Can't Open Bank Account To Get A Retirement Visa

[Karen51]

Thanks to Lopburi3 for your reply. Just to clarify, we did not ask for an O-A visa at Thai Embassy Singapore. We asked for the non-O immigrant as advised on this board and the Embassy said we could convert it to the retirement visa in Thailand. Maybe the lady at the Embassy misunderstood - I don't know but she definitely said that funds in Singapore (held for 3 months) were acceptable. Only problem was our residence status. It is where our only home is (currently) and we are tax resident but that is not enough. I actually sent an email to get some clarification from them, but they have not replied. Was hoping that someone else in Singapore might have an answer.

In any case, I think we'll be abandoning this route and will be sorting everything through a local firm in Thailand (actually, one of the sponsors of ThaiVisa). Thanks again.

[Gary A]

It's not a problem. A friend of mine had that same situation. He went to immigration and told them he wanted a retirement visa but needed to open a bank account. He had to get an address statement from his landlord, take that back to immigration and they gave him a paper to give to the bank.

[oooooo]

any branch of the the major thai banks will welcome ur money regardless of ur visa status. as far as i understand the law, which doesnt mean anything, hehe, u should be able to establish an account without any hassle at any branch office.

siam panit, kassikorn thai, and bbl around the vic monument have been known to be most accommodating.

cheers

[lopburi3]

Ref: Joint Account.

I have applied for, an obtained, my last 3 retirement extensions with a joint bank account. This being with a Thai, not spouse. Am hoping to continue with this account for my next extension later tnis year.

To help others could you please advise which immigration office you used and if the account had double the required amount or not. Thanks.

//Edit: Reading back see you use Mai Sot Immigration. Wonder if account has a large balance over the 800k or not, as suspect such would not be acceptable in Bangkok for what would appear to me to be obvious fraud concerns.

[Maestro]

siam panit, kassikorn thai, and bbl around the vic monument have been known to be most accommodating.

Are you talking about Nan province, which is where the OP wants to open a savings account?

--------------

Maestro

[Krub]

any branch of the the major thai banks will welcome ur money regardless of ur visa status. as far as i understand the law, which doesnt mean anything, hehe, u should be able to establish an account without any hassle at any branch office.

siam panit, kassikorn thai, and bbl around the vic monument have been known to be most accommodating.

cheers

It is no help to the OP to be told the opposit of what he himself has experienced and why he is seeking our advice !

Also the OP is in NAN which is more than 700km north of Bangkok

It is very frustating and I had the same experience when you find yourself in front of a wall which is mostly just because the local banks prefer not to open than to risk the slightest problem or difficulty. What is an account to a front desk clerk ? It will not increase her salary and is a pain to deal with 8in her eyes)

As already stated the OP needs to go back armed with the customer call center number and ask them to talk directly to the staff concerned. Lots of smile and after a while it should work at one of the branches around where he lives.

No panic no give up.

He could get a residence certificate letter from the immigration to help the process also at the bank

[Buckaroo]

Thanks to all for all the replies, I have finally managed to get an account. Please let me explain my circumstances here.

British 59 years old and no Thai wife or gf, I have retired here to be near my son who works here and has a work permit.

Nan immigration office could not understand why I could not get bank account but acknowledged that this was the case, from your advice here we asked about a joint account with my son as having a work permit he could open an account. A few phone calls to Chiang Mai immigration office later by the staff of the Nan office confirmed that a visa could be granted on a joint account and that there only needed to be enough funds in the account for one person as it was only one person applying for the visa.

Back to the banks

We tried the Bangkok bank and the Ayutthia bank but they would not make a joint account for two foreigners if only one had a work permit, they both telephoned their respective head offices to get clarification for this. Ayutthia bank would grant a joint account after I had been here for 3 months. Luckily for me, my son's wife knows some people in the local Kassikorn bank and after numerous telephone calls by them to head office managed to open an account for us. They did let us know that it is not normally possible and they had to vouch for us to be able to do this.

I feel very lucky that my son's wife knew these people as I feel that I may have been searching a long time to open an account, especially after the local branches had been told by their head offices that they could not open one for us. I suppose it would have been a fact applying at Ayutthia bank after three months of being here if I did not mange to open an account anywhere else.

This is such a catch 22 situation and really needs to be corrected by the various government departments involved, we were told by law foreigners were never allowed to open a bank account without a work permit but that law was never enforced until recently.

Once again thanks all for your replies and advice and best of luck to Karen51 in getting your account

[naka]

They probably dont see too many farangs in Nan.

Next time you go to a large city you should visit the Kasikorn branch

and open your own account.

I have four Thai accounts and have never had a work permit.

Naka.

[TAWP]

It sure is different if your in BKK. Went with my wife, showed passport with non-o and account was opened and ATM-card given.

[victor15]

I moved from Chiang Mai to Khlong Khlung (middle of nowhere) about three months ago and I had no problems opening a new account with KasikornBank, all I needed was my passport with non Immigrant "O" visa

[dominique355]

Your problem seems to be very familiar and appears to happen all the time.

It did happen to me when, also in the process of applying for a retirement visa, I wanted to open a bank account. My first visit to Bangkok Bank produced exactly the same result: I need a working permit to open an account. That was after the coup. Nothing could convince the bank clerk nor her boss that I will not be able to get a working permit with the retirement visa. Stubborn and stupid, that's how I would qualify these people at Bangkok Bank.

Fortunately, there was Kasikorn Bank (aka Thai Farmer Bank) right across the street. No problem at all there, I opened even 2 bank accounts, got my ATM card, electronic banking contract and anything else I needed for my visa. Efficient, polite and quick, that's how I would qualify these people at Kasikorn Bank.

[danielbesangez]

Hi there

I seem to be stuck in a loop, I am British aged 59.

I am trying to get a retirement visa, to get this I need to have 65,000 Baht income I have this and it is broken down as 40,000 a month pension and 320,000+ into a bank account in Thailand. The problem I have is that no banks here in Nan province will allow me to open an account without a work permit! They say this has been inforced since the military took control.

I feel at a loss about what to do, I have telephoned the Immigration 24hr call center and I am waiting to hear back as they will have to look into the matter. If anyone here has any ideas as to what my next coarse of action could be please, please let me know

Thanks in advance

Hello, I have a account for my retirement visa,BUT YOU MUST OPEN THIS ACCOUNT ONLY IN BANGKOK. and then no problem.I have open my account at Bangkok bank very easyly.

[paulmw]

lopburi3

"A joint bank account will not likely be acceptable to immigration for extension of stay for retirement unless double the required funds are on deposit - and I am not at all sure they would even accept that if not your spouse."

lopburi3, normally your info is clear and easy to understand, however, I'm having difficulty with this one. Since there is no info about who would be on the joint account, are you assuming it's not a Thai? If it's a Thai spouse, why would they have to show any money?

I believe this technicality has been on the books for several years, but hasn't been a problem in the past. I can remember chuckling about this Catch 22 when I first heard about it. Sorry, I realize it's not a laughing matter for those caught up in the problem. Hope it works out.

This came into affect over a year ago nothing to do with coup, as usual Some branches turn a blind eye to big cash deposits.

Paul

[Bangkokbob]

The information I am giving here is a result of a visit I made last summer to the Thai consulate in Chicago. I asked them many questions and kept the notes. For your application and first visa, the bank account statement with a letter of guarantee can be from a bank in the country where you reside or from the country your passport was issued. For extensions of that visa after one year, you must provide evidence of money transfer or a deposit account in the Kingdom or an income certificate of no less than 800,000 baht or a combination thereof. You can open a resident account or a non-resident account for baht. If you don't have a work permit, a certificate of residence is required which is issued by the Dept of Revenue for a resident acct. This means you have to file a income tax document even if your retirement income is not taxed. Or for a non-residence baht account, you need 3 recommendations: a company or embassy, a customer of the bank, and from the bank you use in your home country. I won't say its easy but its not impossible. Once you get a baht account open, you're good to go for as long as you want. Until they change the rules again. Guess you can see why I visited the consulate and took careful notes 18 months before I retire.

[CMBob]

I have been able to open accounts at both Bangkok Bank and Siam Commercial Bank while holding no work permit and only the 30-day "get it free on arrival" visa. Bangkok Bank, though, won't let you use their internet banking without a work permit (although, like everything else in Thailand, my guess is there is some Bangkok Bank branch somewhere that might let you do that). Siam Commericial Bank had no such reluctance and it's rather handy to check out the balance on the net and, as I have mine set up, to transfer amounts (free) from my account to a companion account.

A few friends have also been able to do the same at Siam Commercial Bank (seems they ignore the 'work permit" rule).

[lopburi3]

From my experience a certificate of residence is not required by most banks and if it is you can obtain from your Embassy or from Immigration (if you have done any 90 day reports). You are not expected to file tax paperwork in Thailand for retirement pensions from outside the country and passbook saving accounts do not require tax ID.

[ignis]

There are 2 simple ways to open an account....

1/ Ask your Bank in the UK, mine did everything, I am with 'First Direct' and they opened an account with HSBC in BKK, at the same time they set up a 'template' for simple transfers..

2/ Go to the Town Hall, you will need the local area Junta + the Blue Book or Landlord/lady of there you live to go with you, the Town Hall will write a letter verifying that you now Retired and live in Thailand……… With this letter you can open a Bank Account, get a drivers Licence, buy a car etc………. There was NO charge for this document

[Arkady]

This is more Thai xenophobia. There is no law that states foreigners need a work permit to open a bank account. The Bank of Thailand had to make some new regulations in 2000 to support the money laundering law. As usual these regulations were ambiguous and some banks decided to interpret them as requiring foreigners to have a work permit. I had a major row with Bangkok Bank at the time because they actually tried to close down my account of many years standing when I went for a new savings account bank. A stupid old bag there insisted that even though I produced a house registration certificate, permanent resident's book and alien book, she would have to close the account down because I didn't have a work permit at the time. I told her I was not leaving until she called head office to confirm her views. This she did and immediately had to apologise to me for her stupidity. Soon after that the Bank of Thailand actually announced that tourists were allowed to open bank accounts because they realised that wealthy tourists who were frequent visitors needed bank accounts so they could transfer zillions of baht to Thailand or they might not want to come. Unfortunately Thai bureaucratic software usually defaults to the "safe mode" where very few cognitive functions can be performed. I can confirm that Kasikorn Bank in Bangkok doesn't ask for work permits, even to open company bank accounts.

[jimbeam1]

Hiya Buckaroo.

I was over from England in Janurary this year. Managed to open an account with Bank of Bangkok. The only

Small problem i had was no permanent address. My girlfreind put her address forward problem solved. I would sugest

keep trying.

Best regards jb1.

[Queers for Fears]

I walked into some banks in BKK with wads of currency in my hands and they said no go to opening an acct so that option is nonesense. I love these catch 22 thai situations

[guru]

Opened an account with 1000 bt in Bangkok Bank Suk soi 8-10 and Siam Commercial on Suk soi 11. Only had tourist visa no work permit.

Siam Commercial gave me internet banking but Bangkok Bank wanted a work permit for internet banking.

[dong]

Hiya Buckaroo.

I was over from England in Janurary this year. Managed to open an account with Bank of Bangkok. The only

Small problem i had was no permanent address. My girlfreind put her address forward problem solved. I would sugest

keep trying.

Best regards jb1.

I think it all comes down to who you get at the service desk,

I had the same problem when openning an account. didnt have a permanent address. So i gave them the address of the hotel, My problem solved..

mind you i had tried many times and many banks in different places, and always got knocked back,I was almost ready to give up, keep trying your luck could change at the next bank..mine did!

[fishhooks]

Opened a normal savings account with Siam Commercial Udon over a year ago, I have no work permit, had a 30 day entry stamp only but an address in Thailand was required so a friend obliged.

This year in January opened two savings accounts (one personal and one joint with Thai girlfriend) at Siam Commercial in Chaiyaphum. Again no problem and very courtious and helpful staff at both branches.

All accounts both at Udon and Chaiyaphum can be accessed and transferred between on the internet.

Siam Commercial very efficient and usually have good english speaking staff at big branches. They also have an english hotline I guess based in Bangkok, which can be readily accessed even all day Saturday.

[Queers for Fears]

Siam commercial on soi 11 were the ones who refused my huge deposit and told me I needed work permit

[jgm005]

Hi there

I seem to be stuck in a loop, I am British aged 59.

I am trying to get a retirement visa, to get this I need to have 65,000 Baht income I have this and it is broken down as 40,000 a month pension and 320,000+ into a bank account in Thailand. The problem I have is that no banks here in Nan province will allow me to open an account without a work permit! They say this has been inforced since the military took control.

I feel at a loss about what to do, I have telephoned the Immigration 24hr call center and I am waiting to hear back as they will have to look into the matter. If anyone here has any ideas as to what my next coarse of action could be please, please let me know

Thanks in advance

Two weeks ago I walked into a Krung Thai Bank, two copies of my passport and opened up a bank account with no problems what so ever. This was in Nongbualampoo (NE Thailand). Aside from sitting around while the paper was shuffled around I had no problem!

[Maestro]

Hiya Buckaroo.

...

keep trying.

What should he keep trying? Buckaroo posted two days ago that he has already been able to open a bank account in his name.

--

Maestro

[guru]

Siam commercial on soi 11 were the ones who refused my huge deposit and told me I needed work permit

Either the rules have changed since I opened one there with only a tourist visa in 2003 or its randomness of staff.

[joesohum]

i havent read all the posts so i dont know if any one has suggested this or not. but i opened an account very easily at bangkok bank. and i see others in there doing the same. it never depended on my visa but i did have to have an address. good luck

[oswaldcassidy]

Had the same problem the other week was refused in several banks however TMB manager told me to bring in my rent agreement from my landlord and providing it was for over 6 months there would be no problem went and saw my landlord who was more than happy to oblige went back to bank and got sorted I suggest you try the same and good luck

[WalterTP]

Hi there

I seem to be stuck in a loop, I am British aged 59.

I am trying to get a retirement visa, to get this I need to have 65,000 Baht income I have this and it is broken down as 40,000 a month pension and 320,000+ into a bank account in Thailand. The problem I have is that no banks here in Nan province will allow me to open an account without a work permit! They say this has been inforced since the military took control.

I feel at a loss about what to do, I have telephoned the Immigration 24hr call center and I am waiting to hear back as they will have to look into the matter. If anyone here has any ideas as to what my next coarse of action could be please, please let me know

Thanks in advance

I had the same problem 4 years ago, long before the coup. Went to 6 banks before Kasikorn opened it for me. Each officer gave a different reason why I could not open my account and yes one of them was "you must have a work permit". One told me I must go to Pattaya(I live in Isan) Amazing Thailand!!!