Can I travel to Thailand multiple times on a 60-day visa exemption after obtaining a 3-month retirement visa in the UK without extending it?

@Andy *********

this is complete nonsense you are making up. Yes, accounts that had been opened on tourists visa are being closed. But if he opens a new account on a Non-Imm-O visa, the account won't get frozen. It will actually be correctly activated and set up legally. The banks do not check his visa status afterwards. He could be on a visa-exempt entry and still use his Thai bank account

@Nongnuch *******

it's not nonsense at all, the scenario i described, is what this person who posted intends to do, accounts that have been opened on tourist visas, or visa exempts, or even opened by agents, are not being closed, they are being frozen, until the person can verify details (if they can) as in having a long-term "current" visa, and other details such as verified phone number etc, accounts are being closed if the said person, is still on a short-term visa, they are checking visa status, I've just been reading a post from a DTV visa holder, and his account has been closed, he received one of the many thousand notifications, to visit the bank where the account was opened, to verify "all" account details, including "current" visa status, the result was account closed, due to incorrect visa status, as you know this might not be the case in all the banks, some are saying it's okay for DTV, if your account is being used properly, and doesn't involve suspicious activity.

@Andy *********

the OP will open the account on a Non-Imm-O visa, so everything is legal and good. Which visa status he will be in the future, will not affect his bank account, unless (which is highly speculative from you!) the bank asks him back for a second verification process. Since he opens the account o a Non-Imm-O Visa, the bank has absolutely zero reason to ask him for another visit. How will the bank know what his future visa status is after he has opened the account fully legally based on having a Non-Imm-O visa? The accounts being closed or frozen, were those that had been previously opened on a tourist entry stamp, and this includes many DTV in some cases

@Nongnuch *******

have you not seen everything that is going on at the moment, with accounts being frozen, and banks requesting customers to visit the bank where the account was opened to verify all the details??

@Andy *********

I am fully aware of what is going on, I am reading in two dozen groups, and I got my own visa advice group. I don't see any problem for the OP. He is basically following a legal path. Even the top-advisor of this group - Graham Seal - says the same. YOU are making things up where there are none. You are speculating - which is something I, as a visa advisor, always avoid !

@Andy *********

No, only long term visa holders can open a bank account, what happens once it is opened doesn't matter, it was opened correctly under the current guidelines

@Graham *****

So you haven’t read all the posts of ppl whose accounts have been locked and they have been asked to come to the branch to unlock it?

@Robert *******

Have you read the last sentence of my post? To add to that many of the recent "frozen" accounts have been because the name of the account and the name on the Thai sim do not correspond so needed to be verified.

@Graham *****

I have read many and I know personally 5 on retirement extension whose accounts have been locked until they went to the bank and got it unlocked without any extras. Most residents learned about the phone problem long ago. 😉

My guess: too many scammers opening accounts for Indian/Chinese call centers, so they must make sure you are legit.

@Abey ********

why not just use atm?

@Abey ********

I visit Thailand for up to 6 weeks at a time 4 times a year. Ive never had an issue. And don't expect to ever have an issue. Some people I know visit for more. As long as your flying in as a tourist its almost next to zero your going to have a problem. And ive got a thai bank account on a tourist visit.

@Fred ********

you better keep fingers crossed your bank account will not get frozen, as that happened to many people who had their accounts opened in the recent years on tourist visa

@Abey ********

you definitely can use the visa-exemption more often, if you never maximise the visa-exempt stays. But you always should be prepared to get pulled aside and asked. Have the famous three proofs ready to show: accomodation, 20,000 THB equivalent in cash, and onward travel proof

@Abey ********

stay prepared to get asked is what I recommend