Answereda year ago
How can I unfreeze my bank account in Thailand without a formal lease or condo ownership?
Anyone have the same bank issue as me?
I had my bank account frozen on August 19th went in on the 20th after driving 600km and gave them all the info they asked for. I gave them my non o retirement visa, my two thai drivers licenses my tm30 with my gfs home address and her house book and Id (she was with me) since I live with her. I asked if they needed a lease or anything since I don't pay rent I built the home. They said no I had just renewed my visa 5 days earlier and that's good enough. I went the next friday and the friday after that looking for updates. I gave them an immigration residency certificate on the 5th of September just in case. I called again few days ago and now they want a lease. I explained I built the home im in and don't pay rent. They said they knew just make up a lease for the place you are at now. Im sure I must have misunderstood. Has anyone gotten themselves unfrozen without owning a condo or having a lease? Name of bank left out and of course this is all hypothetical.
I had my bank account frozen on August 19th went in on the 20th after driving 600km and gave them all the info they asked for. I gave them my non o retirement visa, my two thai drivers licenses my tm30 with my gfs home address and her house book and Id (she was with me) since I live with her. I asked if they needed a lease or anything since I don't pay rent I built the home. They said no I had just renewed my visa 5 days earlier and that's good enough. I went the next friday and the friday after that looking for updates. I gave them an immigration residency certificate on the 5th of September just in case. I called again few days ago and now they want a lease. I explained I built the home im in and don't pay rent. They said they knew just make up a lease for the place you are at now. Im sure I must have misunderstood. Has anyone gotten themselves unfrozen without owning a condo or having a lease? Name of bank left out and of course this is all hypothetical.
Answer summary
A user discusses their bank account being frozen due to lacking a formal lease despite providing various documentation, including a retirement visa and proof of residence with their Thai partner. They seek insight into whether others have successfully unfreezed accounts without owning property or having a lease, leading to various responses about similar experiences and suggestions for workaround solutions.
33 repliesnewest first
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Dexx *****
OPI hope so too thanks
Stuart ***********
Not had this problem with the bank (yet) but had a nightmare getting the yellow book at the amphur, so I feel your pain (some people seem to wander in with a couple of old photocopies and walk out in 10 minutes with it, but TiT!).
If you are not married, and the property is in your girlfriend's name, can't you draw up a simple lease contract for her house, pay her a nominal monthly fee and use that? You will need to include her house book and Thai id card in the lease contract.
If you are not married, and the property is in your girlfriend's name, can't you draw up a simple lease contract for her house, pay her a nominal monthly fee and use that? You will need to include her house book and Thai id card in the lease contract.
Dexx *****
OP@Stuart **********
I consulted with two lawyers on this and one has come up with a novel solution to the issue. I did everything that needed to be done and sent off the documents to the bank only moments ago. It's along the lines of your suggestion yes but with a sort of legal twist that should have them accept the document and not cause any downstream affects because there is nothing false in the document. Thanks for the suggestion. As an aside I asked them the same thing they said don't do a one baht a month lease or anything like that as it will raise a red flag. I did include the house book and Id for the banks copy If anything comes of it I'll update the group crossing fingers.Stuart ***********
@Dexx ****
that's good as long as you've got a way forward. I wasn't thinking 1 baht, more like 2,000 baht. I hope you get it sorted soon as it's a horrible situation.
Patrick **********
im sure this all have to do with crackdown on foreigners not have the proper visa or overstay also
not only because money laundering and scams etc
not only because money laundering and scams etc
Nick ************
@Patrick *********
so why does it affect people with the proper visa and are not and never have been on overstay?
Yo***
A situation like this is what I most worry about, when I encounter Thai officers or bankers. I also had similar situations like this before in other country. Maybe they can ask for the death certificate to unfreeze the account.
Sasha ***********
🤣. And people on here debated with me that everything is always straight forward and easy for (quote) “everyone” if you have the correct documentation…. And if you are stuffed around, it is because you are an undesirable person. To those who debated, this is another example from hundreds where it is not always straight forward and easy when it comes to banking, visas etc… yer gronks!
Nick ************
@Sasha **********
I have had someone insist that I must have been involved in criminal activity to have had my account suspended!!Dexx *****
OP@Sasha **********
It's worth noting im getting the same treatment from other banks out here. Aside from one sucess with a severely limited account that has transfer limits so small its pretty much unusable which i suspect will not stay open given the amount of trouble it was to open taking 4 days and three visits to actually open with much tooing and frooing with their headquarters (and i asked can i make it more they said no) So far I've gotten no account unless you are married or we need a lease or we need a yellow book. They look at the residency certificate from immigration like they have never seen it before. None of these are actual requirements for an account it's just their rules as of the moment I asked. Im sure an agent could do it but im not really inclined to use an agent and circumvent the rules as it's a lie.Dexx *****
OPThe crux of the question is the hypothetical legality of a false lease as it's a home i built and hypothetically lying to the bank as they hypothetically asked me to do which dovetails to has anyone gotten their bank account unfrozen without a lease or owning a condo?
Chris *******
@Dexx ****
it's not lying, you don't own it, someone owns the land and that's who the lease comes from, it doesn't matter who built it.Dexx *****
OP@Chris ******
it may be more nuanced than this. Say hypothetically we do a lease for 5000 a month. To make this not lying ie not fraud I would have to pay 5000 a month to her and get a receipt or more likely transfer it to her. She would have to register the home as a rental (or a portion of the home) register for taxes report the 5000 a month as rental income etc. To make what is on the lease true and make is so if it were investigated it could be verified. Luckily a lawyer i consulted did have a possible solution to the issue which I have now tried. Hopefully it will be an acceptable document for them and all will be well fingers crossed. My ultimate goal here is to always do things above board and correctly no short cuts or hey it's thailand just do x ways of doing things. If I were asked or investigated in the future I want to know everything was truthful verifiable and doesn't jeopardize my status here. After all I have no idea what rules will be changed to or invented in the future. Not trying to lecture just letting you know how I plan to behave towards problems like this.Chizel *******
@Dexx ****
Maybe worth checking at SCB. I was able to open an account with them last week with no issues. No residency certificate or lease required either.Dexx *****
OP@Chizel ******
thanks that may be possible now i have a lease to show the banks they were reticent to give me an account when i tried over the past few weeks for various reason but one did say had to have a lease so possible now. I have to do my 90 day soon and I have to show my balance has been over 800k in the account since I renewed. Once I do so ill have a backup and a plan. For now it's too close to muck with the account balance and cause other immigration issues. But soon I hope I'll be able to act.Chizel *******
@Dexx ****
If I was you I'd be taking my money out and changing banks now after the way you've been treatedDexx *****
OP@Chizel ******
banks seems to be dictating quite a bit these days however in talking with the lawyer and sending a rent free lease to the bank it did appear acceptable. They unlocked my account after 28 days if I counted correctly. So all seems well. A but silly this had to be done but whatever it's unlocked and no downstream affects i think. Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Essentially it's a lease with no rent no security deposit no payment terms and penalty for late payments etc no financial component.Chizel *******
@Dexx ****
if they want a lease then they'll accept whatever lease agreement you provide them. The bank doesn't set your lease agreement terms for where you live mate. Goodluck with your solution, hopefully it works. Maybe you want to share what you are trying so others in a similar predicament can also give it a go.Dexx *****
OP@Chizel ******
sure we can put anything but they have to accept it. Im trying something like what you suggest after talking with a lawyer. No value and some other bits and bobs to hopefully satisfy the requirement and not have downstream affects. Thanks for the suggestion im crossing my fingers it works.Chizel *******
@Dexx ****
can't your partner (or whoever the land owner is) just write you a lease? Why do you need to put ฿5000 per month, can't you just put no monetary value or ฿100 a year etc?
Max **********
Get a 3 year lease does not have to be registered go to district to apply for yellow book then pink ID. The more you have for long term resident the easier life can become for you.
Dexx *****
OP@Max *********
oh yes being married isn't a requirement except here it seems the whole your local office has it's own rules thing. We went to get one and instead got a lecture about not being married was bad etc and get married and you can have one. I have read others with the 30 year lease were fine too. I suppose that counts as a lease for their purposes which makes sense ok thank you.Dexx *****
OPDistrict here says I have to he married for a yellow book no exceptions. But are you saying somehow hypothetically just make up a three year lease for somewhere and go to another district until I get a yellow book? If so wouldn't that all be a lie just to get my account back and the other perks of yellow/pink such as they are or am I misunderstanding you?
Max **********
@Dexx ****
I am in Sattahip no problems. Maybe because I have 30 year house lease. I have friends in other districts all have yellow book and not married.Dexx *****
OPI suppose I could just get a place i won't live at for 6k a month or something and get a lease. But then what about the tm30 and living in two places and what downstream affects will THAT have when the rules change etc.
John *********
It’s all hypothetical? So, what is your point? Just a made-up story to amuse yourself?
Brian *****
@John ********
we all knew what he meant. Except you it seems. 🙄Dexx *****
OP@John ********
nothing amusing about any of this but I wouldn't want to say something actionable
Dexx *****
OP@Bernd **********
ive seen this but isn't this about the thai accounts frozen because someone with a mule account bought something from say a vendor and scanned to pay not the situation that started a month ago with a bank and foreigners mostly? Eventually I may have to complain to someone I suppose if they will listen.
Michael **********
Yes i had my account frozen i had emailed head office about the situation and received a email back stating branch manager can unfreeze yourself account so i rang the manager who is in khon kaen and i am in buriram and argued the fact as to the reply i got back and 10 minutes later my account was opened you need to hassle then in a polite way and kerp at them
Nick ************
@Michael *********
I have made countless calls to Bangkok from the uk but with no success. Still no access.Dexx *****
OP@Michael *********
as far as I know i never got any correspondence aside from what the app told me that day. I'd have liked to get an email with clear instructions. Ive been polite my thai gf has been polite and totally we have tried 8 times 4 a piece over the past almost month to get it unfrozen the first actual answer was just 5 days ago saying give us a lease. Did you show them a lease or condo ownership to be unlocked?Activity
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