That's good to know, thanks James.

Hi James, I'm studying self-defense at a school here. Which I think is why I was questioned more - he wanted to know "what exactly is the discipline you're studying?" as perhaps it seemed odd to him. The other people I heard being questioned were a couple studying English in Thailand.

Hey Tod, yes I'm ok with that. I'm more concerned with whether they'll issue it or not - without requiring the police clearnance certificate (I've been informed this document takes 2-4 weeks in Thailand, and I have to leave by the 12th March). I'm going to go the police station tomorrow anyway, just in case. But I don't think there'll be time for it to be processed before I go.

That's a great idea, thanks Tod 👍

It turns out that my school normally processes ed-visas in Thailand, and have therefore never required police check certificates. But they've been informed this is no longer possible, and it's better to apply abroad. Therefore, they weren't aware of extra documents required abroad - and didn't inform me. It's only when I checked the embassy websites today that I realised myself.

I'm now currently looking at Phnom Penh, as they do not stipulate police clearance certificates for ed visas (only for university students). And so that looks like a better option.

If I'd been aware of this a month ago, it would have been fine and I could have gotten the certificate. But at the moment, I have 9 days left on my current visa (and cannot extend). So I'm just trying to find the best option.

Well initially I had a flight booked for HCMC anyway, and the staff at the school I'm applying for my ed-visa with, confirmed it was a good option to go to.

There's still time to change though. Would you recommend Savannakhet? I thought it looked like a good option, but there was some wording on the website that confused me. It says

"Those who apply visa without residence in the Lao PDR must submit their applications, through the academy and the Thai Authorities concerned, to the Department of Consular Affairs of Thailand."

I assumed this meant that only people with Laos residence can apply there. Is this not the case?

I've also learnt that the police check here can take 2-4 weeks, which is going to make things a bit trickier. So, Savannakhet also looks like a good option as they don't explicitly have it in their doc. requirements.

Thanks Tod 🙂 The Thai HCMC embassy has literally changed it's doc. requirements again today. Now they're not asking for the police check, but there's an extra document (related to private institutions) that they require. It's quite confusing 🙃.

Great, thanks Robert! I've actually been here almost 3 months, so it would be a Thai record check that I require. Thanks so much. Phew!

Thanks Robert. That was my mistake. I meant 90 day (which I can extend in thailand every 90 days for one year). I am a bit worried now though, as the all the Thai embassies list 'Criminal Record check' as a doc. requirement. And my school seems to know very little about this. It would be a massive pain for me to now get this from U.K.