Joint Account

[roger101]

Can I bring money from the UK (using Transferwise) and pay it into a Joint Account (wife) for Immigration purposes (65,000 Baht a month.

[lopburi3]

No.  Account must be in your name only.

[Epidemiologist Dave]

No. Joint accounts are not acceptable. 

[Tanoshi]

Any account you use for Immigration purposes must be in the sole name of the applicant (foreigner).

Nothing to stop you transferring it to a joint account afterwards as long as you have proof of overseas transfer to your account.

[lopburi3]

Just now, Tanoshi said:

Nothing to stop you transferring it to a joint account afterwards as long as you have proof of overseas transfer to your account.

Indeed especially easy if you set up internet access and at same bank.

[Tanoshi]

22 minutes ago, roger101 said:

Can I bring money from the UK (using Transferwise) and pay it into a Joint Account (wife) for Immigration purposes (65,000 Baht a month.

Out of curiosity Roger, which bank are you with?

[hotandsticky]

Must be sole account - a friend was almost declined on a marriage extension because 2/12 payments had gone into a joint account before redirected his pension to a sole account. This was his first renewal after the British embassy stopped doing income letters so they gave him some slack - but said, next time “must be all in yo sole account “.

 

Absolutely pointless as Tanoshi said because you could immediately transfer to a joint account.

[Tanoshi]

10 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

Must be sole account - a friend was almost declined on a marriage extension because 2/12 payments had gone into a joint account before redirected his pension to a sole account. This was his first renewal after the British embassy stopped doing income letters so they gave him some slack - but said, next time “must be all in yo sole account “.

 

Absolutely pointless as Tanoshi said because you could immediately transfer to a joint account.

As I've stated before on similar topics.

You can have an account in your sole name, but with your wife as a registered 'authorised' user.

Passbooks, letters, statements all come in your sole name for Immigration purposes.

My wife is a registered user on both my Savings and Fixed Term accounts with Bangkok bank.

They even issued her a separate debit card for the Savings account.

Edited June 27, 2020 by Tanoshi

[Matzzon]

Every thing regarding that the account must be in your name only is correct. However, some offices have been able to accept joint accounts if the amount transferred per month reaches 2 x 65 000 baht (130 000).

[Aussieroaming]

Yes you can use a joint account and I speak from the personal experience of having used a Kasikorn joint account (wife and I) for my immigration extensions for the last 7 years. I have never had a solo account in Thailand.

 

However I renew with the lump sum method and the lump sum needs to be 2 x times the minimum required for a single account, dependent on whether its retirement or marriage based extension. I'm unfamiliar with what the amount needed would be for the monthly remittance payment method.

[lopburi3]

7 minutes ago, Aussieroaming said:

Yes you can use a joint account and I speak from the personal experience of having used a Kasikorn joint account (wife and I) for my immigration extensions for the last 7 years. I have never had a solo account in Thailand.

There are some offices that will still accept for money in account if double the required amount - but the proof of income is a totally different procedure only required of about 4 nations and have not seen any report of a joint bank account being accepted for those monthly deposits.

[merijn]

You have to check with the immigration office you are using.

For example Phuket immigration will normally accept a joined account when applying for a extension for retirement but they will need a marriage certificate to proof the relationship of the account holders and the amount has to be doubled. ( 2 x 800 K Baht or 2 X 65 K baht income )

[Max69xl]

On 6/27/2020 at 1:51 PM, Tanoshi said:

As I've stated before on similar topics.

You can have an account in your sole name, but with your wife as a registered 'authorised' user.

Passbooks, letters, statements all come in your sole name for Immigration purposes.

My wife is a registered user on both my Savings and Fixed Term accounts with Bangkok bank.

They even issued her a separate debit card for the Savings account.

"My wife is a registered user on both my Savings and Fixed Term accounts with Bangkok bank.

They even issued her a separate debit card for the Savings account."

Just out of curiosity: Why? 

Are you trying to show other people that you trust your wife implicitly? Many farang have done that mistake and will regret it for the rest of their life. Just saying.

[Pilotman]

On 6/27/2020 at 1:51 PM, Tanoshi said:

As I've stated before on similar topics.

You can have an account in your sole name, but with your wife as a registered 'authorised' user.

Passbooks, letters, statements all come in your sole name for Immigration purposes.

My wife is a registered user on both my Savings and Fixed Term accounts with Bangkok bank.

They even issued her a separate debit card for the Savings account.

we have the same arrangement for our 'immigration account'. 

[khunPer]

On 6/27/2020 at 8:05 AM, roger101 said:

Can I bring money from the UK (using Transferwise) and pay it into a Joint Account (wife) for Immigration purposes (65,000 Baht a month.

No.

 

But you can use joint accounts for the 400k baht/800k baht deposit method, but the joint account need to be the double value, i.e. 800k baht/1.6 million baht.

[George Aylesham]

On 6/27/2020 at 2:28 PM, Matzzon said:

Every thing regarding that the account must be in your name only is correct. However, some offices have been able to accept joint accounts if the amount transferred per month reaches 2 x 65 000 baht (130 000).

 

1 hour ago, khunPer said:

No.

 

But you can use joint accounts for the 400k baht/800k baht deposit method, but the joint account need to be the double value, i.e. 800k baht/1.6 million baht.

Yes, This is what I did but with the lump sum and had to show 1.6million in the joint account. However as other posters suggest, it doesn't always work and it's far safer to use a single name account.

[unblocktheplanet]

You may, however, have your wife as an 'invisible' signeron your account. Her name does not appear in the bankbook but she can deposit, withdraw or move the funds. We do this for safety in the event of my (untimely) demise.

[thailand49]

On 6/27/2020 at 12:28 AM, Matzzon said:

Every thing regarding that the account must be in your name only is correct. However, some offices have been able to accept joint accounts if the amount transferred per month reaches 2 x 65 000 baht (130 000).

In Jomtien!  I have a joint account with my wife been using it for years to renewal never had a problem. As you noted if you do you must have double the amount if one uses the 800,000 per year minimum must be 1,600,000.

[Road Warrior]

a big NO

[JimGant]

On 6/28/2020 at 3:01 PM, Max69xl said:

Are you trying to show other people that you trust your wife implicitly? Many farang have done that mistake and will regret it for the rest of their life. Just saying.

Yeah, some farangs obtained their wives at a discount. Many of us others have been married for decades to our loyal wives. Having your wife's name as a cosignatory on your account(s) aids in bypassing the probate process, which the lawyer mafia can charge easily 50,000 baht. As soon as you're smoke, or earlier, the wife, as cosignatory, can march into the bank and drain your account(s). Completely legal? Probably not, but if she's your sole beneficiary in your Will, and probably even the executor -- and nobody's contesting that she's inheriting your accounts -- fait accompli trumps anything the lawyers could ever come up with (a pure case of 'without malice').

Heck, this could all be done online, assuming the permissions are set. But the cosignatory aspect adds a layer of protection for the beneficiary -- and, who's going to get a copy of the death certificate and compare it to the date of withdrawal.....?

[Tanoshi]

11 minutes ago, JimGant said:

Having your wife's name as a cosignatory on your account(s) aids in bypassing the probate process, which the lawyer mafia can charge easily 50,000 baht. As soon as you're smoke, or earlier, the wife, as cosignatory, can march into the bank and drain your account(s). Completely legal? Probably not, but if she's your sole beneficiary in your Will, and probably even the executor -- and nobody's contesting that she's inheriting your accounts -- fait accompli trumps anything the lawyers could ever come up with (a pure case of 'without malice').

Heck, this could all be done online, assuming the permissions are set. But the cosignatory aspect adds a layer of protection for the beneficiary -- and, who's going to get a copy of the death certificate and compare it to the date of withdrawal.....?

Illegal no, unorthodox maybe.

Even without a Will under Thai Inheritance law your legitimate wife inherits your assets.

I'd still recommend a Will though as an extra layer of protection against those that may contest any inheritance.

 

Legally married Thais often withdraw or transfer funds from a deceased partners account before advising the bank of the death to close the account. There is never any action brought about by the banks.