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What are my options if I encounter difficulties with my Thai bank account upon returning to Thailand on a visa-exempt basis?
Visa ExemptionNon-O VisaMarriage VisaThai Bank Account IssuesVisa Application ProcessTravel to ThailandExpats in Thailand
Jul 5, 2025
10 months ago
Martin **********
ORIGINAL POSTERHi. I'm currently in the UK but I have a Thai bank account which I opened on a previous trip. Hopefully within the next 6 months I'm looking to return to Thailand on visa exempt basis, do all the necessary paperwork to get married and then apply for a marriage visa in Thailand. What I'm trying to figure out is a back up plan if I run into any difficulties with the bank account. Mainly because I'm conscious that this time I would only have the visa exempt stamp in my passport. If the account is open and active (which I believe it is) then there shouldn't be a problem, I guess. But if there was, what are my options as I would not have an address to return to the UK at that point. Is it possible to travel to say Laos or Vietnam and obtain a non O visa to re-enter Thailand from there, and then use that non O to open a new bank account in Thailand? If this is an option, then what bank evidence could I use in Laos/Vietnam - as I guess I would only have my UK bank account. Would this work? Probably overthinking all of this but I have learnt in Thailand to always look at the 'what ifs'. Many thanks
TLDR : Answer Summary
The user is planning to return to Thailand on a visa-exempt basis to get married and apply for a marriage visa. They are concerned about potential issues with their existing Thai bank account, as they will only have a visa-exempt stamp in their passport. They seek advice on alternative plans, such as traveling to Laos or Vietnam to obtain a Non-O visa for re-entry into Thailand and subsequent bank account opening. Several community members suggest various approaches: applying for a Non-O visa in advance, considering a 60-day multi-entry tourist visa, and ensuring necessary documentation and funds are prepared for the marriage and visa application. Additionally, concerns about the validity of the bank account and potential closures due to long absence are discussed.
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Jon ******
Your issue may be with the bank account. How long ago did you open your Thai bank account? What visa (if any) were you on when you opened the account? How long have you been away from Thailand? Word is some banks have been closing accounts that had been opened with tourist visas (or visa exemptions) I believe some banks have been contacting customers asking them to come in to verify they have a long term visa (not tourist visa). So, have you been able to check your account on the bank app or bank website? If they've closed or frozen your account, you may not be able to re-open it when you come back, unless you have a long term visa (not tourist visa, not visa exempt).
Russell ********
Conduct some minor transactions to provide traffic and verify its open
Ally ************
Why not apply for a non-o visa while you are still in the Uk.. and enter Thailand using that.. which gives you 90-days to get your ducks in a row so to speak.
Graham ******
@Ally ***********
because he is not yet married ;)Martin **********
ORIGINAL POSTER@Ally ***********
I think because the only non O I can apply for here in UK would be for retirement, and I can't then change this to marriage until the second extension. In the UK they state the reason for the non O as being retirement on the visa itself so the first extension has to be on that basis. That is my understanding based upon the helpful comments received here and other informationAlly ************
@Martin *********
Okay.. so how about applying for a 60-day multiple entry tourist visa instead.. which you can extend by 30-days in country to give you an initial 90-days.. which you can use again to re-enter if you need to bounce out and back in again during the 6-month validity period.. though you should be able to knock things into shape within the first 90-days this gives you a back up plan.. because you can't be denied entry upon your return from a neighbouring country.. like some folk doing 'border runs' are now finding.. just a thought for consideration 👍Martin **********
ORIGINAL POSTER@Ally ***********
Many thanks for that. So is that an advantage over the 60 day visa exemption approach? - namely the ability to re-enter without a problemAlly ************
@Martin *********
If you check it out.. you'll see it's a 6-month visa with a maximum stay of 60-days on each entry.. so if you exit Thailand after the first 60-days you have the right to re-enter and get another 60-days.. and it doesn't look like it stipulates a minimum period you need to leave between visits.. eg. you don't have to stay out for say 3 or 5 days before coming back in again on that visa.. but please check this out yourself to be sure.. there have been increasing instances of people having a hard time at the border.. when they try to bounce out and back in again once their 60-day visa exempt stamp has expired.. people are being questioned about their intent and being told they won't be allowed back in again without the proper visa.. because immigration can see that in many cases people are trying to live in Thailand without applying for the correct long term visa.. and there's no way of knowing if this policy will get stricter as the months unfold.. but having the multi-entry tourist visa from outset removes this risk for you.. in the event that 60-days plus a 30-day extension is not sufficient time to get your preliminaries sorted for your non-o visa application.. bear in mind if you enter as a tourist with an exempt stamp and then go to a neighbouring country to apply for a preliminary non-o visa.. you will have to spend a period of time in said country to finalise that visa.. with all the added expenses that that trip would entail.. so unless I've overlooked something obvious this appears to be the best solution.. I'd invite others in the community to pick holes in this strategy.. should they think this won't work for some reason.. happy to be corrected if my interpretation is flawed 👍Martin **********
ORIGINAL POSTER@Ally ***********
Thank you. As you say, I can't find a minimum period required for staying out of the country on a 60 day multiple entry tourist visa obtained in the UK so definitely looks a good plan - subject to any other comments. The only niggle I have is that you have to give your flight details when applying for the visa and I think give evidence of this. That might be difficult for me to predict as ideally I would go as soon as my house sells - but here in the uk completing a house sale has become very unpredictable in terms of timeAlly ************
@Martin *********
Okay.. a couple of things to chew over here.. do you have to upload a booking confirmation or just input a flight number.. if the latter you could use an 'intended' flight.. meaning one you haven't booked yet but is highly probable if everything comes together.. if you need a booking slip then there are organisations that specialise in solving your problem.. eg. the likes of on ward travel spring to mind.. but there are others.. another alternative is to buy a ticket with an airline that allows you the flexibility to change your travel date without incurring a huge admin fee or other charges.. as regards dates you need to remember that once you are granted a 60-day multi-entry tourist visa in the Uk.. it must be activated within 3 months of the issue date.. so if you are still in the Uk after 90-days you can't use that visa and would need to re-apply.. so you should only apply for it once you know you will be able to travel within that 90-day window.. bear in mind there will usually be a significant delay from the time you find a committed buyer to the completion date of the transaction.. which will vary depending upon the depth of the chain.. if the chain is 3, 4, or 5 parties deep it could take up to 3 months to finalise.. whereas if you sell to a first time buyer that could be reduced to 5-6 weeks.. and since your visa application could be turned around in a couple of weeks say.. you would be wise to wait until you have a buyer and can evaluate the situation better.. so if leaving the Uk is wholly dependent on your house sale being completed.. there's little point in putting your visa application in to the Thai embassy until you have exchanged contracts on the sale.. just my tuppence worth my friend 😉Martin **********
ORIGINAL POSTER@Ally ***********
Thank you so much for your time. Your thinking is very much aligned with where I am at with this. When I last applied for a visa (non O retirement) the information on the website indicated that flight bookings were required - but in the end it just seemed that they wanted a flight number. Which proved incorrect because I was delayed in Paris and ended up being rerouted on a different flight via Hong Kong. Just difficult to know in advance so I think I will have a play on the website and see how far I can go with an application to see what they actually want. Certainly a flexible flight booking is looking like a sensible callReply to
Martin **********
Reply
Tod *********
You just need to concentrate on getting here
getting the affidavit of freedom to marry from your Brit consulate here in Bangkok,
getting that translated into thai,
getting that certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office as an accurate translation,
THEN
finding an Amphur (city hall) to register your marriage (just as an example in Bangkok alone there are FIFTY Amphurs) and get the marriage registered.
Also work on transferring in the 400K baht required for the Non-O visa and year extension too
Once you're married and you have the funds here, THEN you go to your immigration office and see if you can apply for the Non-O 90 day visa in country or not and what the requirements are.
It's only after you know what's what from your immigration office that you would know if you need to get the Non-O out of the country at a nearby thai consulate
Again, take it a step at a time, don't get ahead of yourself, just work thru the things you need to do one after another
getting the affidavit of freedom to marry from your Brit consulate here in Bangkok,
getting that translated into thai,
getting that certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office as an accurate translation,
THEN
finding an Amphur (city hall) to register your marriage (just as an example in Bangkok alone there are FIFTY Amphurs) and get the marriage registered.
Also work on transferring in the 400K baht required for the Non-O visa and year extension too
Once you're married and you have the funds here, THEN you go to your immigration office and see if you can apply for the Non-O 90 day visa in country or not and what the requirements are.
It's only after you know what's what from your immigration office that you would know if you need to get the Non-O out of the country at a nearby thai consulate
Again, take it a step at a time, don't get ahead of yourself, just work thru the things you need to do one after another
Martin **********
ORIGINAL POSTER@Tod ********
Thank you so much - really appreciate itReply to
Martin **********
Reply
Tod *********
@Martin *********
totally comes down to how fast you can get your act together to get the steps done to get married here. You will need to hit the ground running that's for sure to pull it off Come in 60 day free stamp, take the 30 day extension and IF you have to take the 60 day visit family extension
That should be plenty of time to get married, get the funds in the bank and seasoning for the year extension, AND burning the 2 months you need to be married before you apply for the in country Non-O
No problem getting married then going to Lao or Vietnam for the Non-O 90 day visa as a fall back plan..
One way or another you can pull it off, it comes down to how fast you can get things done once you hit the ground here.
Martin **********
ORIGINAL POSTERPlease can anyone outline what evidence I would need to provide if applying for the non O visa based on marriage from eg Laos/Vietnam? Obviously the marriage certificate, but what proof of address would I provide? Obviously the address on my UK bank account would be different, does that matter?
Tod *********
@Martin *********
***************************
And if you do go to Lao to do the visa go to Vientiane
You want these choices on the eVisa system
Martin **********
ORIGINAL POSTER@Tod ********
Thank you again - really helpfulReply to
Martin **********
Reply
Tod *********
@Martin *********
It works like this You would go to Lao, log in to the online eVisa system, fill out the application, upload the proof of funds (your bank in the UK balance would work for this) upload proof you're in Lao (visa/entry stamp) upload the required documents (marriage certificate, wife thai i/d, wife house book listing) you would use the hotel address in Lao as the current address, you would use your thai address as your "permanent address", then apply, get the confirmation of having applied, GO to the consulate in person and pay for the visa (2000baht) then wait in Lao until it's approved or rejected.
For regular visas (Non-O, Non-B, Non-ED) they are pretty fast, (just a couple days really) for the processing time. Then you'd print out the eVisa they send you by email and show that with your passport when you enter thailand.
That'd get you stamped in for 90 days
Martin **********
ORIGINAL POSTER@Tod ********
Thank you so much for your time and patience 🙏Reply to
Martin **********
Reply
Tod *********
@Martin *********
you're getting WAY ahead of yourself, and you don't even know IF you have to go outside the country to get a 90 day Non-O based on marriageJust do it a step at a time, don't get yourself tied in knots trying to work out every permutation of what you MIGHT do, or what you have to do 10 steps down the line
Reply to
Tod *********
Reply
Graham ******
Yes your back-up plan would work with UK funds
Lloyd ********
I believe you need to be married for at least 2 months before you can apply for an in country visa.
Martin **********
ORIGINAL POSTER@Lloyd *******
ok thanks - so I would need to factor that in but I guess it's still possibleGraham ******
@Lloyd *******
at some Immigration Offices that is correcrReply to
Graham ******
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