sandyf

Nothing moralistic about it. Only hypocrites want Thailand to conform to international convention, when it suits.

Wrong, it is called KYC.

Indeed. If people do not want to enter the country with an appropriate visa then they must accept the consequences of that decision rather than whinging about it. Isn't it time Thailand started to follow international convention.

My account was opened in the year 2000, visa exempt and with the address Room 235 Apex Hotel. In 2009 I had aquired a second account at the local branch and there was no question over anything when I registered for online banking. In 2014 I received the attached letterwhich was aimed at online banking and I had to travel to Pattaya to amend the account details, they wouldn't do it at the local branch. When I went to Pattaya nobody knew anything about it and I had to wait till the manager was free. The manager spoke very good English and had recently been to a seminar on the revised BOT regulations introduced earlier that year. She provided a bit of background and said it would probably take some years for the changes to be implemented generally, with an upgrade to the system they were implementing the changes immediately for existing online banking customers. At the time I was on ME Non O and that was considered an acceptable visa. Many on this forum dismissed it as banking propaganda but time has proven things are not as easy as they once were.

If you are planning to get a retirement visa it should have been done prior to travelling to Thailand. banks would be more co-operative with the correct type of visa. There is nothing new in the stance banks are taking. I have letter from 2014 that pointed out that a change in BOT regulations required foreigners to have a work permit or long term visa.

Siamburi do the Panda brand, a similar product from Egypt. Not quite as good as Laughing Cow but significantly cheaper at about 85 baht.

That is a misleading comment. Bank statements and a Balance Confirmation letter are two separate documents. At my bank the former can be obtained over the counter but the latter must be ordered and signed by a manager. Immigration will often require both.

Unless I am mistaken the thread is about a foreign national entering the UK so how can an anti foreigner culture be irrelevant? It was always difficult for foreign nationals and particularly Thai but became even more so when Theresa May brought in the "hostile environment" and the changes that followed. Brexit merely confirmed that a large percentage of the UK population were in favour of keeping foreigners out.

Obviously constructive coments are not a strong point.

That is the company that I use, and yes you can change your address on an HSBC account without any proof. I had been doing it for about 18 months when the bank somehow detected that the address I had been using from "ukpostbox", their prime street address service, was in fact a PO Box in disguise.

I did say it was discretionary. I am also a customer from the Midland days and it was over 10 years ago they picked up the fact the address I was using was a PO box in disguise. I was allowed to keep the account provided I kept my pensions going into the account and provided contact and bank account details in Thailand. They also allowed me to continue using the PO box address.

Why assume you know other peoples business?

FACTS fly in the face of your post.

There is no Non O sticker.

Non B visa No C8071352 converted to Non O visa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, visa office is on the 4th floor.

You are wrong to use the word "must". I had a prolonged discussion with an HSBC manager on this issue. The situation is that it is not HSBC policy to service accounts for people that are not UK residents but the policy is at the discretion of the manager concerned. It would be very difficult for a non resident to open a new account but existing account holders should be able to negotiate keeping their account.

That is not quite true, very few situations are black or white, grey is more common than most people like to think. Sri Ratch immigration would not do an extension based on marriage for a Non B visa. I had to go to the visa office in the MFA and have the visa changed from type B to type O.

You didn't say who it was from. A few years ago my L & G pension suddenly stopped. I phoned them up and asked why, it was non return of life certificate. I asked if they could send another and they said not necessary, the phone call indicated I had not passed away. Maybe worth a try with a reasonable pension provider.

Bit of a condescending post. We have about a dozen dogs, all have come off the street having suffered from injury and starvation, a balanced diet would hardly be a priority to them. I suspect the 60 odd cats we have from similar circumstances would be of a similar opinion. Rice with fish twice a day has provided most with many more years they continue to eat like it could be the last time.

At the end of the day with airlines it is dependent on the staff. I was refused boarding with 5 months left, I called the manager and asked if there was any way around the problem. She said all she could do was contact Thai immigration who agree to boarding on sight of a return ticket. It is quite possible they would do the same with a re-entry permit. I think there is little dispute that the six month rule does not apply at land borders. It would appear to be an airline issue with variable enforcement.

Only the mentally challenged would think there is "flip flopping" on something that has been on the statute books since 1983. You should be more concerened about what is going on closer to home. I went into Morrisons a couple of days ago and eggs were restricted to one dozen per customer, and you need a second mortgage, if you can get one, to visit the meat counter. Of course you wouldn't be prepared to see the change on EU laws as "flip flopping", only an adjustment in policy, standard rhetoric for the xenophobic.

Get married. You should be more concerned about visa options prior to that actually taking place, may well be longer than you anticipate.

What exactly has changed? Looks like the meeting and discussion will still be held. Only the falangs thought something had been decided and wanted it to be changed.

You would have to show me where I used the word "founded". You are perfectly free to think the current position is not the most relevant. History plays no part in dispute resolution.

That is not strictly true. The Passenger Service Charge charged by most countries, 700 baht for Thailand, is a ring fenced tax to be used on passenger security and facilities at airports. There is a question mark over if it is a change to the PSC or an additional tax. The UK has 2 taxes, PSC and APD(Air Passenger Duty), the APD is an excise duty which is included in general taxation.