A very well known Pattaya agent, is saying they cannot open a bank account for someone under the age of 50 years old, I'm assuming they are talking about someone on a short-term visa, but I don't know all the details, this new rule was only introduced two weeks ago.

@Ron ******

this was on a post yesterday

@Brandon *********

just over a year ago, they changed all their rules and regulations, stating only people on long-term visas could open an account, that in itself doesn't make sense, because people that want to apply for a (in the country) non O visa, and do to the 12 month extension of stay based on retirement "for instance" needs to have the money seasoned for two months at "jomtien" immigration, so if they was 49 years old, and wanting to do this, now they can't, but agents could always facilitate this, it seems like it's going to be more and more difficult to do things in the country, also depending on which immigration office you choose, I wouldn't be surprised if this has something to do with the new DTV visa, I reckon lots of younger people have been trying to open accounts, because if you spend a lot of time in Thailand, it's much better to have a local bank account, even though the DTV is a 5 year visa, some people are labelling it as a glorified tourist visa.

@Pierre ********

I think it was ฿4000 agent fee, ฿700 payable to the bank for the ATM MasterCard, the agent will accompany you to the bank, you just need to fill out a form, it is recommended you always keep a balance of ฿2000, so your account will never be closed, it's very easy you don't even queue up at the bank.

@Brandon *********

I was replying to a comment that someone stated "it's very easy to open a bank account" it is easy to do it yourself, if you're on a "long-term visa" if someone is on a tourist visa, or they arrived on a "60 day visa exempt stamp" it is very difficult or impossible to do it yourself, that is why now anyone on a free stamp or a short term visa, it is recommended to get a visa agent to assist you, such as one I recommend, just to clear something up, when I suggested some people may not have a visa, I was talking about the "60 day visa exempt stamp" which is a free stamp that 93 countries get when arriving at the border, and it's not a visa at all.

@Arnold *********

it depends what visa you're on, if any 🤷

Mots services Pattaya

Mots visa services Pattaya

@Mar ****

all this chat about "new" tax rules, there is nothing "new" about the requirement to complete and file a tax return after spending more than 180 days in the country, that has always been the case for a long time, if someone doesn't own a business, or they are not doing any kind of work in Thailand, such as retirees, the vast majority of these people have not done anything and will probably continue to do nothing, weather it is enforced in the future will remain to be seen, it could be enforced by maybe making it a visa requirement, or thai banks could request extra documents, to sustain or open an account. All these digital nomads giving all their personal information, regarding earnings and tax status, for all you know all that information, could be evidence gathering, for a future clamp down on people working from within Thailand, and not being registered for paying tax, because in past most digital nomads just hid away in a hotel room somewhere, and did nothing, and will probably continue to do so.

I did a 30 day extension a few months ago, they had me in there for hours and hours, it just seemed they were purposely making it a very difficult and time consuming process, I had all the documents nothing was missing, and they just kept sending me from one desk to another, giving me a little ticket with a number to wait your turn, supposedly checking documents, the place was packed out with people, it was just a very unpleasant experience, after that I just paid an agent, maybe you just dropped on a quiet period, but yes you can see they have recently made improvements, with new improved air conditioned buildings, and there appears to be more staff.