Your Police Clearance Certificate,
made simple
If you're applying for a Thailand DTV, you'll now need a criminal record certificate from home. It sounds daunting. It really isn't โ and this page walks you through the whole thing in plain English.
The short version
If you only read one part of this page, make it this one.
What it is
An official letter from your home country's police or records office confirming what is โ and isn't โ on your record.
When it's needed
For DTV applications submitted from 31 August 2026 onwards, at the local Thai consulates that have adopted the updated checklist.
Start it early
It's usually the slowest document to arrive โ but it's also the easiest one to get moving today.
So what actually is it?
A police clearance certificate is simply an official statement of your criminal record โ or, for most people, an official statement that there's nothing on it. Different countries give it different names, which is where a lot of the confusion comes from.
In the UK it's an ACRO Police Certificate. In the United States it's an FBI Identity History Summary. Australians know it as a National Police Check, Germans as a Fรผhrungszeugnis, the French as a Bulletin nยฐ3. Same idea, different letterhead.
It is not a background investigation, nobody interviews you, and for the overwhelming majority of applicants it's a short form, a fee, and a wait. Most people get back a clean certificate and never think about it again.
What changed on 31 August 2026
Two things were added to the DTV process. It's worth understanding both, because they're connected.
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A criminal record certificate is now on the checklist
DTV applicants are asked to provide a police clearance certificate issued by the relevant authority in their country of nationality or legal residence. The Royal Thai Embassy in London, for example, asks for one issued within six months of the date you submit.
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You apply where you're actually from โ or actually live
Applications now go through the Thai embassy or consulate covering the country where you hold nationality or permanent residence, rather than whichever consulate happens to be convenient. That's why your certificate normally needs to come from that same country.
One important caveatLocal Thai consulates each publish their own checklist, and they don't all word it identically โ the accepted issuing body, how recent the certificate must be, and whether translation or legalisation is needed can differ. Always check the requirements of the local Thai consulate handling your application before you pay for anything. If you're with us, we do that check for you.
Where to get yours
The usual issuing body by country. Timings move around, so treat these as a rough guide and check the current published wait before you plan around it.
| Country | What to ask for | Typical wait |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | ACRO Police Certificate | Around two to four weeks, with a paid fast-track option |
| Ireland | Garda Police Certificate | A few weeks |
| United States | FBI Identity History Summary โ direct, or via an FBI-approved channeler | Direct requests can take months; approved channelers are usually far quicker |
| Canada | RCMP certified criminal record check (fingerprint-based) | Several weeks, longer if prints are mailed |
| Australia | AFP National Police Check | Often days, sometimes a few weeks |
| New Zealand | Ministry of Justice criminal record check | Around three weeks |
| Germany | Fรผhrungszeugnis (Bundesamt fรผr Justiz) | A couple of weeks |
| France | Bulletin nยฐ3 du casier judiciaire | Usually quick, often days |
| Netherlands | VOG (Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag) | Around two to four weeks |
| South Africa | SAPS Police Clearance Certificate | Several weeks or more |
| India | Police Clearance Certificate via the passport authority | Varies widely by state and office |
| Elsewhere | Your national police or justice ministry records office | Ask us โ we'll point you to the right one |
Swipe the table sideways to see all three columns
Getting the timing right
Here's the one genuine trap on this page, and it catches careful people more than careless ones.
Your certificate has to be recent enough when you submit โ six months at the London embassy, and other consulates set their own window. But it also has to actually be in your hands when you submit. So there's a sweet spot: not so early that it's gone stale by the time your paperwork is ready, not so late that you're waiting on the post while your plans sit on hold.
The safe order is: confirm which local Thai consulate is handling your application, confirm what that consulate accepts, then order the certificate, then build the rest of the file around it. Get those the wrong way round and you can end up paying twice.
If you've already got oneBrilliant โ just check the issue date. If it's more than a few months old, tell us before you submit and we'll confirm whether it still falls inside your local Thai consulate's window.
Translation and legalisation
If your certificate is in a language other than English or Thai, expect to need a certified English translation alongside the original. Some consulates go further and want the document legalised or apostilled โ that's an extra stamp confirming the paperwork is genuine, and it's an extra wait, so it's worth knowing early rather than late.
Migrify handles document translation in-house, so if yours comes back in Russian, German, French or anything else, that side is already covered.
Five easy mistakes to avoid
- Ordering the certificate before confirming which embassy or consulate is handling your application
- Getting it far too early, so it ages past the accepted window while the rest of the file comes together
- Requesting a basic employment-style check when the consulate wants the full certificate intended for visa and immigration use
- Submitting a name that doesn't match your passport exactly โ married names and middle names are the usual culprits
- Forgetting the certified translation when the certificate isn't issued in English
How Migrify helps
You're welcome to do all of this yourself โ plenty of people do, and we'll happily point you in the right direction either way. If you'd rather not, here's what we take off your plate.
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We confirm the right consulate first
Before anything is ordered, we work out which local Thai consulate covers you and pull their current published checklist, so you're buying the right document once.
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We tell you exactly what to request
The right certificate type, the right issuing body, the right delivery option โ with the form filled the way your local Thai consulate expects to see it.
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We handle translation if it's needed
Certified English translation in-house, so a non-English certificate doesn't hold your application up.
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We time it to the rest of your file
Your certificate, financials, photos and supporting documents are sequenced so nothing expires while something else is still being prepared.
Police clearance assistance is included as part of our managed DTV service. Ask us for current pricing on standalone help.
Questions people actually ask
I've got a speeding ticket / an old caution. Am I finished?
Almost certainly not. A certificate isn't pass-or-fail, and minor motoring matters are not what this requirement is aimed at. What matters is being upfront about it early so your application is presented honestly and in the right context. Have a quiet word with us before you submit anything โ that conversation is free and there's no obligation.
I've lived in several countries. Do I need one from each?
Usually the certificate comes from your country of nationality or the country where you legally reside. Some consulates may ask about time spent elsewhere. Tell us your history and we'll confirm what your local Thai consulate expects rather than having you order certificates you don't need.
How much does it cost?
That depends entirely on your country โ some issue theirs for a modest administrative fee, others charge more, and fast-track options cost extra. The fee is paid to the issuing authority in your own country, not to us.
Do my spouse and children need their own?
Dependants are treated slightly differently depending on the consulate. The Royal Thai Embassy in London, for instance, has indicated that dependants under 16 may use the main applicant's certificate rather than their own. Because this varies, it's one to confirm against your local Thai consulate's checklist before anyone applies.
Does a clean certificate mean my DTV is approved?
No โ it's one document among several, and the decision always rests with the Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate. What a clean, correctly issued certificate does is remove one very common reason for delay.
Can I start my DTV application before the certificate arrives?
Yes, and we'd encourage it. Everything else โ financial evidence, employment or course documents, photographs, forms โ can be prepared while you wait, so the certificate arrives into a file that's otherwise finished.
Not sure where you stand?
Tell us your nationality and where you're living now, and we'll tell you which certificate you need and which local Thai consulate will be handling your application. No charge, no pressure.
This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Thai embassies and consulates each publish their own DTV checklist and may change requirements at any time โ always confirm the current requirements of the local Thai consulate handling your application before ordering documents or submitting. Migrify is an independent visa consultancy and is not a government body.
Last reviewed: September 2026.