Hi. New here . First post. I heard there is now a 10 year visa for living in Thailand. Is this true?

I have a criminal record. Not a bad one and not within 5 years.

Will this prevent me from living in Thailand?

Can someone tell me if a DBS standard check is ok for the requirements for a OA visa ?

How hard do they look at your criminal record? I have a bunch of CDS arrest (24 total ) 😬when i was younger, the last was in 2009, will that affect a retirement visa?

Thai Elite Questions. The site says

"1-3 months waiting for clearance checking."

Anyone here done this recently? How long did it take?

And what does this "clearance" entail? I mean, it's not a process you have to facilitate in some manner?

Thanks in advance!

Thank you to all who answered questions related to me getting a Non B visa for teaching from the consulate in Penang. I am happy to report that it was a wonderfully pleasant experience, quick and no surprises. If you have your paperwork in order, Penang is hassle free and so quick.

I will note that for this visa I did need BOTH background checks (FBI bc I am American, and the Thai background check since I was already living in Thailand on a different visa). This was not clear on the checklist but thanks to this group, I learned that I should get the Thai one so THANK YOU!

Also the checklist says to "authenticate" a couple of documents. To do this properly would have taken time and hundreds of dollars so I took a risk and got an affadavit from the US embassy and then a stamp from the Thai MFA. At the consulate in Penang, they did not care about this AT ALL, and gave it right back. The forms submitted as is were enough.

Thanks again, and I highly recommend the Penang consulate. It is also a very beautiful place to enjoy.

Woo-hoo! I got my O-A the other day. It wasn’t too difficult although I was worried about the notary requirement for most of the needed documents. No notary would notarize them because they can’t verify the documents are real. They basically notarize that I signed them in front of them and that I said the documents are truthful. Kind of like the catch-22 the embassies are in with the income verification letter. My questions/concerns are:

1. When I arrive Bangkok I need to make sure my arrival stamp is for 1 year. Before I leave the counter. Correct?

2. I’ll stay with a friend in Bangkok while I get a new passport with additional pages, I’m danger low. Bangkok does not require a TM.30, correct?

3. Although the address I submitted with my application is in Udon Thani (family home), I will go to Chiang Mai to search for land to build a house. (I know the rules, no need to comment on land purchases.) If I’m in a hotel no need to report. Once I settle into a condo rental I’ll need to have the house master report for me or if not, I need to do it myself. Is that correct?

Anything else I should be aware of? I normally come in on visa exempt so this will be my first entry on this visa and I'm sure there are things I don't yet know.

Thanks in advance

Hi, I am trying to get retirement visa. Have all requirements met, but embassy lady is hung up on a bogus trespassing arrest in 1982 that shows up on my criminal record. The charge was dropped, i didnt go to court or jail, but she still will not approve me. Anybody else have similar issue? Options?

How will being a convicted felon (bank robbery from over a decade ago) from the US effect any visa application other than the “visa exempt” 30 day stamp, which it doesn’t effect at all? I’m planning my future in Thailand but obviously this information is vital to the process. Thanks!!!

Heads up people

It would appear that IF you are applying for a 90 day Non-B visa at the thai consulate in Penang for teaching you now need police clearances from BOTH your country and thailand