Finance Foreign Nationals Face Account Bans in Bangkok Bank Crackdown

[Andrew Dwyer]

13 hours ago, rigeback said:

My other accounts had no problem updating the book balances without issuing a fine. 

It could be associated to the fact that the Bangkok back account was opened in Pattaya but I later read that the Bangkok bank is the only bank in Thailand that requires you to update the book every month, how primitive in the day and age of technology, 

It could be associated to the fact that someone saw the opportunity to scam a foreigner out of 9k ??

[sandyf]

On 5/29/2025 at 8:54 AM, bbbb1952 said:

Catch 22 how can you get a long term visa without a bank account and how can you get a bank account without long term visa it's going to drive a lot of people away like the snow birds 

The real problem here is a lack of co-operation between the MFA and BOT,  but then govt depts working hand in hand is as common as a 9 bob note.

When the long term visa scenario first raised it's head in 2014 it wasn't really a problem as those serious about staying in the Kingdom could come on a 12 month ME visa which was quite acceptable to the banks and gave people more than enough time to get sorted.

Unfortunately the MFA saw fit to remove that option from the evisa platform leaving the opening of accounts a  bit up in the air.

Simplest solution would be for the MFA to reinstate the ME option.

[Red Phoenix]

4 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

  13 hours ago, rigeback said:

My other accounts had no problem updating the book balances without issuing a fine. 

It could be associated to the fact that the Bangkok back account was opened in Pattaya but I later read that the Bangkok bank is the only bank in Thailand that requires you to update the book every month, how primitive in the day and age of technology, 

 

When you apply for the 1-year extension of your Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement, and use the 800K 'funds in bank' method to prove that the required amount has never slipped under the 800k and 400K tressholds, at some Imm Offices it is since a couple of years not sufficient anymore to simply show your same-day updated Pass-book.  

The reason being that there was a bank - and looks from rigeback's response that Bangkok Bank was the culprit - that consolidates the transactions you made on your Savings Account when not regularly (monthly) updating the Pass-book in the Bank or at their outside Pass-book entries updating machine.  This in an effort to 'save paper' by not printing every transaction you made in the previous period using your Savings account card, but by consolidating it.  The result being that Immigration could not verify anymore whether during that consolidated period you actually maintained the required balance.  And instead of only requiring Bangkok Bank Savings Account Pass-book holders to provide evidence of their transactions during those consolidated periods, some Immigration offices want you to provide a 12-month Transactions Overview, which for anybody not banking with Bangkok Bank, will be exactly same as the info in the Pass-book. 

So a big thank you NOT to Bangkok Bank for having Immigration add that (in most cases useless) document to the 1-year extension documentation requirements. 

[Andrew Dwyer]

31 minutes ago, Red Phoenix said:

 

When you apply for the 1-year extension of your Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement, and use the 800K 'funds in bank' method to prove that the required amount has never slipped under the 800k and 400K tressholds, at some Imm Offices it is since a couple of years not sufficient anymore to simply show your same-day updated Pass-book.  

The reason being that there was a bank - and looks from rigeback's response that Bangkok Bank was the culprit - that consolidates the transactions you made on your Savings Account when not regularly (monthly) updating the Pass-book in the Bank or at their outside Pass-book entries updating machine.  This in an effort to 'save paper' by not printing every transaction you made in the previous period using your Savings account card, but by consolidating it.  The result being that Immigration could not verify anymore whether during that consolidated period you actually maintained the required balance.  And instead of only requiring Bangkok Bank Savings Account Pass-book holders to provide evidence of their transactions during those consolidated periods, some Immigration offices want you to provide a 12-month Transactions Overview, which for anybody not banking with Bangkok Bank, will be exactly same as the info in the Pass-book. 

So a big thank you NOT to Bangkok Bank for having Immigration add that (in most cases useless) document to the 1-year extension documentation requirements. 

This has to apply to some Immigration  offices but certainly not all.

I never updated my bank book except for my retirement extensions and was always accepted.

Of course they also required a 12 months bank statement which shows all the transactions over the past year.

In fact i always considered the 12 months statement and bank book to be overkill but perhaps as Bangkok Bank usually requires 4 or 5 working days to provide the 12m statement then maybe the updated bank book would be proof of the financial requirement at the exact time of extension , but then there is the bank letter !!

 

I shouldn’t try to understand why immigration do what they do as it often seems illogical.

 

But yes, your explanation that immigration now requests the 12 month bank statement because the updated bank book may not contain all the transactions seems perfectly feasible.

[SongSomSoda]

Opened BBK account in october 2024 with Tourist Visa , all good, yay !  Had to buy personal insurence but needed one anyway.

 

As i am german they will never touch my account, thais warship us since Covid as we donated hundered million of Pfizer Vac - thais never forget, they should greet us germans with flowers at the airport arrivals.

[petedk]

On 5/29/2025 at 10:20 AM, alw22 said:

 

Why not allow it?  No one absolutely "needs" a bank account, but it makes a lot of things a whole lot easier.  Why ban something without a good reason?

 

If you're concerned about crime, then increase actual targeted investigations.  Don't make the lives of regular people more difficult because you're too lazy to do proper police work.  Actual criminals will always find ways to use local bank accounts, so these bans just affect regular people.

 

I agree with you entirely. 

 

I travel to both UK and Denmark and it is annoying that I can't have a bank account there. All countries should allow people to open bank accounts if they need them. With all the other measure in place it should be reasonably easy to stop criminals.

[jayboy]

7 hours ago, George FmplesdaCosteedback said:

I expect better from the POST.

 

Why?

[Zapitapi]

everything the banks do is just for your own protection and not to tighten the net for more control:) no no no

 

similar things happen all over the world

[sandyf]

7 hours ago, Red Phoenix said:

The reason being that there was a bank - and looks from rigeback's response that Bangkok Bank was the culprit - that consolidates the transactions you made on your Savings Account when not regularly (monthly) updating the Pass-book in the Bank or at their outside Pass-book entries updating machine.

My bank TTB(previously TMB) does that. I have been using online banking since 2009 and only update the book once a year, the majority of entries are consolidated, for some reason not all.

It has been that way for many years, probably before immigration started the monthly transfers or checking on balances.

You canot blame the banks if immigration change their ways.

[Lorry]

7 hours ago, sandyf said:

First 2 points totally irrelevant.

Thread is about tourists and most advanced economies require a utility bill to open an account, something not normally available to tourists.

Thailand is only trying to do what other countries have tried, but you seem to think the other countries have failed.

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).

 

 

[Lorry]

7 hours ago, SongSomSoda said:

Opened BBK account in october 2024 with Tourist Visa , all good, yay !  Had to buy personal insurence but needed one anyway.

 

As i am german they will never touch my account, thais warship us since Covid as we donated hundered million of Pfizer Vac - thais never forget, they should greet us germans with flowers at the airport arrivals.

Germans' accounts are being blocked, too.

But you are probably too hansum, so you're safe

[ronnie50]

8 hours ago, Red Phoenix said:

And instead of only requiring Bangkok Bank Savings Account Pass-book holders to provide evidence of their transactions during those consolidated periods, some Immigration offices want you to provide a 12-month Transactions Overview, which for anybody not banking with Bangkok Bank, will be exactly same as the info in the Pass-book. 

So a big thank you NOT to Bangkok Bank for having Immigration add that (in most cases useless) document to the 1-year extension documentation requirements. 

Actually, SCB has been doing the same consolidation thingy in my passbook if I don't update it regularly. I'd say they've been doing that on and off for a couple of years. So it's not just BKK Bank. But it's good to know in advance that they may want a 12 month statement.

[NickyLouie]

11 hours ago, K2938 said:

Did you go because something was not working or just like that?

 

 

Dormant account with a few thousand baht in it, so just wanted to update and keep it active.

 

Bangkok Bank is not that foreigner friendly.... 

[GanDoonToonPet]

31 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

Actually, SCB has been doing the same consolidation thingy in my passbook if I don't update it regularly. I'd say they've been doing that on and off for a couple of years. So it's not just BKK Bank. But it's good to know in advance that they may want a 12 month statement.

 

I saw an option in the SCB Easy app to order a statement. Does this come in pdf form within the app? Does it show all transactions? 🤔

[ronnie50]

13 minutes ago, GanDoonToonPet said:

 

I saw an option in the SCB Easy app to order a statement. Does this come in pdf form within the app? Does it show all transactions? 🤔

DrBob's advice was not to take that to IO as proof - better to get the print out at the branch with their stamp he said - which is what I did.

[stevenl]

1 hour ago, Lorry said:

You ignore that most Thai authorities,  including banks,  usually use the label "tourist" for every foreigner who doesn't have a WP.

Nonsense.

[kaneko86]

On 5/29/2025 at 4:23 PM, kiwikeith said:

 

Young Thai men hate falung ATMs who take their Thai GF back to their homeland to marry.

 

Not the brothers of the Thai gf 😂

[Lemsta69]

11 hours ago, SongSomSoda said:

Opened BBK account in october 2024 with Tourist Visa , all good, yay !  Had to buy personal insurence but needed one anyway.

 

As i am german they will never touch my account, thais warship us since Covid as we donated hundered million of Pfizer Vac - thais never forget, they should greet us germans with flowers at the airport arrivals.

 

*BBL

[shdmn]

On 5/28/2025 at 11:44 AM, mangkut70 said:

Things have changed a lot over the last few years, I think. We—customers, travelers, expats, tourists now have more options. Not long ago, it was absolutely necessary to have a "real" local bank account if you stayed long-term, and it surely was very useful for tourists visiting regularly. But now, I would say 90% of the usual transactions an expat needs can be managed with Wise (or a similar provider), covering basically everything related to payments—and paying is what we do most of the time anyway. 😛

A Wise card connected to Apple Pay, Grab, etc., goes a long way. (Getting cash at an ATM, however, is another story; there will be fees.)

Only if you earn money in Thailand and receive THB would you really need a local bank account, I guess. (Sadly, Wise does not provide a local bank account number to receive Thai Baht.)

For genuine tourists, apps like Wise combined with a card should be absolutely sufficient.

 

Just wondering: Are there other countries in the region where it was/is possible to open a bank account as a tourist? I always thought this possibility was quite amazing.

 

Are there any pay apps in Thailand equivalent to GCash/Maya Pay in the Philippines?  Wise lets me transfer money into them just like any other bank account.  I can then get a Gcash/Maya ATM/debit card and withdraw cash that way with little or no fees.  If I can do the same thing in Thailand then I would not need my Bangkok Bank account.

[shdmn]

On 5/28/2025 at 10:04 PM, Toby1947 said:

Cash is and always will be King. 

I guess you would not do so well in China then.  All other Asian countries are looking to do the same thing.

[kiwikeith]

On 5/29/2025 at 4:25 PM, scubascuba3 said:

Problem is those Thai women can find someone better back in farangland

Happens when residence is issued 

[sandyf]

15 hours ago, Lorry said:

Remember, what the banks really have always wanted was a WP.

Your post is garbage. Obviously you didn't bother reading the email I posted previously, so here it is again.

Note item 2.

 

 

[shdmn]

Anyone know if my Bangkok Bank Be1st debit/ATM card is supposed to work internationally?  I've never tried using it outside of Thailand but according to their website it should work at any international ATM that displays the PLUS or VISA symbol.  From what I have read, they are blocking ATM/debit card access but not online access to the account, so no way of knowing if I got blocked until I try use the card.

[mangkut70]

On 5/30/2025 at 8:42 PM, shdmn said:

 

Are there any pay apps in Thailand equivalent to GCash/Maya Pay in the Philippines?  Wise lets me transfer money into them just like any other bank account.  I can then get a Gcash/Maya ATM/debit card and withdraw cash that way with little or no fees.  If I can do the same thing in Thailand then I would not need my Bangkok Bank account.

Interesting Question! No idea but there is Google AI...

 

"In Thailand, prepaid cards like the Caltex Prepaid Card and Planet SCB Card can be used as a convenient and secure alternative to cash. These cards can be loaded with funds and used for various transactions, including paying for goods and services, withdrawing cash, and managing finances

Caltex Prepaid Card:

This card, offered by Bangkok Bank, is specifically designed for use at Caltex petrol stations. It can also be used for other purchases where a prepaid card is accepted.

Planet SCB Card:

Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) offers the Planet SCB card, which is a prepaid card that allows for spending in multiple currencies. It can be used for cash withdrawals and payments in Thai Baht and 13 other currencies.

 

"The Bangkok Bank's Caltex Prepaid Card has an ATM withdrawal fee of 20 baht per transaction when using it at Bangkok Bank ATMs, according to the provided news release. The maximum withdrawal amount is 5,000 baht per transaction, with a daily limit of 20,000 baht per user account. The card also has a monthly maintenance fee of 50 baht (VAT inclusive)."

 

If this information is true maybe there is a solution for cash withdrawal.

I have no personal experience with these mentioned cards. Would be interesting if anyone here is using this and if it is possible for a tourist to get one at all.

[Bohemianfish]

On 5/28/2025 at 8:23 PM, Cabradelmar said:

Thailand has lost control of it's immigration and they are just now starting to figure it out. 

Is it cause by graft? Seems so many foreigners there now. Lots of overstays? Or just too many coming in and staying on visas? 

[shdmn]

2 hours ago, mangkut70 said:

Interesting Question! No idea but there is Google AI...

 

"In Thailand, prepaid cards like the Caltex Prepaid Card and Planet SCB Card can be used as a convenient and secure alternative to cash. These cards can be loaded with funds and used for various transactions, including paying for goods and services, withdrawing cash, and managing finances

Caltex Prepaid Card:

This card, offered by Bangkok Bank, is specifically designed for use at Caltex petrol stations. It can also be used for other purchases where a prepaid card is accepted.

Planet SCB Card:

Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) offers the Planet SCB card, which is a prepaid card that allows for spending in multiple currencies. It can be used for cash withdrawals and payments in Thai Baht and 13 other currencies.

 

"The Bangkok Bank's Caltex Prepaid Card has an ATM withdrawal fee of 20 baht per transaction when using it at Bangkok Bank ATMs, according to the provided news release. The maximum withdrawal amount is 5,000 baht per transaction, with a daily limit of 20,000 baht per user account. The card also has a monthly maintenance fee of 50 baht (VAT inclusive)."

 

If this information is true maybe there is a solution for cash withdrawal.

I have no personal experience with these mentioned cards. Would be interesting if anyone here is using this and if it is possible for a tourist to get one at all.

You can't transfer money directly into them with Wise like you can a brick and mortar Thai Bank account.  That is the key missing step that eliminates the middlemen and the fees that come with it. That is what I am able to do in the Philippines with GCash and Maya Pay.  So far I haven't found anything like that in Thailand.

 

So I would still need to bring cash or transfer cash for pickup, or use a foreign credit card.  All of those things require more hassle and paying more fees.  

[alw22]

7 hours ago, shdmn said:

From what I have read, they are blocking ATM/debit card access but not online access to the account, so no way of knowing if I got blocked until I try use the card.

Yes, the card should work overseas at ATMs and payment terminals (I've used it in the past many times), but you may need to adjust the limits and as with any foreign card, it sometimes fails for risk controls or seemingly random reasons.

 

After my account was frozen, I could still use their app, see my balance, and adjust settings, but any payments fail after the last confirmation step with a generic message to call them.

 

So if you just want to test whether your account is frozen, try a 20thb topup for your mobile number or a small QR payment or transfer.