Non Immigrant Type O-A visa question; I'm preparing to head down to Los Angeles in a few weeks to visit the Thai Consulate for the visa. The info' on their website requests a police report. I went to our local Live Scan service office and there are so many options available from full blown fingerprinting, Dept of Justice and FBI checks to DMV checks. Will a clearance letter from my local Sheriffs office suffice? Curious to hear from anyone that's gone through this process recently out of the L.A. Thai Consulate. Thanks.
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TLDR : Answer Summary
When applying for a Non-Immigrant Type O-A visa at the Los Angeles Thai Consulate, applicants can meet the police report requirement in several ways. Many users have shared their experiences, indicating that a travel clearance letter from a local sheriff's office is sufficient. Some opted for Live Scan services, while others used local police or UPS for fingerprinting. It's important to note that as of January 2019, notarizing certain documents in California has become complicated, as certified letters cannot be notarized. Applicants might need to explore alternative notarization options or check with the consulate for guidance.
You have several answers to your question of how to get a police clearance in the US. As a new question now shows up, of rules changes in the US about notarizing documents I close the commenting. This page is for Thai visa advice and I'm sure there will be a page on facebook where you can find information about how to notarize a document in the USA.
What I don't understand is that I went to a postal Annex and I was told that the 3 originals that are required to be notarized according to the application rules for an OA Visa cannot be notarized. Because as of January 2019 notarizing a certified letter is not allowed in California.....
So, how do we notarize the forms like the health certificate, travel clearance, and the financial requirements form? I wonder whether or not the Thai Council in Los Angeles is aware of this new rule.
I got my O-A from LA two years ago. I went to a UPS store. They took my finger prints. I filled in a form. The results were sent to me a week later. I don’t remember the name of the service or what databases they used. I just know that the Thai Consulate accepted it. It was a very unimpressive document.
I went through LA cosulate. I used both live Scan and a local sheriff's report notorized by their office. I would say the live Scan was not needed by the level of analysis done at the consulate. Note the results of the live Scan were very short, no criminal records found based on fingerprints.
But I will say it can't hurt to have it included. Just ask for a criminal background check for immigration purposes at the live Scan location. The process is simple.
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