Can I open a bank account with an ED visa?

[Rob4]

We have an ED visa for Thai course, intend to stay here 9-12 months or more.

I read a post here about it from 2012, and another guy said he had problems.

 

What banks (large preferred) will let us open an account with a passport and ED visa ?

We obviously need a credit card also.

 

Thanks.

[trd]

We have an ED visa for Thai course, intend to stay here 9-12 months or more.
I read a post here about it from 2012, and another guy said he had problems.
 
What banks (large preferred) will let us open an account with a passport and ED visa ?
We obviously need a credit card also.
 
Thanks.

You only need a passport. The credit card is quite difficult to obtain as a foreigner. I had one in the past but I had to deposit the money to cover the credit allowance in a fixed deposit account held by the bank which I couldn't touch.

[new2here]

I have 2 friends who are here on ED visas and both opened basic savings accounts, with basic debit card access, shortly after arriving.

Bangkok bank and Kasikorn Bank were used. I recall they had a letter of introduction from the university (they are advanced degree students at a major Thai university) stating their coursework and dates of enrollment as well as program length.

However, not all branches enforce or interpret rules the same.. so expect some leg work to find a branch that will do so. One thing to be aware of, there are a few types of transactions that commonly require you to be at the actual branch where your account was established — so I’d try to first focus your application efforts on branches that be accessible or convenient for you.

A traditional credit card (here defined as one that doesn’t have or require the establishment of an underlying pledge/security account) will be difficult as i suspect you’ll need to have a work permit (many banks want to see that the applicant has held the permit for a few months and some require it to be valid for a few months beyond date of application) plus proof of salary paid into a Thai bank,.. many banks will also grant approval to retirees as well.

You may also be able to get a second card or authorized user, but in those cases, the underlying card and credit approval really isn’t based on you, but the main cardholder who assumes liability for your charges.




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[Rob4]

thanks a lot. We will try the yellow bank (krug.. something ?).