@Chet ******

Did you check with your state police website? I went to Michigan State Police website when I applied for my OA and they had an option to download my criminal background report instantly for $10. It worked fine for my visa requirement. The federal government is so slow at everything.

@Richard *********

I did it by myself. Wasn’t hard at all.

The good news is you enter Thailand on an OA visa with a one year stay and don’t have to worry about rushing around to get the money in a bank within a month. You can wait until you get a long term rental contract and it will be simple to get a bank account. You don’t need that money in a Thai bank until 2 months before your first extension.

I’ve never used it, but I see a lot of people using SafetyWing travel insurance.

@Col ******

I was thinking about doing that, but I live here with no plan to leave for any reason, so it didn’t make sense for me to leave and come back and pay all the money involved with a trip and spend the time when I had the 800,000 baht in the bank already and I was going to renew my insurance anyway, too. So I just went to immigration and paid the 1900 baht fee and did an extension. Easy peasy. 🤷🏼‍♂️

@Randy *******

For minor injuries and sicknesses on an outpatient basis, your plan works. Get into a serious car or motobike accident, or have a stroke or heart attack that keeps you in the hospital for weeks or months, and it could bankrupt you. Up to you.

My wife went through it in 2017 in Bangkok and said it wasn’t bad at all. They’re trying to trip the scammers up, but if you’re honest you should be fine.

I had to show my OA visa to the airline before I could board without an onward ticket.

He might get flagged from the overstay and not allowed back in if he tries to immediately return after renewing his passport, even if he does pay the fine. Or maybe they won’t say anything. It could go either way.

@Damo **********

Don’t act like he couldn’t get two different answers from two different immigration officers. 🤣