Never had problems before, but now a family member has had their UK bank frozen because they wanted to send about a thousand pounds to my Thai bank, which I've had for over 10 years. I have lived non-stop in TL for nearly that long, so long that my UK driving license expired and now I can't get a new one online either.

 

There UK bank said they will not unfreeze the account until they have proof that I the recipient live in TL. I don't really know what they will accept, but an offically stamped translation of a certificate of residence seems to be one solution. I live in Bangkok, so there is an undesirable waiting time, plus tomorrow's a public holiday.

 

Has anyone experienced anything similiar and did an official stamped letter from a Thai bank or bank statement with my address suffice, as it doesn't prove I live here.

 

I read that the British Embassy has discontinued their 45minute fast track proof of residency service or has it been replaced by some other equivalent service?

 

The source of funds is of course legitimate and it is hardly an amount that could be considered money laundering, but I read on another thread that Lloyds bank considered Thailand an embargoed country, which officially it is not, and also First Direct refused to send funds to TL, despite the account owner banking with them for over twenty years.

 

Any help, advice and solutions to similar experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Copy of Yellow Book

 

Certificate of residence 

 

Copy of your extension of stay

 

Why don't they try a WISE transfer or WU?

 

 

Thanks Bacon1 for the reply. No yellow book, I'm afraid.

 

Copy of extension of stay method would hopfully be faster than a certificate of residence, here in Bangkok.

 

My last three annual extensions are on the same ajoining pages, but I presume that it would need to be notarized to say that it was visa extension stamps in my UK passport.

 

Any suggestions for a business in Bangkok, who could do this in a timely and preferably price efficient manner?

 

Does the British Embassy here provide any service that would suffice?

The UK bank won't have a clue about resident proof, I'd try with driving licence for starters, but i suspect the bank will have follow up questions

 

I get that statement from the Amphur, cost is 5 baht.

 

They confirm my address, and put on an official stamp.

 

Need to do it every year

Just looked at last years document and it is called Thor.Ror 14/1

 

Thanks scubascuba3, a Thai driving license would be ideal, but I stupidly let mine expire during the covid years and is on my list of things to do. I have driven thousands of miles around TL, when I was younger, but ever since Grab, Bolt etc arrived, my need to drive in Bangkok has reduced greatly as I live a few minutes walk from the BTS.

 

A Thai driving license is definitely the best long term solution for this issue and will also start the process as backup for if the residency proof fails.

Thanks CallumWKm, but unfortunately I only rent in Bangkok and couldn't imagine the owner allowing me to be registered on the Tabien Baan. My long term partner (15 years), has a nice house, but it is a thousand kilometres away from Bangkok, and is far too quiet for me to call home...just yet! Again, definitely one for the future.

 

Why have the U.K. bank frozen the account? They could just suspend payment if they require something. It seems a little heavy-handed unless they suspect some serious fraud. 

Just realised that the visa extension stamps are mostly in English, so maybe just needs to be notarised that they are in my passport, but as scubascuba3 rightly says, the odds of a UK bank accepting visa stamps is not very high.

 

I am trying to get a definitive list of things the bank would accept. All they have said is that anything in Thai will be be translated by them at cost, which I can only imagine will be far greater than anything translated officially here.

Immigration wouldn't give me a Cert. of Residence for this purpose. Although I did consider going to DLT and asking them for a request for the purpose of obtaining a new driving license.

 

I went to SCB bank and requested a statement. They gave me form to fill in to request a statement where there was a section for address so I wrote my address in English. The cashier typed my English address into her terminal and I paid 100 baht for a 3 month statement and my bank (not technically UK) accepted that.

1 hour ago, Jay0kay said:

There UK bank said they will not unfreeze the account until they have proof that I the recipient live in TL.

 

And what if it was a fraudulent transaction and there will never be proof of Thai address?  The UK person loses access to their money forever?  That does not sound correct.  Are you sure this person really wants to send you the money and is not just making up an excuse so they do not have to send you the money?  A common excuse I use for requests for money from my ex is that I only have a UK bank account and my bank does not let me transfer money to Thailand.  Not true of course but saves me money and this strategy has successfully prevented the inevitable future requests for the same without making me look like the bad guy for not wanting to "lend" her the money.   

Q: Why have the U.K. bank frozen the account?

 

A: Absolutely no idea, except that TL was mentioned, I have read online that it is AI based and the people asking for the evidence have no idea either. The Tories slipped in legislation during covid which allowed banks to freeze accounts indefinitely without giving any justification. Complete madness I know and I won't be rushing back soon!

 

The person sending the funds doesn't have a history of sending funds abroad and has reached an age in which anything out of the ordinary, e.g. shopping at amazon and waitrose, is deemed suspicious activity by their bank despite working nearly 30 years in the public sector and also having served as a magistrate for over a decade.

sounds like the UK bank suspects fraud or a scam. 

not really sure why you (the recipient) are involved. 

I suspect that what the bank needs is for THEIR  customer to demonstrate the reason for the transfer and also that they have confirmed the identity of the recipient ie you. 

freezing their account sounds extreme , when all they need to do , if they have concerns, is to refuse the transfer.

 

Thanks VocalNeal.

 

I think the 3 month bank statement is the best immediate approach as they are open now and also tomorrow when immigration is closed. To get an address on the statement, I read on here that you need to go in person.

 

My current branch is not in Bangkok, so the address I will be asking for is in another jangwat. I'm so sick of the hassle of going through all of this here that I am looking for accommodation back near where I used to, where a residency certificate can be done in a day or two at most and going to immigration at the right time of day is always a breeze.

31 minutes ago, Jay0kay said:

Just realised that the visa extension stamps are mostly in English, so maybe just needs to be notarised that they are in my passport, but as scubascuba3 rightly says, the odds of a UK bank accepting visa stamps is not very high.

 

I am trying to get a definitive list of things the bank would accept. All they have said is that anything in Thai will be be translated by them at cost, which I can only imagine will be far greater than anything translated officially here.

By TL I assume you mean Thailand, which usually is shortened to TH.

 

I'll also assume that what the bank wants is the proof of your permanent address. In my experience they will accept any utility bill with your name and current address. Electric, internet, satellite, etc. They will also accept monthly bank statements if in your name.

But the bank itself should provide you with the list of the documents they accept.

44 minutes ago, Jay0kay said:

Q: Why have the U.K. bank frozen the account?

 

A: Absolutely no idea, except that TL was mentioned, I have read online that it is AI based and the people asking for the evidence have no idea either. The Tories slipped in legislation during covid which allowed banks to freeze accounts indefinitely without giving any justification. Complete madness I know and I won't be rushing back soon!

 

The person sending the funds doesn't have a history of sending funds abroad and has reached an age in which anything out of the ordinary, e.g. shopping at amazon and waitrose, is deemed suspicious activity by their bank despite working nearly 30 years in the public sector and also having served as a magistrate for over a decade.

Is the Uk sender in receipt of any uk benefits from the DWP

There were reports that Banks and HMRC  would block any transfer over £800 from October 1st

HMRC have denied these claims

Viral posts claim, from 1 October 2025 any bank transfers over £800 between individuals will be blocked for 24 hours as part of new verification measures set up by banks and HMRC.

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/cost-of-living/hmrc-speaks-out-over-claims-32397677

Some uk benefits are only available if you savings less than £16,000

If someone was close to that limit they might want to transfer £3-£4k overseas so they never go over the £16k limit

1. Pink Thai ID Card

 

2. Thai Electricity Bill

 

3. Thai Bank Statement – For example, with SCB and Bangkok Bank (and others too I'm sure), you can generate a free bank statement as a PDF file through the mobile banking app in just seconds. The statement will display your Thai address at the top. When you request the statement through the app, it is then sent immediately to the email address you have on file with the bank. This option is also available for passbook savings accounts, which normally do not receive a monthly statement, but the app can still create one for the account anyway.

I know a little about the way UK banks operate and i really have serious doubts about the information provided in the OP.

The onus is on the sender to demonstrate to his/her bank that the recipient of the funds is someone they know and they have genuine reason for making the transfer. 

If the bank has concerns about the facts, as provided, then they can just refuse to make the transfer.

As far as i am aware ,  the only reason for a bank to completely freeze a customer account, is if they had reason to believe that the account was being operated in a suspicious way,  or that  their customer was the victim of fraud and , possibly, had also been subject to other  frauds and or scams in the past. 

If this is a genuine situation then the OP should inform their "relative"  to call their bank , speak to a security officer and explain what is happening. If the bank  , for whatever reason, cannot satisfy themselves that the transfer request is genuine,  then the sender needs to withdraw the transfer instruction and request the unfreezing of his/her account.

If the bank refuses to do this (ie unfreeze the account)  then it would seem like they have some fundamental issue with the way in which the account is being operated.

 

1 hour ago, wordchild said:

I know a little about the way UK banks operate and i really have serious doubts about the information provided in the OP.

The onus is on the sender to demonstrate to his/her bank that the recipient of the funds is someone they know and they have genuine reason for making the transfer. 

If the bank has concerns about the facts, as provided, then they can just refuse to make the transfer.

As far as i am aware ,  the only reason for a bank to completely freeze a customer account, is if they had reason to believe that the account was being operated in a suspicious way,  or that  their customer was the victim of fraud and , possibly, had also been subject to other  frauds and or scams in the past. 

If this is a genuine situation then the OP should inform their "relative"  to call their bank , speak to a security officer and explain what is happening. If the bank  , for whatever reason, cannot satisfy themselves that the transfer request is genuine,  then the sender needs to withdraw the transfer instruction and request the unfreezing of his/her account.

If the bank refuses to do this (ie unfreeze the account)  then it would seem like they have some fundamental issue with the way in which the account is being operated.

 

I suspect your are correct

Most banks have their own payment and transfer limits and verification measures in place to reduce the risk of money going to scammers or to the wrong account.

Banks may also delay or reject payments “considered unusual to the normal use of your account” and may refer them for further investigation.

This is because banks must comply with regulations to prevent financial crime, such as identifying and verifying customers, as well as protecting them from fraud and scams.

If a bank has reasonable grounds to suspect a payment is fraudulent it must inform customers when a payment is being delayed, and explain what the customer needs to do in order to unblock the payment. But freezes are not put in place automatically for all transfers over £800.

https://fullfact.org/economy/transfers-800-pounds-automatically-frozen-24-hours-false/

If the UK family member has had their entire bank account frozen i think they will be thinking thats it no more transfers to Thailand 

1 hour ago, wordchild said:

I know a little about the way UK banks operate and i really have serious doubts about the information provided in the OP.

The onus is on the sender to demonstrate to his/her bank that the recipient of the funds is someone they know and they have genuine reason for making the transfer. 

If the bank has concerns about the facts, as provided, then they can just refuse to make the transfer.

As far as i am aware ,  the only reason for a bank to completely freeze a customer account, is if they had reason to believe that the account was being operated in a suspicious way,  or that  their customer was the victim of fraud and , possibly, had also been subject to other  frauds and or scams in the past. 

If this is a genuine situation then the OP should inform their "relative"  to call their bank , speak to a security officer and explain what is happening. If the bank  , for whatever reason, cannot satisfy themselves that the transfer request is genuine,  then the sender needs to withdraw the transfer instruction and request the unfreezing of his/her account.

If the bank refuses to do this (ie unfreeze the account)  then it would seem like they have some fundamental issue with the way in which the account is being operated.

 

 

 

I know a little bit more.....

 

My guess (I haven't seen the bank named) is that this is WISE. They are currently conducting address confirmation/verification for people resident in Thailand. Separate from that I had a transfer held up with WISE. I sent the equivalent of 10,000 Baht to her WISE account which she was then going to transfer to her account in Thailand......that was on Friday and she is still waiting for release of the funds.

4 hours ago, Baht Simpson said:

Why have the U.K. bank frozen the account? They could just suspend payment if they require something. It seems a little heavy-handed unless they suspect some serious fraud. 

 

Yeah it doesn't add up - why would they give a crap if you live here in Thailand or anywhere else for that matter.

 

I'd tell them to f off, just cancel the transaction if they won't do it - but it's not grounds to cancel someone elses bank account merely for attempting to send some money to someone else abroad.

 

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that altering your address at the recipient bank into English and asking for a statement would be a way to do it - they will do that and you can send a copy of a statement - it was enough for me to use as proof of address in many places around the world
 

2 hours ago, vinny41 said:

 

This is because banks must comply with regulations to prevent financial crime, such as identifying and verifying customers, as well as protecting them from fraud and scams.

 

Also due to recent changes in the rules I believe the bank are liable for the loss - not the customer - hence the change in their own sudden interest in 'protecting the customer' - they're protecting themselves, not the customer - for many years people who were scammed in one way or another it was hard luck - now it's on the banks they're very interested....

 

2 hours ago, hotandsticky said:

 

 

I know a little bit more.....

 

My guess (I haven't seen the bank named) is that this is WISE. They are currently conducting address confirmation/verification for people resident in Thailand. Separate from that I had a transfer held up with WISE. I sent the equivalent of 10,000 Baht to her WISE account which she was then going to transfer to her account in Thailand......that was on Friday and she is still waiting for release of the funds.

 

Take note that the OP is not the sender, he is the recipient.

Wise doesn't ask proof of address of the recipient, as most likely they don't have a Wise account.

Wise also doesn't have the capability to freeze bank accounts, all they can do is deny the transfer and keep that money on hold for a limited time.

I'd get a bank statement for the very account your relative attempted to send money to. Serves both as a proof of address and as a confirmation of account ownership; chances are a UK bank considers that acceptable. 

2 hours ago, Caldera said:

I'd get a bank statement for the very account your relative attempted to send money to. Serves both as a proof of address and as a confirmation of account ownership; chances are a UK bank considers that acceptable. 

Good idea, i did that a couple weeks ago, i got Bangkok Bank to update my address so it agreed with my driving licence in English, 100 baht to print out statement

36 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

100 baht to print out statement

You can get them for free as a PDF from the BBL mobile banking app. But BBL doesn't show your address on the statement.
 

SCB offers the same service and the advantage of the free PDF statements that they send you is that they do show your address on the statements.

Off topic post removed

On 10/12/2025 at 7:02 PM, hotandsticky said:

 

 

I know a little bit more.....

 

My guess (I haven't seen the bank named) is that this is WISE. They are currently conducting address confirmation/verification for people resident in Thailand. Separate from that I had a transfer held up with WISE. I sent the equivalent of 10,000 Baht to her WISE account which she was then going to transfer to her account in Thailand......that was on Friday and she is still waiting for release of the funds.

 

As I've reported elsewhere on here, those bloody clowns are threatening to suspend my account with them on 24 October, merely because I don't have a Thai driving licence with which to prove my right to reside in Thailand. As will be evident from the scant list of acceptable docs contained in the link below, the Thai driving licence is, to all intents and purposes, the only one which most of us would be able to provide in practice. Tough titties in Wise's eyes if you don't have one, it would appear!

 

https://wise.com/help/articles/3xConsbhr7buWkQuqDEQ5V/how-does-wise-verify-the-country-i-live-in

 

22 hours ago, OJAS said:

 

As I've reported elsewhere on here, those bloody clowns are threatening to suspend my account with them on 24 October, merely because I don't have a Thai driving licence with which to prove my right to reside in Thailand. As will be evident from the scant list of acceptable docs contained in the link below, the Thai driving licence is, to all intents and purposes, the only one which most of us would be able to provide in practice. Tough titties in Wise's eyes if you don't have one, it would appear!

 

https://wise.com/help/articles/3xConsbhr7buWkQuqDEQ5V/how-does-wise-verify-the-country-i-live-in

 

I sent a copy of a condo rental report