Just now, MamaSan said:

Just to cheer you up... I'm a foreign woman who was recently able to formally marry my Thai girlfriend at the Amphur.  'Wanna guess if I got the "no money in the bank required" exclusion for my visa extension? No cheerful stamp here either - blatant sexism, agreed!

Fair enough - the advantages of being female are endless (as are the disadvantages). 

17 minutes ago, MamaSan said:

'Wanna guess if I got the "no money in the bank required" exclusion for my visa extension? No cheerful stamp here either - blatant sexism, agreed!

It's the hotch potch  of everything, 

for a foreign women  marred to a Thai woman it's sexism 

and for a foreign man married to a Thai woman  its racism

but for a foreign woman married to a Thai man all is hunky dory !

I just had this very unpleasant experience with Bangkok Bank, for the renewal of my family visa.
This year the bank forced me to sign the attached paper  I must block my money for four months after the issuance of the certificate.
We then contacted immigration, who confirmed to us that this is absolutely not a government requirement, but only an internal rule imposed by Bangkok Bank.
According to what the bank employee told us, this has only been in place since last week, and we were not informed in advance at all.

It’s feels like having a gun to your head: either I agree to block my money for four months, or I don’t get my certificate, and I cannot renew my visa.

I think this information should be known by the community to prevent others from being caught like we were.

I know that for most retirees, this is not a problem because they already block their money, but for us, it’s different:  I generally bring from abroad saving that i stock for the visa and to pay school fee  after the 2 months retention period.
And even though a retire person don't Really need their money and usually keep it quietly on their account. The fact that the money is blocked 4 extra monthes prevents them to have any Flexibility in case of an accident or anything that could happen in their life.

the bank should have informed us in advance by recomended letter after it would be  up to us to choose, but just forcing this to us to this 2 days prior visa renewal is outraging.
 

As for me, i am done with that bank , No one can trust a bank that creates rules like this and puts its clients in front of this kind of fact unattended, it is like extortion.

37 minutes ago, yanncnx said:

As for me, i am done with that bank , No one can trust a bank that creates rules like this and puts its clients in front of this kind of fact unattended, it is like extortion

Agree 100%. Ridiculous situation. 

Which area in Thailand do you deal with Bangkok Bank? 

 

1 hour ago, DrJack54 said:

Agree 100%. Ridiculous situation. 

Which area in Thailand do you deal with Bangkok Bank? 

 

chiang mai area

5 hours ago, yanncnx said:

As for me, i am done with that bank , No one can trust a bank that creates rules like this and puts its clients in front of this kind of fact unattended, it is like extortion.

1. Obtain a 3-month statement from Bangkok Bank.

2. Open an account at Kasikorn.

3. Transfer the funds to Kasikorn account and close BKB account.

4. Obtain 1 month statement and Immigration letter from Kasikorn.

1 hour ago, Liquorice said:

1. Obtain a 3-month statement from Bangkok Bank.

2. Open an account at Kasikorn.

3. Transfer the funds to Kasikorn account and close BKB account.

4. Obtain 1 month statement and Immigration letter from Kasikorn.

If a retirement extension I recommend  you do the bank transfers in 2x400,000 blocks during the period that you can have 400,000 in the account!

Do one 400,000 transfer, check it has arrived then do no2!

22 hours ago, Liquorice said:

1. Obtain a 3-month statement from Bangkok Bank.

2. Open an account at Kasikorn.

3. Transfer the funds to Kasikorn account and close BKB account.

4. Obtain 1 month statement and Immigration letter from Kasikorn.

I would do this also in that situation (marriage-based extension) - except, that I would keep whatever accounts you have open.  Who knows what the future will bring.  Leave just enough in it that you don't get hit with a monthly-fee for low-balance. 

19 hours ago, Rob Browder said:

I would do this also in that situation (marriage-based extension) - except, that I would keep whatever accounts you have open.  Who knows what the future will bring.  Leave just enough in it that you don't get hit with a monthly-fee for low-balance. 

Sorry liquorice , I do not understand how that advice could have helped me.

My visa is due before the end of the month.
I had to get the letter for 2 months statement this week.
(immigration requires 2 months money block which I had done on time), not 4months.
To issue the letter for 2 months The bank requires either that I blocked  the money 4 months ahead which was not a rule until last week
or to sign to block my account 4 months after,

which I did, or I would have to leave the country next week.

Yes, open a K Bank account, fine, that is what i am planning to do 
but your logic is wrong.

1. BKK Bank will not issue a statement for 3 months as they would not issue a statement for 2 months whithout imposing their crap new conditions.

2. Then how K bank would issue a statement for 1 month pushing my cash into K Bank this week ?
   
   
   i believe you misread my original thread or the original discussion thread.  
   If I had known that ahead, I would not be in this situation. I would open the K Bank 3 months ago and move my cash to K Bank, wait 2 months, and get my letter,
   as it was planned in BKK Bank.
   
    

11 hours ago, yanncnx said:

BKK Bank will not issue a statement for 3 months as they would not issue a statement for 2 months whithout imposing their crap new conditions.

They would not issue a 3 mo statement without the block, or they would not issue a "bank letter" stating current-balance and that you are the owner of the account without the block?  

It's two separate things. 

My understanding is that BKB was blocking for the "bank letter" - not a monthly account statement.

12 hours ago, yanncnx said:

Sorry liquorice , I do not understand how that advice could have helped me.

My visa is due before the end of the month.
I had to get the letter for 2 months statement this week.
(immigration requires 2 months money block which I had done on time), not 4months.
To issue the letter for 2 months The bank requires either that I blocked  the money 4 months ahead which was not a rule until last week
or to sign to block my account 4 months after,

which I did, or I would have to leave the country next week.

Yes, open a K Bank account, fine, that is what i am planning to do 
but your logic is wrong.

1. BKK Bank will not issue a statement for 3 months as they would not issue a statement for 2 months whithout imposing their crap new conditions.

2. Then how K bank would issue a statement for 1 month pushing my cash into K Bank this week ?
   
   
   i believe you misread my original thread or the original discussion thread.  
   If I had known that ahead, I would not be in this situation. I would open the K Bank 3 months ago and move my cash to K Bank, wait 2 months, and get my letter,
   as it was planned in BKK Bank.
   
    

You're confused.

For Immigration purposes, you need to do 3 things at the bank.
1. Obtain a 2/3 month bank statement.
2. Update your passbook.

3. Request a letter addressed to Immigration which merely states your name, account number and the current balance.

 

It is only the letter for Immigration, Bangkok Bank refuse to issue unless you sign an affidavit to hold the funds for 4 months.

 

It's too late now, as you've signed the affidavit, but my advice was sound.
You could have obtained a 2/3 month statement and updated the passbook at BKK, foregoing a request for the letter.
Opened an account at Kasikorn, transferred the funds, then obtained a 1-month statement, updated passbook and letter for Immigration from Kasikorn.

21 hours ago, yanncnx said:

Sorry liquorice , I do not understand how that advice could have helped me.

My visa is due before the end of the month.
I had to get the letter for 2 months statement this week.
(immigration requires 2 months money block which I had done on time), not 4months.
To issue the letter for 2 months The bank requires either that I blocked  the money 4 months ahead which was not a rule until last week
or to sign to block my account 4 months after,

which I did, or I would have to leave the country next week.

Yes, open a K Bank account, fine, that is what i am planning to do 
but your logic is wrong.

1. BKK Bank will not issue a statement for 3 months as they would not issue a statement for 2 months whithout imposing their crap new conditions.

2. Then how K bank would issue a statement for 1 month pushing my cash into K Bank this week ?
   
   
   i believe you misread my original thread or the original discussion thread.  
   If I had known that ahead, I would not be in this situation. I would open the K Bank 3 months ago and move my cash to K Bank, wait 2 months, and get my letter,
   as it was planned in BKK Bank.
   
    

if all fail with no solution, talk to immigration officer the situation and ask him if you can show bank book with money in there for 60days

not all BKK bank do this, they knew about the immigration requirement only 60 days, they are scamming us for more time, the long the money sit in their bank the more profit they making

On 7/15/2025 at 12:05 PM, yanncnx said:

I just had this very unpleasant experience with Bangkok Bank, for the renewal of my family visa.
This year the bank forced me to sign the attached paper  I must block my money for four months after the issuance of the certificate.
We then contacted immigration, who confirmed to us that this is absolutely not a government requirement, but only an internal rule imposed by Bangkok Bank.
According to what the bank employee told us, this has only been in place since last week, and we were not informed in advance at all.

It’s feels like having a gun to your head: either I agree to block my money for four months, or I don’t get my certificate, and I cannot renew my visa.

I think this information should be known by the community to prevent others from being caught like we were.

I know that for most retirees, this is not a problem because they already block their money, but for us, it’s different:  I generally bring from abroad saving that i stock for the visa and to pay school fee  after the 2 months retention period.
And even though a retire person don't Really need their money and usually keep it quietly on their account. The fact that the money is blocked 4 extra monthes prevents them to have any Flexibility in case of an accident or anything that could happen in their life.

the bank should have informed us in advance by recomended letter after it would be  up to us to choose, but just forcing this to us to this 2 days prior visa renewal is outraging.
 

As for me, i am done with that bank , No one can trust a bank that creates rules like this and puts its clients in front of this kind of fact unattended, it is like extortion.

I took a copy of this document to my CM BBL branch to speak with the manager about it.  I also brought with me my fix deposit passbook which shows a minimum of 500K baht deposited for the last 6 ½ years. My extensions of stay over the past many years is based on marriage to a Thai national.

 

The manager seeing the document acknowledged it was in effect and said it was an IMM requirement now to maintain, in the case of an extension of stay (EOS)  based on family/marriage, to maintain the minimum balance of 400K for 4 months after the bank provided a bank letter confirming the applicant's deposit.  I responded that IMM regulations only required the minimum balance of 400K being deposited with a bank 2 months prior to applying for an EOS and that the applicant was not required to maintain any deposit after receiving the IMM stamp extending their EOS in their passport.

The manager asked if I had my bankbook with me and I gave it to her...scanning the multiple entries in the nearly 7 years I've had this fix deposit account solely for EOS purposes, she told me not to be concerned and I would not be required to sign this document in the future.  She explained it principally was for applicants who had just opened a bank account for purposes of obtaining their EOS as many individuals were closing these accounts as soon as their EOS had been obtained.  I believe the requirement for being asked to sign such a document derive from BBL  endeavoring to recover their costs to open these accounts for new customers who may close them so soon after opening one...not that the IMM requires this but to reduce BBL's costs of doing this business.

 

I would suggest that anyone that may be concerned about this document as it may or may not apply to them, is to go speak with your BBL branch manager before the time you wish to get their bank letter confirming the necessary funds.

1 hour ago, jeffandgop said:

I would suggest that anyone that may be concerned about this document as it may or may not apply to them, is to go speak with your BBL branch manager before the time you wish to get their bank letter confirming the necessary funds

Definitely and if this is required then close your account and open new account with another bank. 

1 hour ago, jeffandgop said:

The manager seeing the document acknowledged it was in effect and said it was an IMM requirement now to maintain, in the case of an extension of stay (EOS)  based on family/marriage, to maintain the minimum balance of 400K for 4 months after the bank provided a bank letter confirming the applicant's deposit. 

 

1 hour ago, jeffandgop said:

as many individuals were closing these accounts as soon as their EOS had been obtained.

 

If they said these things, I find anything else they say to be suspect.  We KNOW it's not an immigration requirement, it's a bank requirement.  And I highly doubt people were going through all the trouble just to open an account for an extension and then immediately closing it.  And who cares if they were? For a marriage extension there is no requirement to keep money in the account after the extension is received. 

A lot of hot air from people that have no idea what they are talking about.

46 minutes ago, BrandonJT said:

And I highly doubt people were going through all the trouble just to open an account for an extension and then immediately closing it. 

That is exactly what all the agents do.
Open an account, obtain a statement and letter, then close it.

38 minutes ago, Liquorice said:

That is exactly what all the agents do.
Open an account, obtain a statement and letter, then close it.

I never heard of an agent doing that.  They help you open an account and use it for immigration, and then it's yours forever on.  And they would use the same account next year and each subsequent year too.

13 minutes ago, BrandonJT said:

I never heard of an agent doing that.  They help you open an account and use it for immigration, and then it's yours forever on.  And they would use the same account next year and each subsequent year too.

For those that don't meet the financial requirement and use an agent, it's well documented the agents deposit the 800K, obtain statement and letter, then withdraw the funds. The policy changes at Bangkok Bank now prevent them from doing that.

I bank with Bangkok Bank for 23 years.  My most recent visa/extension was using an agent in Pattaya to provide the 800k, which I've done many times before).  I have been investigating returning permanently to the UK (not without problems because of the dire property -enting issues in the UK).

 

My Thai visa comes up for renewal in September, but I can't be bothered messing around with these new rules from the bank.  I've decided to return to Luang Prabang (Laos) for 1 more year, save up some funds and then have another go at renting a UK property with a wad of cash :).

 

Anyway, plane booked for a week's holiday in Luang Prabang, fly tomorrow, rent a house, return to Thailand just to collect my bags... 🙂

3 hours ago, jeffandgop said:

 I believe the requirement for being asked to sign such a document derive from BBL  endeavoring to recover their costs to open these accounts for new customers who may close them so soon after opening one...not that the IMM requires this but to reduce BBL's costs of doing this business.

I believe it's due to Bangkok Bank in particular being investigated for 'mule' accounts and money laundering accounts opened by these call centre scammers in Myanmar and Cambodia. The change is policy prevents new accounts being opened then closed within a set period.

 

3 hours ago, jeffandgop said:

She explained it principally was for applicants who had just opened a bank account for purposes of obtaining their EOS as many individuals were closing these accounts as soon as their EOS had been obtained.

That makes sense, unfortunately this message has been misinterpreted and branches are applying the new requirement across the board to those with long-standing existing accounts.

 

3 hours ago, jeffandgop said:

The manager asked if I had my bankbook with me and I gave it to her...scanning the multiple entries in the nearly 7 years I've had this fix deposit account solely for EOS purposes, she told me not to be concerned and I would not be required to sign this document in the future.

I also use a FTD account for Immigration purposes for the past 12 years, and recently applied for a new extension based on Thai spouse.
When updating my passbook, requesting a 3-month statement and a letter, there was no mention of signing any other form.
Maybe common sense prevailed, as in principle you've already agreed to keep the funds in the account for a fixed term.

2 hours ago, Liquorice said:

For those that don't meet the financial requirement and use an agent, it's well documented the agents deposit the 800K, obtain statement and letter, then withdraw the funds. The policy changes at Bangkok Bank now prevent them from doing that.

Withdraw the funds yes, close the account no.  People do not open an account, get a bank letter, then close the account. That doesn't even make sense.  But that's what the bank manager said. And the entire policy is bull<deleted> anyways and only punishes people doing it the legal way.  This policy won't stop anything with agents.  Bank managers that are willing to take bribes will continue to do so.  There is no mechanism except the teller following policy that freezes the funds in the account.  The teller can just make the letter without doing that part if they are instructed to, or if they accept a bribe to do so.

11 minutes ago, BrandonJT said:

Withdraw the funds yes, close the account no.  People do not open an account, get a bank letter, then close the account. That doesn't even make sense.  But that's what the bank manager said.

That depends on if the client has any available and sufficient funds to keep the account open. I know of those that use their UK debit card, or more viable a 'Wise' debit card, for ATM withdrawals and purchases. The usual excuse being their fear of being taxed on foreign transfers, or they can obtain better interest rates in their home Country, BS.

 

Why do agents offer the service of opening a bank account on your behalf in the first instance.

4 hours ago, Liquorice said:

That depends on if the client has any available and sufficient funds to keep the account open. I know of those that use their UK debit card, or more viable a 'Wise' debit card, for ATM withdrawals and purchases. The usual excuse being their fear of being taxed on foreign transfers, or they can obtain better interest rates in their home Country, BS.

 

Why do agents offer the service of opening a bank account on your behalf in the first instance.

 

Your posts here are nonsensical, of course they don't close the account after temporarily providing the financials for an extension. They simply get their 800,000 baht transfered back and the account holder can otherwise use that account anyway they see fit.

 

You know, living in Thailand, having a Thai bank account actually comes in handy, not just for immigration matters. Sometimes I wonder what planet you live on.

1 hour ago, Caldera said:

You know, living in Thailand, having a Thai bank account actually comes in handy, not just for immigration matters. 

Never stated otherwise. I use the funds in the bank method for my extensions based on Thai spouse, lived here 12 years now.
 

 

1 hour ago, Caldera said:

Sometimes I wonder what planet you live on.

Unless you get out in the local community and find how and what others do to stay in Thailand, then you'll never know any different.

33 minutes ago, Liquorice said:

Unless you get out in the local community and find how and what others do to stay in Thailand, then you'll never know any different.

 

So you know people who use an agent and who open and close a new bank account for each and every extension? And you think that's normal when using an agent? You're having a laugh.

1 minute ago, Caldera said:

 

So you know people who use an agent and who open and close a new bank account for each and every extension? And you think that's normal when using an agent? You're having a laugh.

You are correct. 

The account is opened and the agent has client to have online banking. 

The agent deposits and withdraws. 

The account remains valid. 

 

Let's move on from this chit chat. 

On 7/19/2025 at 7:29 PM, DrJack54 said:

You are correct. 

The account is opened and the agent has client to have online banking. 

The agent deposits and withdraws. 

The account remains valid. 

How does the agent get the twelve month statement to verify the funds were kept in the account for 4 months after the last extension?

16 minutes ago, atpeace said:

How does the agent get the twelve month statement to verify the funds were kept in the account for 4 months after the last extension?

They don't.  Their fee removes that requirement.

14 minutes ago, atpeace said:

How does the agent get the twelve month statement to verify the funds were kept in the account for 4 months after the last extension?

That's not how it works. 

The funds are not maintained in the account for 4 months. 

This "4 month rule" is something that BBL has introduced. 

 

Not sure what the agents are doing esp in Pattaya. 

Anyone using an agent should check with their agent regards next extension.