obtaining a Non-Immigrant O-A visa from the Thai consulate in Los Angeles?

I just read a post from Tony Edwards ([members only]/) about his experience getting a Non-Immigrant O-A visa from the Thai consulate in Los Angeles. I also recently got the same visa from LA with a couple of different circumstances so I thought maybe I should share my experience as well.

The main differences between mine and Tony's experience is that I did the process via mail and I used banked money rather than monthly income.

I sent all the requested documents and stamped return envelope on September 26 (they arrived the 28th) and was granted the visa on October 1, receiving it in the mail on October 3 (thus 4 days processing vs. the 15 the embassy site says to allow for).

The LA embassy site states only national or state background checks should be submitted but I was able to get that (state) from my local police department ($15, available the next day). It was already notarized when I received it.

The medical form was the biggest hassle as I needed to schedule a doctor's appointment but I was fortunate to get one somewhat quickly and was able to convince my physician that I was indeed clear of all items listed without needing any tests (e.g. TB). As I have read that a form filled out by a Thai doctor is acceptable, I think the next time I will try that.

Like Tony, I needed to get passport photos but here's a trick that worked well for me. Simply download one of the free Passport Photo apps for your phone and then print them at CVS. I think a 4x6 print was only something like $0.30 cents (and you can get 6 photos laid out on a 4x6 print).

I use an online-only bank and they had no idea what a letter of guarantee is, though they were able to provide a balance confirmation letter. That was provided via PDF online so I had to print it out (as I did with my bank statement since I have my account set to be paperless). The embassy site says that an original copy is required for each. Instead, I wrote a letter to accompany my paperwork explaining the situation (and generally declaring that all documents were accurate) so I cannot say if the letter helped or not but they were accepted.

For notary work, I used UPS, which charged $5 per form ($15 total). Many other posts in this group say you can get free notarization from your bank, but since my bank has no physical branches, that wasn't an option for me. They basically just witnessed my signature on each document, which strikes me as pointless, but I had read multiple other reports on this group stating that is what should be done and they all seem to be correct.

Regarding the return envelope, I didn't know what that was referring to exactly (no metered envelope allowed) or why it is so expensive (new price is $25.50 so the price listed on the embassy site is a bit outdated) but when I asked the PO clerk he knew exactly what I needed and helped me get it all straight.

Finally, note that I just recently became eligible for this visa (based on being over 50) and previously I had quite a number of other entries to the kingdom of different types (visa exempt, tourist visas, ED visa) over the last 5 years or so. I even get the red warning flag at the airport when I try to enter on visa exempt. None of that seemed to affect things at either the embassy or when I actually entered the country with the new visa a few days ago.