3 minutes ago, Skallywag said:

My experience is with your name in a yellow book and a pink foreigner ID card you will have no problem opening a bank account.

The local amphoe where you get your yellow book done will make you an ID as soon as you are in the yellow book.    Good Luck! 

Remember, "every girls crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man" 

Dressing for success helps at the amphoe and the bank IMO.  

That is also what I find out with banks in the latest time. But I know that to receive the yellow book it's not so easy in every place. In my place I only needed about 1 hour in the amphoe and some signatures and questions. But there are also reports which seems to be unable to receive a yellow book from some other places. I not sure about "Krabi" how easy it works there. If he lucky and he have all the required document maybe it's worth the try. I would go and try, if have the spare time with the amphoe

2 hours ago, thaiknowmak said:

Krungsri told me they could not, even though I am on a multi entry marriage visa (10 years worth of stamps).  I also brought our marriage certificate...

 

Krungsri in Bangkok opened an account for me with a 1 month visum exemption and a 1 year rental contract. 

Bangkok Bank is getting more hardcore at many of its branches (even it's head office branch in Bangkok on Silom Rd) about requiring a letter from your home country embassy....even if you already have accts open at the branch and various kinds of Thai ID like a Thai Pink ID card, Yellow Book, Thai Drivers License, etc.  The Bangkok Bank website will list a variety of docs they will accept but they seem to really want the embassy letter....and they seem to have tightened-up over the last year at many branches.  Get that embassy letter and usually it's then smooth sailing in opening an acct.

 

But unfortunately that letter can be pricey.  Like getting such a letter from the US Embassy in Bangkok or Chiang Mai costs $50 (approx Bt1,600) and you need to make an online appointment which could be weeks out before the next open appointment.  And unless you live close to Bangkok or Chiang Mai then you got that long trek to get there. 

 

And the letter is nothing more than a short letter with your passport number, Thailand address, and note on it that you want to open a bank acct....but that letter on US Embassy letterhead along with the embassy's stamp/signature makes it pricey.  

 

But if a person needs a Thai bank account and an embassy letter is required.   A lot will depend on each bank's headquarters policy, the local branch manager, etc.     Although I have numerous Thai bank accounts and all kinds of Thai ID I have run into the "gotta have embassy letter" before.  

 

Opening a bank acct in Thailand can be challenging and frustrating....or, it can turn out to be easy.  It's can be like a spin of the wheel, luck of the draw, roll of the dice, etc.

 

 

Edited September 18, 20196 yr by Pib

On 9/17/2019 at 6:26 PM, Lamkyong said:

just for interest if you already have had multiple accounts  are they now all closed ?  and could you not try  to open one of those successful  openings to reinstate  

Bank accounts aren't automatically closed, you must go to the branch where it was opened and close it there. So, if the poster hasn't closed the accounts, they should still be open.

14 hours ago, Martian said:

Bank accounts aren't automatically closed, you must go to the branch where it was opened and close it there. So, if the poster hasn't closed the accounts, they should still be open.

Not necessarily.  When the acct has less than Bt2,000 in it "and" if it goes dormant of owner activity for 12 months (i.e., no acct owner activity such as a withdrawal/deposit/transfer/bill payment...things like interest payment or debit card annual fee does not count as that is bank-initiated activity) then the bank will start charging a Bt50/month maintenance fee.  Once the acct balance reaches zero the acct is closed due to acct owner inactivity.  

 

 

Edited September 19, 20196 yr by Pib