Retiring to Chiang Mai with DUI conviction
 

I have recently been looking into the retirement visa option in respect of moving from UK to Chiang Mai. I will be able to fulfil all the necessary criteria except one.
I have only ever been in trouble with the police once (ban ,fine, probation), this was driving over the legal alcohol limit (fool) nearly five years ago. I understand that under UK rehabilitation rules that this will be spent after five years, but would of course still show up on any record given to Thai Immigration. The Thai Embassy site states no criminal record full stop. My question is, would a single spent DUI conviction stop me from pursuing the retirement visa option?
I would really appreciate some input on this.

Re: Retiring to Chiang Mai with DUI conviction
 

Hi Bryan and welcome to the forum :)

I may be slightly out of touch on the subject, so I'll await any input to correct me, but..... I had the retirement visa. Got it in 2007 and gave it up (let it run out) in 2010. At no time did I have to profer any police report. In fact the Thai retirement visa is (was?) a very easy visa to obtain. A bit of faffing around every 90 days at Immigration but, apart from that, very simple.

Wolfie on here lives in Chiang Mai so I imagine he'll have a few things to input...better info than I can give. I'm sure he'll be along soon.

Re: Retiring to Chiang Mai with DUI conviction
 

Driving offences do not count as 'criminal record'

If you get caught over the legal limit in Chang mai then it will cost you between 1,000 and 5,000 baht ;)

TIT (This is Thailand) and you can always buy your O-A visa :thumbup:

Re: Retiring to Chiang Mai with DUI conviction
 

The 'subject access response' from the police will not include DUI unless it caused death

Re: Retiring to Chiang Mai with DUI conviction
 

Thanks to you both for the welcome and the information, it is much appreciated. My driving offence albeit reckless and stupid did not involve anybody else, except the local police of course.
Prior to your comments all the references to Thai visa "criminal record" that I could find have been very vague.

Re: Retiring to Chiang Mai with DUI conviction
 

Do they still do this? The police have a special service for giving out police checks to visa applicants now.

Re: Retiring to Chiang Mai with DUI conviction
 

Hello Alan, yes it appears that they do and it’s all a little bit confusing.
I have just read the Royal Thai Consulate Hull UK site and this says “You must not have a criminal record in your country of nationality or your country of residency or in Thailand. You need to contact your local UK Police Force and request a Subject Access Report”.
So I checked the ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers} Criminal Records Office UK thinking a spent conviction would not appear but no, it says “The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 is not applied to a Subject Access disclosure and therefore all convictions whether spent or unspent under the act will appear on the disclosure”. (Very helpful act then)
So I checked a couple of other sites, the Royal Thai Consulate Los Angeles and Canberra, they both say the qualifications are “Having no criminal record against the security of Thailand and the country of his/her nationality, or the country of his/her residence.”
So there is a disparity between UK Consulate definitions and those of USA and Australia.

Re: Retiring to Chiang Mai with DUI conviction
 

think you'll be okay on that one .

BTW , I got done in Thailand a couple of years back and it didn't cause me any problems . Might have had something to do with the way it was dealt with though.........