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Why does Bangkok Bank keep freezing my account after I opened it on a tourist visa?

Bangkok Bankaccount freezingDTVtourist visaforeigner banking issuesThailand expataccount managementvisa regulationsfinancial services
Sep 29, 2025
3 days ago
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
My bangkok bank stopped working again for the second time today.

I opened my account 2 years ago on tourist visa and one year ago I received DTV.

3 months ago my bangkok bank app stopped working and I couldn't use scan,atm or pay for anything. After reading throughly I was prepared for them to close my account and when I came to the branch they said they can unfreeze it if I show them my work contract ( I work online) and one year rental contract which I did and they unfroze my account.

Today they froze it again and after calling the main telephone number they refused to give me any info beside telling me to go to my branch.

I have a feeling that this will be permanent and there is no way out of this.

Strange, I transferred alot money and use the account daily , pay bills and rent and all my expenses throughly. Yet they froze my account second time without giving me any pre notice.

The first time they froze it I was about to pay for a taxi ride and thought that the driver had a problem. Luckily I had some cash in my pocket otherwise it would put in a very uncomfortable situation.

The second time I tried to buy something on lazada and received the same error.

I'm tried of this behavior , they clearly treat us as second class citizens yet they complain the quality tourism is in decline.
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The user is experiencing repeated account freezes with Bangkok Bank, stemming from their initial account setup on a tourist visa and their subsequent DTV status. Despite regular transactions and deposits, their account has been frozen multiple times without prior notice, raising concerns about the reliability of banking services for expats. The community comments suggest that banks may be scrutinizing accounts opened under tourist visas and that alternatives like other banks or digital financial services may be necessary for expats in Thailand.
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2 days ago
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Paula ***********
Moreta Pay.

A third party app where you can create a wallet and add money and use to pay with QR system in particular. Works well, but might be tricky if your original bank account is in different currency than USD.

Moreta wants to use USD to then transfer as THB , but if you have let’s say €, they will still make transaction € -> $ -> THB, therefore you will pay exchange rate fees , but if you have USD on your account already, should be less expensive that way.
2 days ago
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Fish **********
I just change to a new iPhone and I am unable to authenticate my Bangkok bank app on my new iPhone. Previously I am able to migrate myself to a new iPhone with a simple sms OTP to the new iPhone but now it says my details are not updated. I am still able to access my account from website browser though. I am worried if I go to the bank itself it will be close permanently. I got my account before 2023 on a tourist visa. In a dilemma now if I just use browser or I go to bank to try.
2 days ago
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Shaughn ***********
Purges seem to be of accounts opened 2023 and later by tourists especially if they know DTV holders. Haven’t heard of earlier accounts having issues other than the phone number id matching
3 days ago
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Andrew *********
@Shaughn **********
 Reports now of people being told they going back to 6 years now and will be further back after they've done them.
2 days ago
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Anonymous ******************
@Shaughn **********
 That is correct, I have quite a few accounts opened on a working visa many years ago as many of my friends do, no issues whatsoever, I've been recently invited over a few times by the banks to confirm my phone number/do face ID, another time for tax ID from my home country for some reason, and once for the debit card re-issuance as well, absolutely nobody cares about what visa you are on apart from BB unless you are hurling millions of baht which will get you flagged in any country. from what I gathered, it only matters what kind of visa you had at the moment of opening your account previously and unless you opened via an agent recently and/or it's Bangkok bank, it's all good
3 days ago
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Anonymous ******************
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Chang *****
You have to go to theire office and update your Bank-app my Child !
3 days ago
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John *********
You transferred a lot of money and use the account daily, depends what you mean by a lot, are the inward funds coming from your own account abroad?
3 days ago
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Peter *******
With Revolut you can set up a Thai baht account, and you get a digital card you can use for contactless payment on uour phone, and physical card for drawing from ATM, tap n pay etc.
3 days ago
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Nick ***********
Id suggests finding alternative means of a bank account its not going to get better any time soon or find yourself a nice trustworthy girlfriend thats what i do i just send money through wise to her account and then go to the atm nice and simple and the exchange has been better then the local exchanges funnily enough even with their tiny fee
3 days ago
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Delfina *********
As a tourist on a tourist visa , you are not eligible for a bank-account
3 days ago
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Anonymous ******************
It's been said many times that Bkk bank is currently unreliable when it comes to foreign bank accounts. After the ripple effect from the initial purge subsides you could open Kasikorn, Krungthai or Krungsri as they don't care about your visa status
3 days ago
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Greg ********
Anonymous participant 379 Two Krungsri branches I know will not open on DTV - I have asked directly. Must be visa issued by "Immigration" was the response.
2 days ago
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Mark ********
Anonymous participant 379 You think so?
2 days ago
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Anonymous ******************
@Mark *******
 can you read English? Let's wait until the witch hunt comes to an end. Evidently, Bangkok bank has lost its appeal for good as they are blocking foreigners funds, while others only do this under exceptional circumstances. Besides, those lucky enough to open accounts before the purge report absolutely no problems, it only seems to affect 2023-2025 newbie accounts with no evidence they wanna delve in further. Bangkok on the other hand seems adamant to squash literally every foreigner whose visa is non compliant
2 days ago
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Sean *******
Anonymous participant 379 Don't you just love these clowns on "proper" visas spending all day trolling people on visas they don't like. I hope I'm not this sad when I'm on a "proper" visa 😆
2 days ago
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Mark ********
Anonymous participant 379 I can read English, I'm not sure if you can. If you read these forums you will have discovered that accounts up to ten years old have been frozen. I'm with Bangkok Bank and haven't been blocked! Those who opened on proper visas and remained on proper visas are ok. I know at least a dozen in this situation. I applaud Bangkok Bank for clamping down on non-compliant accounts
2 days ago
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Anonymous ******************
@Mark *******
 what a joke, I can't take your point seriously, online forums.. Give it a rest pal. i personally know lots of people too, none had problems except for Bangkok bank. It will all settle down soon since noone is interested in ploughing through hundreds of thousands of accounts which bring in money for the banks themselves and waste colossal amount of profits while doing so, your hysteria is unfounded and gloat will take you nowhere in life
2 days ago
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Mark ********
Anonymous participant 379 I'm not hysterical nor gloating. I'm simply stating facts. You seem to be getting very worked up about it all. It's obvious Bangkok Bank do not want to deal with agents going forward, which is why they've brought in their own 400k 4-month freeze. These accounts have raised a lot of red flags, and Bangkok Bank does not need customers of this standard
2 days ago
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Mark ********
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Andrew *********
Anonymous participant 379 They do that's why all the people with problems went to Bangkok Bank as they were the only bank to take them.
2 days ago
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Andrew *********
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Anonymous ******************
As I said previously, I have bean a customer with the blue bank for about 22 years now while having different visas.

It's now reach the stage that if i cannot trust a Bank to hold my money and let me gain access to it whenever I want, it's time to close our my accounts.

So far my accounts are ok but it seems they are still having a purge.

First thing I do on arrival back in BKK will be to start closing out my accounts as i have no faith in this bank anymore.

Back to the old days of holding and paying with cash ( sadly ).

THEY keep changing their rules and never are they in the customer favour.

Just a thought, is there any connection between the nationality of the people whose accounts are affected. I remember not so long ago they were refused to open accounts for Americans because of tax issues ?
3 days ago
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Paul *******
Anonymous participant 822 Correct about Americans having trouble opening accounts a few years ago.
3 days ago
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Paul *******
Anonymous participant 822 using cash is always best. Always have multiple bank accounts back home or in different countries, never rely solely on Thai bank accounts.
3 days ago
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Paul *******
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Tim ***********
Do you only transfer money from your own home bank account to the Bangkok bank account so that both bank accounts have the same name (the sender and recipient bank accounts), or do you receive money from different customers with different names transferred to your Bangkok bank account?
3 days ago
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Sefton ********
Its happened 4 or 5 times to a friend on a long term non imm O and work permit.. So dont assume because it has happened its the end, the whole system is a mess.
3 days ago
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Marko ******
@Sefton *******
 I bet its because Bangkok Bank made most of the shady accounts in the past and now they don't have a clue which accounts are legit and which ain't. I used Kasikor for 9 years, no problems and 1 year ago I open KrungThai and no issues. I have wp and non b
2 days ago
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Anonymous ******************
@Marko *****
 except opening bangkok bank with tourist visa never any other banks let open bank account in Thailand.Very very difficult.I didnt see any example someone opened bank account with a tourist visa in any bank except bangkok bank in Thailand
2 days ago
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Kai ******************
@Marko *****
 they made a lot of money with the useless insurances you had to buy to get a Bangkok Bank account opened. 😀
2 days ago
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Nelson ******
@Marko *****
 you're right they probably don't know which accounts were opened on so-called tourist visas and that's why they insist that you bring your passport to the branch.
2 days ago
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Nelson ******
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Pete *******
Your issue is that you opened an account on a tourist visa. BB is currently closing accounts opened on tourist visas going back the last two years.
3 days ago
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Richard **********
@Pete ******
 not only tourist visas, I opened on a Thai Privilege and have had mine frozen 3 times.
2 days ago
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Pete *******
@Richard *********
 the Thai Privilege visa is classed as a tourist visa.
2 days ago
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Pete *******
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Mark ********
@Pete ******
 Not only Bangkok Bank. The others are desperate to avoid the pitfalls
2 days ago
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Mark ********
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Anonymous ******************
This is a tourist visa

They expect you to use your home country bank account

DTV is not for living in Thailand permanently
3 days ago
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Adrien **********
Anonymous participant 711 A tourist Visa allowing to stay 5 years with 6 months interval. You are not delusional at all nor am I sarcastic, now go pick your Karen coins.
2 days ago
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Anonymous ******************
Anonymous participant 711 The Elite Visa is a tourist visa too and you can have a bank account with that... So that's not a valid arguement
2 days ago
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Andrew *********
Anonymous participant 629 Those in charge arent waiting to scrap the elite visa when they get back in power. They upped the amounts to make it undesirable.
2 days ago
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Andrew *********
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Jonas *************
Anonymous participant 711 still they require people to show rental contracts? Lol
3 days ago
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Malcolm *****
Anonymous participant 711 so why would the bank open this account in the first place?
3 days ago
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Andrew *********
@Malcolm ****
 Staff get promotions on how many accounts they open (and payments). Other banks were rejecting tourists etc. Bangkok bank staff took the opportunity.
2 days ago
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Greg ********
@Andrew ********
 Exactly this - plus commission on insurances sales and direct payments from agents.
2 days ago
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Malcolm *****
@Andrew ********
 they clearly got more than “promotions” 🙄
2 days ago
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Andrew *********
@Malcolm ****
 Whenever there was a promotion up for grabs bank staff would come sniffing around my ex-inlaws to open and put money on new accounts. Apparently in exchange for future 'easy' loan/mortgage approvals etc.
2 days ago
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Andrew *********
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Anonymous ******************
@Malcolm ****
 I agree

Why ever let a tourist open an account
3 days ago
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Anonymous ******************
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Elías ********
Participante anónimo 711 one thing has nothing to do with the other. Yes, it's a tourist visa. But even visaless tourists could always have and use bank accounts in Thailand without restrictions until some 2 years ago. They changed the rules recently and now it isn't possible anymore, but it has nothing to do with it being a tourist visa or not.
3 days ago
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Luit *****************
@Elías *******
 So it means they now have about the same policy as most countries with bank accounts.

This is perfectly understandable because the very easy access to bank accounts makes laundering money quite easy which also effectt the THB exchange rate.
2 days ago
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Andrew *********
@Elías *******
 Only Bangkok Bank was taking them further back than that.
2 days ago
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Anonymous ******************
@Elías *******
 correct, about 4 years ago my friend opened a bank account on a tourist stamp by herself without any agents and being in the country for the very first time by simply walking in a branch, and its still functional to this day! now it sounds like something completely impossible
3 days ago
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Anonymous ******************
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Elías ********
They're not allowing DTV holders to have bank accounts.
3 days ago
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Elías ********
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