Has anyone recently gotten a police clearance certificate from the Police Clearance Service Center in Bangkok? I’m planning to apply for one on my last day before leaving, just to have it ready in advance for future needs.

Last time, they were ridiculously bureaucratic about the "country of destination." They insisted on an official request from that country, even though I was just proactively gathering documents and hadn’t submitted my application yet. Classic catch-22. In the end, we compromised by listing my home country.

I’m pretty sure I’ll run into the same issue this time. If I’m moving to Australia and need the certificate for work, education, or whatever else, they'll probably demand an official request from some authority again, which makes no sense. If I've lived in Thailand for a prolonged period, I should be able to get criminal clearance information in advance. I could potentially miss out on opportunities just because someone wants to waste time in their office doing nothing.

My partner, a Thai national, had a similar problem recently. We tried to get her certificate ahead of time for a visa application. After speaking with them prior, they said it’d be simple—just bring her ID and a few other docs. But when she flew to Bangkok, they suddenly required an official request from the Australian Home Affairs office. Ridiculous! Waste of a flight. So instead of getting it done, we had to wait for Australia Home Affairs to request it, before providing one, delaying her entire visa process.

Most countries I’ve dealt with let you apply easily and get the certificate within a day or two online, or a physical within a week. Thailand, on the other hand, feels completely outdated, like I need permission from my feudal master as if I’m a peasent just to get a basic police certificate. It’s absurd.