It's more complicated than getting a non O visa before you come to Thailand, as it's virtually impossible to open a bank account without a long term visa.

@Tom ********

as always Brandon is the 'Oracle' as far as visa advice goes.

Another bonus of doing it in the UK before you come, is that you then do not require an onward flight.

@Sam *****

for the first year you must deposit 800,000.

If you have 12 times 65k monthly deposits the second time you extend, you can show evidence of the 65k per month to extend the second time.

Seems like you know the answer already, but the legal option is obviously the answer.

You could do it legally and transfer 65,000 baht each month in addition, so that the second year you can withdraw your money and put it back into your savings account in the UK.

@Tore ********

okay, I had not heard of that before, but I guess 99% of people will not come to Thailand needing medical treatment.

@Tore ********

do you know anybody that has opened one in the last 6 months?

I opened an account 3 years ago, but the banks are much stricter now.

Do you have a Thai bank account already?

If not, it is virtually impossible to open an account on a tourist visa.

Much easier to get the non O before you come to Thailand.

@Ray *********

you are welcome, it's really stressful, so good luck.

I found Santander to be the worst of my accounts when I came to Thailand, they froze my card very quickly. Luckily I most of my money was in other accounts.

As Lynnette stated (and other people have said it to me previously) Nationwide seem to be the most lenient, so maybe try them.

I have extended my stay 3 times now and on average it has taken me 45 minutes.

You go to immigration and get a list of requirements.

You need to complete a very simple A4 form with questions like; name, passport number, date of arrival in Thailand etc.

You supply the documents on the immigration list and pay 1,900 Baht, wait a few minutes and you are done for another year.

I personally don't think it's worth using an agent for this simple task and immigration are helpful.

As for circumventing the law by using an agent to deposit the funds, this is a mistake IMO as it is illegal and people do get their Visas cancelled for this reason. It's up to the individual what they want to do.