Banking's a real mess here right now. It can't/won't be like that forever.

7500฿ will cover a LOT of ATM fees until the situation improves, or you get a long-term visa that allows you to painlessly open an account yourself, for free.

Wait it out.

Edit: Of course, the best move is to visit a branch or two yourself and get it straight from the bank. There are changes every day, so knowing what worked (or didn't) for somebody a month ago may no longer be true.

@Sasi ***********

Funny, many other countries do just fine without requiring foreigners to pay a blackmail fee to obtain a visa.

@Us ****

So back to the OP's actual question, should he expect to be welcomed by Thailand Immigration as he comes here seeking work and employment, or is that in fact a rather difficult path for foreigners from Africa, mostly strongly discouraged by the Thai government?

Have a moment to share your wisdom on the actual subject of this thread?

@Us ****

Ummmmmm, and "Francis from Ghana" meets that criteria exactly how?

Try to stay on topic.

So try paying something. I would use a VPN set for Thailand, go into your Bangkok Bank ap and try topping up your phone or something. See what happens. Maybe?

It's low season. And arrivals are way down. So immigration officials, finding themselves less busy, are looking for ways to justify their existence and paychecks.

If and when high season returns, my guess is that a lot of these heightened scrutiny efforts will be put on hold - at least until the next low season arrives. There is some historical precedent for this pattern.

Well, if this is true, it might create some turbulence in the "chain of custody/tagging" process, but it's good news in the "transfer convenience/competitiveness" department.

Thanks for the info.

Bangkok Bank is definitely going through a rough patch right now.

Their "stolid silence" approach to information sharing creates an impression that they are purposely lacking transparency and candor about their status, communications, and processes.

Given the cultural differences and their large number of western customers, it's not clear to me if this is intentional or just an unfortunate misunderstanding of western expectations of behavior of banks and financial institutions.

They really should consider hiring a western crisis/reputation management firm to help them improve their image and avoid mistakes that unnecessarily cause customer mistrust and triggering.

@Bent ************

Absolutely false at many Kasikorn branches. It took me less than one hour, including waiting in line time at Kasikorn in Central Festival. I was alone.

@Maitin ******

I find the Kasikorn branch in Central Festival to be very helpful and on top of things. I opened an account there a while back and was in and out in well under an hour, including wait time.

Ha ha. Expats who have lived in Thailand a while are like the frog in slowly hotter water. We sometimes don't notice the constant little changes in policy and procedures and just take it all in stride.

Yes, it is a giant PITA. But you can get through it.

There's quite a bit of turbulence in the banking sector here right now, so you may experience some minor difficulties opening your account. But just be patient.

And remember the expat in Thailand motto: "ALWAYS have a plan B."

Cheers!