@David *******

Good to have up to date and specific information. What happened even a few years back can be of no relevance. I have certainly never paid to open an account, but most of my accounts were set up years back. That said one was set up in 2022 and no issues. But on all occasions all my ducks were in a row and no stupidities like tourist visas, etc. Something was interesting about 2022, simply that the bank was a very unusual choice. Why do people keep going to banks that we have heard of over and over again refusing? Yes, different officers, different days is an argument, just as with Immigration, but constant rejection is a fair indication so why try bank X?

@Jason ******

How long ago? Things have changed very rapidly of late, including some new banking rules coming into play. Agents are the way now, no matter how much shoe leather you are willing to put into saving say 3,500 -5,000. Maybe 8-10K in Bangkok.

@Stuart **********

There are others. Off the top of my head First Direct and Santander.

On the address. Agents have relationships where they have relationships. You change the address subsequently in TM30 registration, then follow that through on your TM47s (90-Day Reporting). Finding an agent to get a bank account for you locally may be more difficult but important as you don't want to find yourself paying out province bank charges often and change of account province isn't regularised in the way the Immigration procedures just described are.

A very weird post in many ways. The reasons for Thailand being difficult are system fragmentation, that different immigration offices act differently. Simple. Though not business friendly is legislatively ingrained. So why come here? Quite why other countries in the region are generally easier is open to question, but if you want business friendly then it isn't just a case of Malaysia, but Cambodia and Vietnam too, especially Cambodia.

There is no universal answer. It depends on which UK bank. You won't successfully generalise. Beyond which bank it depends whether you keep a UK address or try to operate from the overseas one. Finally there is a question of whether the account is actually being operated or is a sum of money left there to keep the account open - an active account actually matters. Activiy is simply shown by number of movements into and out of the account, but it is said that a large account balance helps too.

Note that the Thai Education visa disallows working. Generally note how simplfied the Malaysian visa system is around study, working, allowable business without a specifically business visa, etc, etc, etc. Bottom line is that the Malaysian system roughly fits with others in the region - eg Cambodia and Vietnam - whereas Thailand goes its own sweet way. Even volunteering is a no in Thailand, without a special volunteer visa, which don't seem to be much issued currently.

@Josh ***

You now have to pay - but it's just a few baht.

I think everyone here is forgetting back obligation from parents to daughters, not in terms of what they spent bringing the daughter up, which is regularly talked of, but in terms of look at the high number of children brought up by grandparents. Additionally to supporting parents women pay to granparents the costs related to the child/children - food and clothing, but often the big one is school fees. All told women often remit a very high percentage of their income back to parents. Generally men do not pay to support their parents. Equally, the fathers of those children long-since hit the middle distance, pay nothing toward the child/children's upkeep. And finally remember that even the most rudimentary birth control is often a "No".

Moving would be a pain in the butt, but I have no particular attachment to Thailand. My Plan A is Cambodia. My Plan B is Vietnam. The only real problem I see with either (and others) is medical facilities as against Thailand.