I am surprised the DC Embassy is taking this long I applied for my latest OA from the Los Angeles Thai consulate on a Saturday and received the E-Visa on Wednesday, I got the Thai pass in 90 minutes. Have you checked on the E-Visa dashboard to confirm the application status. My application was held up for about two days because the Consulate wanted the Foreign Health Insurance Certificate uploaded even though I have a policy with Pacific Cross of Bangkok??? 555 or TIT. I was lucky because Pacific Cross actually completed this form in 24 hours.
sure but it was back in Jan 2021 and the process is now entirely Electronic. I had to actually mail my passport to the consulate (LA) with a SASE only through US Post in order to get the visa affixed to the passport(it was a pain and so was the COE).
Keep in mind if you enter Thailand months after you OA Visa is issued you will be stamped in until the end of Health Insurance Coverage. For example my latest OA was issued on Jan 14 2021. I entered Thailand on Feb 14 2021(This is because the old COE took almost 3 weeks to get issued). My OA Health Insurance expires on Jan 14 2022. I got stamped in util Jan 14 2022.
For the criminal background check that meets the OA Visa requirements I have used a company that is commonly known as an "Channeler". I do not believe I am allowed to mention the company name but use Google to find these companies.. In short you go to a local fingerprint/notary type location and electronically submit digital fingerprints and a criminal background check will be conducted either with the FBI or State Police. Then the background report will be emailed to you. The Los Angeles Thai Consulate has accepted my past criminal background check reports from this company. The days of going to your local police department for a simple name only criminal background check are over.
It looks like a mix of Non O and Non OA requirements. OA allows 1 year of stay. The income requirements are for the OA. Also, OA requires a higher limit for Health Insurance(3 Mil Baht).
The OA Visa is great. I have obtained 3 in the past. But keep in mind the mandatory health insurance requirement(now up to 3 million baht in coverage) might make it a deal breaker for some.
Possibly the Embassy wants to the know the source of your monthly income. I have applied for several OA Visa’s from the Los Angeles Thai Consulate and they require an Income Certificate to prove the 65,000 Baht in monthly income. I have never submitted bank statements for my past OA applications and all have been approve.
Clinics that deal in occupational medicine or clinics that assist international travelers could work. I got my first OA Visa Medical Certificate completed at a clinic that conducted occupational rehab and medical services. The clinic actually conducted the blood tests and even did a Chest X-ray. The cost 5 years ago was about $300. The challenge might be in getting the actual form signed by a doctor because it both English and Thai. At first the Doctor did not want to sign it because he did not what the Thai words said. But in the end he signed it and the Thai Embassy accepted this form.