I just got some very interesting news and wanted to share it here.

Recently, I went back to the Bangkok Bank near Bangkok. Originally, my account had been frozen (like it happened to many others) because the SIM card linked to the account wasn’t in my name, but in my girlfriend’s name. I fixed that issue by switching the SIM card to my name, and after that, my account was unfrozen and has been working fine ever since.

Important detail: When they unfroze my account, they clearly emphasized that the only reason they could do this was because my account had been opened before 2023.

At the same time, I asked—several times, with my Thai wife translating to make sure there was no misunderstanding—what would happen if I switch to a DTV visa, since I am planning to apply for one. They told me very clearly that in that case, they would have to close my account. I already shared this here before.

Today, just out of curiosity, I went to a completely different branch in another city to ask again. This time, the staff told my wife something even more shocking: all foreigner accounts will eventually be closed. Right now, they are working on 2024 accounts, next year it will be 2023, then 2022, and so on. They said it doesn’t matter whether it’s an Education visa, DTV, or any other type—all foreigner accounts are affected.

I honestly find this unbelievable, but that’s exactly what they said, very clearly.

I think this is very important information, and I would really appreciate it if others could go to a branch themselves and ask the same questions to confirm this. Please share your experiences here as well.

This is not meant as a rant or rumor, I am simply sharing what I personally experienced and was told directly. She also said this „update“ is new from this month. So the information from the last branch that everything is fine for accounts before 2023 is old information.

Update: The bank has also recommended the following as the safest visa options right now: Retirement Visa, Marriage Visa, or Work Permit. She mentioned that for now, having a DTV would still be fine until they start closing accounts opened before 2023. However, she advised that switching to a Marriage Visa would be the safest option at this point, based on the new information she has.

hi

i got non-o 90 days " marraige visa " can i get multiple re-entry permit or just single re-entry permit ? and will come back before my 90 days finish to extend 1 year. location is at bangkok.

thanks

Hey guys and gals, quick question. I’ve been here several years, I always keep 400k in my bank account for my Non-O marriage to a Thai. My question is if I deposit , say, 45k into my bank every month does it have to be an international transaction, or can it be a transfer

from another Thai bank ?

This is going to start our like I'm just complaining about the banks, but it builds up to an interesting situation and I'm curious to hear some predictions. Also if you are the kind of wag who bitches about long posts- you should stop reading now. This will exceed your attention span.

Marriage visa. Doing the one year renewal- if I mess up the vocabulary forgive me, but hopefully everyone knows what I mean. Not a 90 day check in. Not a new visa. For this year I want to move from the 400k to the 40k a month. I've been wiring cash into Thailand the first week of the month for three years. I popped into immigration a couple months ago with a bank statement because I'd seen people have trouble here where it doesn't show the transfer as coming from overseas.

For those of you in that situation here is (I think) the problem. When you use a service like Wise they keep accounts in various countries and to save themselves money instead of transferring your dollar from Kansas to Bangkok they take your dollar and transfer one of their dollars already in Bangkok to your final destination. I believe the "reason for transfer" informs exactly how they do. I'm using e trade not wise and the closest option they have is something like "expenses for travel". They have one for "compensation" but the transfer from USA to Thailand in my case isn't compensation, I've already been compensated, I'm just moving the money. This is important later in the story.

So I went in and showed the statement and a couple of bored officers went through it with a fine tooth comb. I had theorized that one of the codes indicated the source- this is either not true or they don't know the codes. They explained I needed a report signed by the bank that verified the origin of the transfers. The lady also wrote a note and her number and stapled it in my passport so I could show the bank and they could call if they needed help. I took a trip in August and the officer who stamped me out of Thailand removed it and threw it away. I gotta say they have more than their share of rude staff in bkk.

Okay fast forward to yesterday when I go to the bank and try to explain what I need. The woman gives me a bank form with 4 different reports listed. The third one (I think? Maybe second?) was "internal remittance". I sit and wait and eventually a guy brings me report 1 "average balance" I explain this is not what I want.

Okay and here we have outrage point number one. Stuff like this just kills me and I know I need to develop my meipenrai, but it is hard sometimes. He basically says "I've never done that report and don't know how to do it so I did this one instead.". Whoever started this habit in the culture here should be strung up. Anyway, so I explain again. He then calls the branch I opened my account in and they basically refuse to do it. The claim first that my choosing "travel expenses" is wrong and somehow that means they can't do it. Then they change the story to "this is only for people buying houses" and then to "the farang can go soak his head, we are busy". The fellow helping me says "maybe we just print 12 months of statements and you could try that? Which is basically him trying to get me to do the same dumb thing he did. But my wife just wants to roll over so I compromise. I'll take the wrong report, but you give me your phone number and when it's wrong you talk to immigration and they can repeat what I said and since they are Thai and you sir are racist maybe you will believe them. He reluctantly agrees, off I go.

So the triage nurse at immigration seems to think it is fine and my wife gets smug because I was negative for nothing. I harbor doubts. I am sent to a desk where I signed my name ONE HUNDRED AND SIX TIMES.

PROTIP: use a separate bank account for immigration than you do for your daily transfer with a household of 7 people.

We are almost done and I ask the officer "I was told very clearly by the lady at the next desk that I had to have a report from the bank that said the transfers came from overseas and the one you are holding is the same report as she inspected a couple of months ago" he was slightly startled and confessed they don't actually check that at this stage in the process. It will get kicked back in 2 weeks and I'll need to fix it then. So I basically wasted a solid 8 hours at the bank and signing documents that are wrong.

The good news is I actually got my stamp and that failing the paperwork doesn't mean you don't get the visa it just means you need to redo some stuff.

So, expert assessments? Will the report sneak through? Will I just need a fresh one later? Does choosing "expenses for travel" fail the "this came from abroad" test?

One more note. After the remote branch was invoked I commented that once this was over I wanted to close my account and open a new one where I live now. The banker freaked out and said it is basically impossible to open a new account now. Take that with a grain of salt after the rest of his performance, but it jives with the rumors I've been seeing here.

Hello friends, I prepared everything for my Non-O visa (marriage) based on a handout I received from the ladies who sort the documents at the immigration office in Surathani, Samui. On the day I submitted my application, I spoke to an official who told me that I now have to use the eVisa portal, as the immigration office is no longer responsible... (how visa agents handle that?)

I converted my documents into PDF files and uploaded them to the eVisa portal, made the payment, and waited two weeks. Since my residential address is no longer in Germany but on Koh Samui since a few years already, a current photo and a certificate of residence were requested. A few hours after uploading, I received a rejection notice from the system without further explanation.

Question 1: Is there a contact person who can tell me the reason for the rejection? I selected the embassy in Munich for processing.

Question 2: I found different information on the internet about how long the funds (400k) must remain in my Thai bank account – 2 or 3 months?

Question 3: I will try again next week, but 8 days later I have to extend my current tourist visa by 30 days – is there a minimum validity period for the visa in order to apply? Otherwise, I may have to switch to a visit wife visa here.

Thank you very much for your help! Krap pom

Pii Chris

Can anyone recommend a Visa Agent in Bangkok Ekkamai area? I have to do 90 day reporting would rather pay them.

I have a Non O retirement visa but now married to a Thai lady

Any benefits to switch to the marriage visa or should I leave alone? I have to redo in January

thanking you in advance

Doug and Somying

To get Marriage Visa do i need to be first 90-day Non-Immigrant O Visa or can i be on Tourist Visa?

hi everybody

i got non-o (90days) " marry visa " and i had been quote by a law firm in bangkok it cost 7500 THAI BATH to open a thai bank account.

issit worth it or should i try on my own ?

thanks eveybody

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some advice about switching visas here in Chiang Mai.

* I’m currently on a Non-B visa extension through a tutoring company I work for.

* My extension expires on Jan 5, 2026.

* I’m married to a Thai citizen, and we live together in Chiang Mai.

* I want to leave my job and instead switch over to a Non-O marriage visa.

I understand for the marriage extension I’ll need:

* 400,000 THB in a Thai bank account (seasoned 2 months before applying), OR proof of 40k monthly income.

* Marriage certificate, wife’s ID, lease/landlord documents, and photos together.

My questions:

1. Is it possible in Chiang Mai to switch directly from a Non-B extension to a Non-O (marriage) without leaving the country?

2. If not, would my best option be to do a border run, come back on a Tourist visa, and then convert that to a 90-day Non-O marriage inside Thailand?

3. For proof of residence, my name is on our lease — do I need to update it so both my wife and I are listed, or will landlord’s ID + lease + photos be enough?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has done this recently in Chiang Mai, as I know rules can vary by office.

Thanks in advance 🙏

Hi group! US citizen here, married to a Thai national, applying for Non-Imm O visa. Which Thai embassies in neighboring countries (Laos, Malaysia, Vietnam , etc.) have you used and recommend? Online info is all over the place—personal experiences appreciated to help me choose! Thanks!tna