Lorry

My latest 2 EMS didn't arrive. One from immigration, one from Europe. Has never happened before. What bothers me is how casual the post office handles this, and that the letter from Europe disappeared at my local post office. Is this the current standard of EMS? Or is it my local post office?

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/03/world/africa/trump-bill-remittance-tax-africa.html Seems to be the reverse of the Thai remittance taxation. Yankees, of course, may have to be taxed twice: once when the money leaves the US, a second time when the money enters Thailand. Never underestimate the creativity of tax authorities!

Aaaaah, that reminds me of the good old times when there were no drunken migrants and economic refugees, high on cannabis, ill-mannered, mostly from English speaking countries, in my neighborhood here in Bangkok...

Krungsri considers itself a bank for the middle class, for people who have a couple of millions. They can be quite nice and helpful. BBL expects more.

After you get your queue number, the first counter is L27 (sometimes L28), it has a sign " document check" and will flash your queue number when it's your turn. The lady there will check whether you have all necessary documents, put them in the correct order, give you back some unnecessary photocopies and add some unnecessary photocopies she deems necessary. She will also give you some (3-5) forms to sign (no real need to fill them out, just sign when you are waiting for the I.O. at L35), like the one where you state that you are a nice person or the one where you sign that overstay carries certain penalties. She gives you back all your documents, you then wait at e.g. counter L35 for your queue number to flash, and there the I.O. stamps the extension stamp into your passport. I don't know if your queue number will ever be called at L35 if you didn't go to L27 first.

2 year visa and a WP meant that Bangkok Bank blocked the account "because the owner of the phone number was not the owner of the account". So my friend fixed that problem. Bangkok Bank then required to wait 3 days (because of the holidays it was a week) and then travel again to the branch that opened the account. So my friend did just that and traveled to the branch today. Today they closed the account for good.

"Why does a tourist need a bank account?" If it's that unnecessary, I wonder why this thread is so busy.

My friend's account has been blocked for a week now. 2 year visa and WP - not enough for Bangkok Bank. So much for the smug people who think they are safe.

Sounds very plausible. Would be interesting to know who filed my TM30, and at which address. It wasn't me, for sure (and certainly not any landlord). Never mind, I am happy, they are happy...

Since Thailand now participates in CRS, this wouldn't work anymore.

Could you please explain to me why a tourist should NOT have a bank account? What's so dangerous about if? (And please don't give me the cr@p abot mules. Mules are Thai. )

For my extension last week, nobody bothered to ask about TM30, even I recently came back from abroad (same address in Bangkok). After all those reports I was a bit worried, but no problem. I have never been asked for it, many years, and often been abroad. Not always the same address in Bangkok. I have always volunteered my yellow book, and this was the first time they took an interest in it (and took a photocopy). Is there any logic behind it?

For the time being and according to Bangkok Bank, as reported in the Bangkok Post, yes. Retirement extensions count as a long time visa. But I have not forgotten how often various Thai bureaucrats have publicly stated that a retirement extension is NOT a long time visa, and retirees are just tourists. After all, the "retirement visa" is called a NON-immigrant visa.

Mule accounts are very popular in Thailand. To open the account, the account holder gets something like 500 or 1000 B. Not many people from rich or middle-income countries would be induced by such a minuscule reward. It may work with Laotians, Cambodians and Burmese. But any scam company looking to launder money in Thailand will want Thai mules.

Exactly my experienc

No, they are going to install guillotines that automatically decapitate foreigners. Thais are too short, so they just slip through under the knives. Seriously, you will need an updated rabbit card, and that's already tied to your Thai ID resp. to your passport.

Currently, Paxlovid is easily available. The usual expensive international hospitals all have it (Bumrungrad 32000, Samitivej Sukhumvit 25000, Sukhumvit Hospital 32000) and even some of the non-profits (St Louis 26000, but Camillian doesn't have it). Because of the high price and limited demand the hospitals keep very low stock (very low as in "our stock is one box"). Always add doctor's fee plus PCR or a similar test, ATK won't be enough, about 5000.

A money laundering prostitute

My last 90 days report is missing (I did it by mail and never got a confirmation). I later went abroad for the smog season. Yesterday, I extended my retirement extension of stay - they didn't ask for TM47. Is it safe to assume that a trip abroad makes all TM47 before that date irrelevant? Or was I just lucky?

One more difference: There are effective medications for Covid19 (Paxlovid, works well) and influenza (Tamiflu, Xofluza - the effects of both are rather limited) that have to be started very early after the onset of the disease.

I deposited a bit into Kbank today, no problem. But I am not surprised. I mean, just think about it, a foreigner, dirty looking, smelly and sweaty, whose name is dayo - he can only be an unscrupulous money launderer abusing poor innocent Thai banks for his nefarious deeds.

Germans' accounts are being blocked, too. But you are probably too hansum, so you're safe

You ignore that most Thai authorities, including banks, usually use the label "tourist" for every foreigner who doesn't have a WP. (Even PR does not exist in the views of some Thai bureaucrats, there are some hilarious posts about this) All those smug posters full of schadenfreude who think they are safe with an retirement visa, they really think in the eyes of Thais they are something better than a tourist? Remember, what the banks really have always wanted was a WP. BTW, even tourists may want a coffee at Starbucks. Starbucks doesn't accept cash. I bought spring rolls yesterday, could only pay by scan (prompt pay).

There are no "rules". A foreign friend of mine has been locked out of her account without notice. She has now been to the branch that opened the account, two times. They refuse to give back her money. They told her to go to immigration first... and come back in 3 days (which is a holiday in Thailand). So I called Bangkok Bank and asked, what the rules are. I was told, there are no official rules. They close or freeze accounts on a case-by-case basis. There are no internal guidelines. I also asked Kbank and was told, "we cannot and do not just close or block an account". Only 2 exceptions: police legal action, or less than the minimum balance of 2000B for a long time. So, whoever still has a Bangkok Bank account should keep the balance low.

In Europe, it is absolutely legal to walk across the border and claim asylum because of persecution. And if you unfortunately lost your passport, they don't know which country to send you back to.