Transcript of the above video:

Frequent viewers of this channel are probably sick of hearing me talk about TM30 so I am going to do this video and hopefully we won't have to talk about it too much more although I kind of doubt that. TM30 seems to create a kind of feedback loop where you just end up talking about it a lot, especially when it becomes a major issue for Thai Immigration. What I would not have seen coming is that it would be an issue for Banking purposes. 

That said, I thought of making this video after reading a recent article from the Pattaya Mail, that is pattayamail.com, the article is titled: Chonburi Immigration Bureau tightens address reporting. Quoting directly: "A recent change in procedure at Pattaya-Jomtien Immigration (and Sri Racha) means that all foreigners requiring a service must have a TM30 form receipt in their passport dated since their last arrival in Thailand. This bureaucracy is quite separate from the 90 days reporting for expats which remains intact." I have gone into great detail in other videos made contemporaneously with this one, I am not going to get into the meat of TM30, I want to talk about how this connects to banking. Therefore, quoting further: "The change in procedure means that the requirement is now extended to any foreigner seeking a re-entry permit, a renewal of a one-year extension of stay (including Retirement and Marriage Visas) extension of Elite, certificates of," (and this is key), “certificates of residence for driving licenses, opening bank accounts etc." 

So yeah, oftentimes there is a document required, a certificate of residence, which may be required by a bank in order to open a bank account, and what this means is now TM30 is going to be more directly impacting whether or not somebody can get a certificate of residence. As we discussed in other videos, in the past if you filed a TM30 and for example left the country and came back in, it wasn't a big deal. Now, you have to refile the TM30 after you re-arrive in Thailand, after you return to Thailand in order for that TM30 to be considered valid and then to be able to use that document to request a certificate of residence in order to then go ahead and open up a Bank Account.

I think by anyone's assessment this has definitely added an extra layer of bureaucracy to the point where opening a Bank Account in Thailand is becoming inextricably linked to dealing with immigration and all may become eventually inextricably linked to Tax Certification which we have discussed in other videos as well. Long story short, I don't foresee this Byzantine change to revert back to the status quo any time soon, but we will certainly keep you updated on this channel as the situation evolves.