I did not know that my account was Frozen as I was receiving the same update every day on my account balance and it was no notation in the account on my application. It was when my normal monthly transfer from overseas of 65,000 Baht was rejected by Bangkok Bank and multiple phone calls were made with Bangkok Bank asking me to talk to wise to find out what they were told as to why Bangkok Bank rejected my transfer. Once I had the rejection code and gave it to the telephone clerks of Bangkok Bank was I informed my account had been closed. I went to the bank spent 30 minutes which seems to be the average for English speaker with one teller available and what's happening about 3 hours. I was told I would be contacted by the head office which has not yet happened and it appears as though the monthly transfer method for satisfying the financial requirements of long-term Visa of 65,000 baht has become so expensive, using Swift transfer cost me 3% on the USD/Baht conversion, that it's better to keep $800,000 baht in the account that does not earn interest as that money must remain free to be moved as per immigration requirements.

@David ******

I agree. when I registered my phone only my first and last name to put down by the sales clerk my middle name was not. this is definitely one area that I can see why my account was frozen.

@Alex *********

not a problem as we were all newbies at one point here. Unfortunately there has been a shift in Wise transfers process. I experienced it for the first time this month when the normal notation of "transferred from overseas for a long term visa" was eliminated when the money instead of going directly into my Thai bank account accounts from overseas was instead being transferred from a Thailand bank. So the old routing was my US Bank to wise to to my Bangkok bank account with the notation intact that the money came from a foreign account. This would satisfy the requirements of immigration. This month the new routing was from my US account to wise to an account wise has in Thailand to my Thailand bank account. As the final leg of the transfer was from Thailand bank to Thailand bank, the notation of foreign transfer was eliminated.This means that this money does not meet the requirements of immigration. The only avenue I am aware of that allows for a direct transfer from a foreign account to a Bangkok bank account is Swift. The problem with the Swift transfer is that you go from a $16 fee plus a small hit on the US dollar to Thailand Baht conversion with Wise to a no fee transfer through swift. Sounds great doesn't it? Unfortunately, the fee for transfer is hidden in the hit you take on the conversion rate from a foreign currency to the Thai Baht. On the day of my Swift transfer, completed about 2 weeks ago, the official exchange rate of the Thai Baht was 31.74 and my actual experienced exchange rate through the Swift transfer was 30.78. that means that I lost $69 in money value with a swift transfer or about 3%. It is easier to not deal with this monthly transfer stuff by keeping 800,000 baht in a no interest checking account, but of course you lose the opportunity for appreciation in this scenario. By the regulation set forth by immigration, the money has to be free and available at any time so you can't put it in that term deposit. If you are married (to a Thai citizen?)it knocks down the deposit requirement to $400,000 baht. As my tax accountant told me never do something only to save money on taxes!

That's because wise is sending your money to K Bank and then from K bank to your account. So as far as Bangkok bank is concerned, this is not a foreign transfer, but came from another Thailand bank. I already talked to wise and they basically said that's the way it is now. Someone on a post said that you can go to K bank and track that money and get a letter from K bank. In addition to this issue, my account got in that frozen account stuff so I have another account with SCB and I did a swift transfer which cost $55 more than a wise transfer. If you take an account the discounted conversion rate. I lost a full baht in the USD/baht conversion which is 3 to 4%, ouch! Another expert said that he gets his checks transferred through Bangkok bank branch in New York City, if you're an American. Lotta things are hitting all at the same time.

use an agent to streamline the process unless you plan on coming in and out of Thailand for 90 days.

everyone is entitled to their opinion, even you!

you're making yourself a second class citizen. you cannot open the bank account or do other common features that resident Visa AKA retirement Visa will allow. you also have to continually be taking classes. do you want to be spending thousands of dollars a year on cooking classes?

@Bom ********

I have found it very common in Asia that in order to avoid conflict no explanation is given. you want to know why they are re-locking accounts when it is probably out of their hands. they can't blame someone else for making you uncomfortable and they can't tell you directly that someone forced them to do something they didn't want to do so they just say nothing. Giving you an answer you do not want to hear is worse than giving you silence in Asia.

@Stephen ********

that's a good one

@Nongnuch *******

that's a great idea but the fees are so high! this month I've done both a wise transfer and a swift transfer in the Swift transfer cost me over 3%, more than the wise transfer in fees. outside of the joy of enriching Chase Manhattan Bank, there is not a lot of reward to moving to the Swift transfer. if each and every $65,000 baht incurs an additional three to four percent in fees, not to mention the additional work it takes to ensuring a monthly transfer occurs and has the correct notation acceptable to Thai immigration. I think it's better to keep the 800,000 in the Thai bank account than to do the $65,000 monthly transfer!