Police Certificate Quick

[ThomasNC1988 762]

So I have seen some discussion around that the old ways of dealing with the Royal Thai Police are no more. Well I will share with you my fiance's experience as she shared it with me. She traveled to the office in Bangkok yesterday with all the required paperwork. When she arrived she said there seemed to be as many as 100 people there waiting for whatever reason. Well there was an officer sitting at a table so she went to ask him what she needed to do. He told her oh that is 100 baht and will take a month or 2. She replied that she needed it really quickly. His response was well 1500. She agreed paid the 1500 did the paperwork and fingerprints and was out within 5 minutes with the promise of the certificate arriving next week. Before she left she asked him why all these people were waiting and his response was they only want to pay 100. She said the officer gave her his card and that he was a pretty high ranking person. Just posting this story because it looks like "express processing" may still be an option.

[Loren Y 2,755]

I was just there in March of 2018 with my Thai fiancee. We were in no hurry to get the certificate, so we just paid the 100 baht fee, and another 80 baht for postage to have it mailed to her. It arrived in about 5 weeks. We were laughing the whole time as we were " Offered " express processing and have the certificate ready for pickup in only 3 days for 1500 baht. Since we had more than 6 months before we even get the NOA2 we were not interested in wasting the money. Other posters here, and even the Thai attorney we used said you cannot get the certificate without NOA2 ( I enjoyed going back to his office the same day to rub that in his face and tell him " Your Fired"). We attached a copy of my NOA1 with no problems and breezed right thru. If you don't count the time for us to fill out the forms, we were only there 20 min. max. without express processing. And we even brought passport photos with us, but they were not needed as they took her photo digitally after the fingerprinting. So, my take on the matter is once you have a copy of the NOA1 get the certificate processing as they are good for a year. I applied in December 2017 for the K1, then got the police certificate in March 2018, and it was dated early May. and received the end of May. I was there for the whole process, and it was fairly busy, but to be honest there is no way you are fitting 100 people in that office with all the desks and people working there. Maybe they form a line outside, but we walked right in thru the door and hit the first desk to the right and were off and processing. then fingerprinting was on the left right as you walk in. They took the photo in a back room with a computer and a 1985 logitech pc camera. then off to the last desk for final processing and paying the 100 baht, and 80 baht for postage. All the employees were friendly and helpful, though disappointed we didn't do the express processing.

[ThomasNC1988 762]

10 minutes ago, Loren Y said:

I was just there in March of 2018 with my Thai fiancee. We were in no hurry to get the certificate, so we just paid the 100 baht fee, and another 80 baht for postage to have it mailed to her. It arrived in about 5 weeks. We were laughing the whole time as we were " Offered " express processing and have the certificate ready for pickup in only 3 days for 1500 baht. Since we had more than 6 months before we even get the NOA2 we were not interested in wasting the money. Other posters here, and even the Thai attorney we used said you cannot get the certificate without NOA2 ( I enjoyed going back to his office the same day to rub that in his face and tell him " Your Fired"). We attached a copy of my NOA1 with no problems and breezed right thru. If you don't count the time for us to fill out the forms, we were only there 20 min. max. without express processing. And we even brought passport photos with us, but they were not needed as they took her photo digitally after the fingerprinting. So, my take on the matter is once you have a copy of the NOA1 get the certificate processing as they are good for a year. I applied in December 2017 for the K1, then got the police certificate in March 2018, and it was dated early May. and received the end of May. I was there for the whole process, and it was fairly busy, but to be honest there is no way you are fitting 100 people in that office with all the desks and people working there. Maybe they form a line outside, but we walked right in thru the door and hit the first desk to the right and were off and processing. then fingerprinting was on the left right as you walk in. They took the photo in a back room with a computer and a 1985 logitech pc camera. then off to the last desk for final processing and paying the 100 baht, and 80 baht for postage. All the employees were friendly and helpful, though disappointed we didn't do the express processing.

No idea what the office looks like or how the process works honestly. I did suggest to her to go get it long ago but my advice was ignored so here we are. Not a huge deal as far as the 1500 goes though I eat steak that cost more than that pretty often, I love Thailand.

[ThomasNC1988 762]

Also I don't know why people say you can't get it until you have the NOA2. My assumption is for a couple hundred USD you could get one for a murderer in 30 minutes, but who knows.

[Loren Y 2,755]

I agree, It's insane how I used to throw away money while there back when I was getting 36 baht to 1 dollar. My plan is to get her her US citizenship in about 6-7 years probably, then a few years after that retire to Thailand on a spousal visa to start, then become a permanent resident. I am right now in the process of getting her a South Korea police certificate, and I posted a topic here to see if she can just get it at the Embassy in Bangkok, or the Consulate in Phuket. Let me know if you have any experience with that certificate. Thanks

[ThomasNC1988 762]

8 minutes ago, Loren Y said:

I agree, It's insane how I used to throw away money while there back when I was getting 36 baht to 1 dollar. My plan is to get her her US citizenship in about 6-7 years probably, then a few years after that retire to Thailand on a spousal visa to start, then become a permanent resident. I am right now in the process of getting her a South Korea police certificate, and I posted a topic here to see if she can just get it at the Embassy in Bangkok, or the Consulate in Phuket. Let me know if you have any experience with that certificate. Thanks

Don't know much about that bud, but I would get it asap because you can move really fast after your case hits the NVC which should be coming up soon for you.

[Loren Y 2,755]

2 minutes ago, ThomasNC1988 said:

Don't know much about that bud, but I would get it asap because you can move really fast after your case hits the NVC which should be coming up soon for you.

That is good to hear. That is what I was hoping. Should have my NOA2 mid July, then off to NVC. How long did it take you to the interview after NOA2, or when you got your NVC case number? I am hoping to get her visa by October the latest, so she can fly back with me in November.

Edited May 29, 2018 by Loren Y

[ThomasNC1988 762]

3 minutes ago, Loren Y said:

That is good to hear. That is what I was hoping. Should have my NOA2 mid July, then off to NVC. How long did it take you to the interview after NOA2, or when you got your NVC case number?

Unfortunately I'm waiting on that police clearance but our case just got to the embassy last Monday or Tuesday. The timelines I've seen suggest packet 4 arrives in like 4 or 5 days after the embassy receives packet 3 and the interviews seem to be within a month of that. So you are looking at POE in as little as 6 weeks from the case arriving at the embassy if everything is smooth.

Edited May 29, 2018 by ThomasNC1988

[Loren Y 2,755]

9 minutes ago, ThomasNC1988 said:

Unfortunately I'm waiting on that police clearance but out case just got to the embassy last Monday or Tuesday. The timelines I've seen suggest packet 4 arrives in like 4 or 5 days after the embassy receives packet 3 and the interviews seem to be within a month of that. So you are looking at POE in as little as 6 weeks from the case arriving at the embassy if everything is smooth.

Sounds good. That makes me feel a little better that once things get to the embassy stage they will move quickly. I didn't think she needed the police clearance certificate from South Korea because she said she was only there 3 months on a visa. After checking out her passport pages again ( I missed it the first time) She was there and overstayed her visa by almost 2 years. The good thing is she left when they offered the chance to leave voluntarily at your own free will without penalty. She still got a 68-1 stamp in her passport, but with the program they do every few years she didn't get a Ban from South Korea Luckily. Not that she plans to go back anytime soon, but leaving on a 68-1, is better than getting a 48-1 stamp where they deported you because they caught you, that might cause issues.

 

 

68-(1) means “Order of Departure”. This is stamped on the passport of an overstaying foreign passport holder who surrendered to the Immigration Office and volunteered to leave the country. In the Immigration Control Act, Article 68 contains the following:

Article 68 (Departure Order)
(1) The head of office or branch office, or the head of the foreigner internment camp may order any foreigner falling under any of the following subparagraphs to depart from the Republic of Korea: Read the rest here.

On the other hand, 46-(1) means “Order of Deportation”. It is stamped on the passport of an overstaying foreign passport holder who was caught by immigration officials. This carries a ban of a maximum of five years before the individual could come back to Korea. Article 46 of the Immigration Control Law of South Korea contains the following:

Edited May 29, 2018 by Loren Y

[JoelThai 313]

On 5/29/2018 at 7:21 AM, Loren Y said:

I was just there in March of 2018 with my Thai fiancee. We were in no hurry to get the certificate, so we just paid the 100 baht fee, and another 80 baht for postage to have it mailed to her. It arrived in about 5 weeks. We were laughing the whole time as we were " Offered " express processing and have the certificate ready for pickup in only 3 days for 1500 baht. Since we had more than 6 months before we even get the NOA2 we were not interested in wasting the money. 

 

I have read that the Police Certificate is valid for only 90 days.  If that is correct, requesting it 6 months prior to NOA2 would not seem to be the best use of time.   Can you confirm the period of validity of your Thai Police certificate?    Thanks!

 

Link to noted post:

Certificated Valid for 90 Days

Edited May 30, 2018 by JoelThai

[Loren Y 2,755]

From the us embassy website, I've heard minimum of 180 days to 12 months, but this is what I found.

With the exception of the U.K. police certificate which is considered valid for 12 months from the date of issuance, a police certificate is valid indefinitely, provided you do not return to the country and reside for six months or more, if it's your country of birth or current residence. The period is twelve months for any other country. 

 

 

So I would say at the minimum 12 months, but it never expires if you don't return to that country for longer than 6 months after you get the certificate.

Edited May 30, 2018 by Loren Y

[Loren Y 2,755]

Checked the fact section of the Visa page for the us embassy in case it was different for visa issuance. Looks like 12 months no matter what.

 

For your country of residence, a police certificate is considered valid for 12 months from the date of issuance. Police certificates obtained from other countries where you previously resided are valid indefinitely, provided that you do not return to the country and reside for six months or more

 

[Loren Y 2,755]

Checked the fact section of the Visa page for the us embassy in case it was different for visa issuance. Looks like 12 months no matter what.

 

For your country of residence, a police certificate is considered valid for 12 months from the date of issuance. Police certificates obtained from other countries where you previously resided are valid indefinitely, provided that you do not return to the country and reside for six months or more.

 

looking at my certificate, should be good until April 19, 2019

 

[JoelThai 313]

15 hours ago, Loren Y said:

Checked the fact section of the Visa page for the us embassy in case it was different for visa issuance. Looks like 12 months no matter what.

 

Great!   Thank you for providing me with confirmation that 12 months is the correct validity period.  It was also interesting to see the copy of the certificate you received and noted that the Clearance Certificate itself does not have an expiration date on it.   I am currently in Bangkok with my Fianceé, so we will go make our request next week.

 

I see that you and I are both received our NOA1 on 12/28/2017.     I hope both of us will have our NOA2 notices in the next 30 to 60 days.    

 

With the information you posted, I was able to locate a couple of additional US State official pages that also confirm the 12 month period of validity for Visa Applications.   I am posting the following links as they may be helpful to others in the future.

 

1)  https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/Supplemental/RGA%20-%20Riga.pdf

 

Police clearance letters are valid for 12 months from the date of issuance. You are not required to renew a police clearance letter from your previous country of residence if you have not travelled to that country after the date of the issuance of such letter.

 

2) https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/diversity-visa-program-entry/diversity-visa-if-you-are-selected/diversity-visa-prepare-supporting-documents.html

 

Important: Police certificates expire after one year, unless the certificate was issued from your country of previous residence and you have not returned there since the police certificate was issued. If at the time of your interview the following three items are all true, you must bring a new police certificate to your visa interview:

• You are more than 16 years old;
• The police certificate submitted to NVC was obtained more than one year ago; and
• You still live in the country that issued the certificate.

 

 

 

[Loren Y 2,755]

Yes, I had heard diffierent things, never as little as 90 days, but I saw a few 6 month references, but not from very reliable links. I found most of the official links, and embassy pages all said 12 months, so that is what I went with. I also saw lots of people say you couldn't get the certificate without NOA2 letter. I had no issues with my NOA1, they really didn't look that closely at that letter at all. I have ny next trip planned to Thailand in November, and yes I am hoping if things go well and NOA2 shows up in the next month or month in a half that I can fly her back with me. We will see, and good luck to you and me, this is the long part. After NOA2 things will be moving along. The only thing that is driving me crazy is the NOA2 estimate date was moved back into June, now it is sliding forward into July based on Visa Journey data. Hopefully the end of July is my thought.

Edited May 31, 2018 by Loren Y