FBI Apostille Los Angeles is an educational publication owned and operated by Anshin Mobile Notary & LiveScan. We help applicants understand how a background check for international use fits into the larger document process.
We write from hands-on experience helping Los Angeles applicants obtain state and FBI background checks and prepare them for use overseas.
One question comes up more often than you might expect from people preparing documents for Thailand: Do I need an FBI background check, or will a California background check work?
The honest answer is that either one may be accepted for some Thai applications. For others, the FBI is specifically required. That may sound inconsistent, but it makes more sense once you look at the exact visa category instead of treating “Thailand” as one set of instructions.
Why the Answer Is Not the Same for Every Thailand Application
The Royal Thai Consulate-General in Los Angeles publishes separate checklists for different visa categories. Its O-A long-stay visa instructions allow a criminal record clearance from a state or the FBI. The O-X instructions say essentially the same thing. Those pages also say the record must be recent and must have an authorized signature.
Now compare that with the Consulate’s Non-Immigrant B checklist for teachers. That page asks for an FBI criminal record clearance.
So when someone says, “Thailand told me I can use either one,” that can be correct. It just is not correct for every Thailand application.
This is why I would not start by asking where the person wants to get fingerprinted. I would first ask to see the exact visa category, email, or checklist. A few words on that page can completely change which background check the person should order.
If a California Background Check Is Accepted, Use the Right Form
If the Thai authority truly accepts a state background check, a California applicant should not use the ordinary Record Review form. California DOJ has a separate process for Visa/Immigration background checks.
The correct form is called Request for Live Scan Service (Visa/Immigration), BCIA 8016VISA. It shows:
- ORI: AE709
- Authorized Applicant Type: VISA/IMMIGRATION
- Level of Service: DOJ
It looks similar to other California Live Scan forms, which is exactly why people can end up using the wrong one. But this is not a small paperwork difference. The regular Record Review result is not intended for visa or immigration use. If the wrong form is submitted, the applicant may have to start over and pay for another fingerprint submission.
The Wet Signature Is the Step People Miss
Completing the Live Scan does not automatically produce a California document that is ready for an apostille.
The special DOJ instructions say to email visa-immigration@doj.ca.gov three to five days after the Live Scan and ask for a “wet signature for apostille purposes.” The email should include the applicant’s:
- Full name
- Date of birth
- ATI number from the Live Scan transaction
If that request is not made, DOJ sends the regular printout. The printout may give the applicant the background-check result, but it is not the version the California Secretary of State can apostille. For that, DOJ must provide the proper response with the original signature and state seal.
This is one of those small steps that can hold up the entire process. Someone can use the correct Live Scan form, receive a perfectly valid result, and still discover that the document is not ready for the Secretary of State.
Why the FBI Report Works Differently
The FBI route is federal, so California is not involved. An FBI Identity History Summary goes through the U.S. Department of State when federal authentication is required.
There is also an interesting difference in the signature. California requires the wet-signed DOJ version before the Secretary of State can issue an apostille. The FBI report can be issued electronically with an authorized digital signature, and the U.S. Department of State can authenticate that signature through the federal process. The applicant does not need to ask the FBI for a separate wet-ink letter.
It can feel backwards that the state process insists on wet ink while the federal process accepts a digital signature. But they are two different documents issued by two different agencies. Each authentication office has to work with the signature format used by the agency above it.
Do Not Assume the Next Steps Are the Same
People often use “apostille,” “authentication,” and “legalization” to describe the whole process. I understand why. From the applicant’s point of view, it can feel like one long chain of stamps and certificates.
Still, it helps to separate two questions:
- Which background check will the Thai authority accept?
- What must be done to that document after it is issued?
A visa portal may only ask for a signed background check. Another Thai employer or government office may ask for additional authentication or legalization. The fact that a state or FBI record is acceptable does not automatically tell us what has to happen next.
The best question to ask the receiving office is simple: “After I receive the background check, exactly what do you want done to it before I submit it?” If the answer comes by phone, ask whether they can point to a written checklist or confirm it by email.
What I Would Confirm Before Getting Fingerprinted
Before choosing the California or FBI route, I would want to know the exact visa category, who will receive the document, whether the checklist says state, FBI, or either, and whether the finished record needs any additional authentication.
Once those points are clear, the process is much easier to plan:
Correct fingerprint form → Correct background check → Correct signature format → Authentication or legalization, if required → Submission to Thailand
We regularly help applicants sort through these instructions before they commit to one route. Coordinating the background check and the document authentication from the beginning can prevent a second fingerprint appointment or a last-minute wet-signature request.
The main takeaway is not that the FBI is always better or that the California option is always easier. It is that the correct answer comes from the applicant’s specific Thailand checklist. Read that first. Then choose the background check and build the rest of the process around it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Thailand always accept either a state or FBI background check?
No. Some published Thai visa instructions allow either one, while others specifically ask for the FBI. The exact visa or receiving authority controls.
Which California Live Scan form is used for visa or immigration purposes?
Use California DOJ form BCIA 8016VISA. It lists AE709 as the ORI and VISA/IMMIGRATION as the authorized applicant type. Do not substitute the ordinary Record Review form.
When should I request the wet-signed California DOJ result?
The DOJ instructions say to email the Visa/Immigration Unit three to five days after completing Live Scan. Include your full name, date of birth, and ATI number, and say that you are requesting a wet signature for apostille purposes.
Why does the California result need a wet signature but the FBI report does not?
They follow different authentication systems. The California Secretary of State needs the properly signed and sealed DOJ response. The U.S. Department of State can authenticate the authorized digital signature on the electronic FBI report.
If both are accepted, which background check should I choose?
Compare the wording of the Thai checklist, the scope of the search, the document’s validity period, and the steps required after the result is issued. If the instructions are still unclear, get written confirmation from the receiving office before being fingerprinted.
This article is part of Moving Abroad: Where to Start, where we start from the destination and the requesting authority rather than from the apostille.
Also in this section: FBI Fingerprinting for Immigration and Travel, They Told Me I Need an FBI Background Check. What Happens Next? and My Checklist Says “Police Clearance.” Does That Mean an FBI Check?.