Bank Account In Thailand

[ChiangraiTony]

Seeking advice from those in the know: I do not live in Thailand but when I traveled there I went into the bank and tried to open an account and was told that I could not. My intentions for opening an account are simply that if I decide to purchase a Condo in Thailand I want to establish credit worthiness and have funds in Thailand to complete the purchase or for example I would like to transfer money from my home country to a Thai bank account so when I travel there I have the funds needed to vacation. I never purchase Travelers Checks and many times when trying to exchange money the bank refuses because the currency that I have from my home country has a blemish, pencil or pen mark, or a small tear and the Thai banks refuse to exchange the currency. This leaves me frustrated when I cannot obtain Thai baht. So I end up spending weeks in my country going from bank to bank sorting through currency to make sure it meets Thailand requirements. Bottom line is that I simply want to open an account. What is the big deal and what will I have to do to accomplish this? Your advice is being requested.

[lastparadisephuket]

The requirements for the bank of Ayudhya are passport, address in Thailand ( either lease or tabian baan) and a telephone number ( cell will do). That will provide all you need to have an account that you can transfer mney to.

[blizzard]

you seriously spend weeks looking for money that meets thai criteria.............lol.

ive never had a thai exchange person decline my money and my dollars are not what you call pristine. they do look closely at the hundred dollar bills some which they might not accept.

if you spend weeks looking for acceptable bills then you know the process of getting a thai bank account. just keep going to different branches till one opens one for you.

[ChiangraiTony]

you seriously spend weeks looking for money that meets thai criteria.............lol.

ive never had a thai exchange person decline my money and my dollars are not what you call pristine. they do look closely at the hundred dollar bills some which they might not accept.

if you spend weeks looking for acceptable bills then you know the process of getting a thai bank account. just keep going to different branches till one opens one for you.

Thanks for your reply and I'm glad that someone got a laugh from it but truthfully I do spend weeks obtaining good bills so they will not be declined in Thailand. Now to the main point, are you saying that I should be ale to open a bank account in Thailand even if I do not live there? Are you suggesting that maybe it's that one particular bank branch that will not allow an account to be open and maybe I sould try other banks within Thailand?

[blizzard]

YES. i got one after going toabout 18 different ones. others seem to say the same same.

[ChiangraiTony]

YES. i got one after going toabout 18 different ones. others seem to say the same same.

Thanks very much! I'm kicking myself for not ever trying different banks and only taking the word from one bank that I visit each year. Next time I visit Thailand I will make it my goal to visit several.

[Jingthing]

There is an easy way to do this. Talk to a real estate agent and tell them you are seriously shopping for a condo. They will have one of their staff introduce you to a bank and they will open an account. They will always have a business relationship with at least one bank which will allow them to do this. You don't actually have to commit to buy a condo to do this, just be a serious shopper. BTW, I am very happy with Siam Commercial Bank. So I suggest visiting real estate agents first, then banks. I had more than one agent offer me this service free without even asking. Obviously, they do this to establish a bond with you. Such is business.

Edited June 30, 2007 by Jingthing

[rawdonlad]

In December I came over on holiday to sort out a rented house I went into several banks who would not open an account then I tried Kasikorn as many other farangs have an account there. They wanted to see my passport, copy of the house rent agreement (or a house book or letter from immigration of where I live would also do). No problem whatsoever, I paid some money in and they asked if I wanted a Visa Electron Card which I did so I can use it anywhere, the savings book and card were given to me on the spot. They asked what withdrawal limit I wanted for the card up to 100,000 baht a day. Now I have set up online banking to make things even easier. I have set up my UK/Offshore banks so I can go online with them and transfer money to the Kasikorn account when I want , subject of course to doing it is under $20,000 or there are forms etc to fill in. I moved over permanently to Korat in February and I am now building a house so transfer money as is needed. I know others who have done this with Ayudhaya as well.

[nidge]

ive never had a thai exchange person decline my money and my dollars are not what you call pristine. they do look closely at the hundred dollar bills some which they might not accept.

Why do they do this? I get paid cash and bring it into the country, i had no Baht while in Bangkok so decided to change all my dollars in one go. The woman in the bank freaked out when she saw my cash, ($42,000), and told me i should not carry money like this. Then she proceeded to check each one with a magnifying glass. After $500 and half an hour i gave up and just changed that amount. But when i went to my local bank in issan they just counted my money using a machine and paid the conversion straight into my account.

As for opening bank accounts, i have had accounts with Thai Farmers, (Kasikorn), Bangkok Bank and now Siam Commercial. I have only ever had a tourist visa. The banks i have been to have been happy to open the accounts with minimum hassle.

[sonicdragon]

You can open an account with kasikorn bank without needing a visa/wp or proof of address (you do need to give them an address though). You can open an account with bangkok bank with no visa/wp but you need a certified (by your embassy) cpoy of your passport.

[Eff1n2ret]

There are different types of bank account. If you want a full current account, with internet access, chequebook, etc, many banks will tell you that you can't have one if you're just a visitor to the country. That's what happened to me, although some posters do seem to have got round this.

However, you can open a passbook account with which you get an ATM card, simply on production of your passport. I load mine up very cheaply via an internet bank (Moneybookers) before I go there (or while I'm there if necessary), and can draw out 10,000baht per day from an ATM or any amount at any of the branches (Bangkok Bank in my case). I've furnished and paid sundry other bills for setting up our house that way, although the actual stage payments for the house were interbank transfers from the UK at 20-odd quid a time.

[Kaojai]

Opened an account with Bangkok Bank years ago when I was here on a tourist visa. Passport was the only requirement then.

Back when I was visiting only a few times during the year I would transfer money into the account ahead of visits which avoided the hassle of changing cash or T cheques.

Now that I am here full time, I deposit money in the Bangkok Bank branch in New York from my US bank via the Internet a couple of times a year, which has been very convenient and surprisingly hassle-free.

If one bank or branch refuses your request, try another or try another person in the same branch on another day.

[RJJ]

I opened an account with Bangkok Bank 5 years ago, using just my passport (including Non Imm-B Visa).

What I couldn't do was get ATM access because I had opened a joint account (as part of my "evidence of support" category for my wife's Australian Visa application).

I ended up closing the account about 2 years ago, not knowing how hard it would be to open another in the future.

I will try again in years to come, when I feel I need another Thai Bank Account.

[ChiangraiTony]

<br />I opened an account with Bangkok Bank 5 years ago, using just my passport (including Non Imm-B Visa).<br />What I couldn't do was get ATM access because I had opened a joint account (as part of my "evidence of support" category for my wife's Australian Visa application).<br />I ended up closing the account about 2 years ago, not knowing how hard it would be to open another in the future.<br /><br />I will try again in years to come, when I feel I need another Thai Bank Account.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

It sounds like there are many variations of what works and what doesn't from reading through the postings. The next time I am there (in Bangkok) I will try different banks. This same bank where I have been exchanging my money for years has always refused me when asked if I could open a bank account. When I exchange US dollars for Thai baht they also ask for my passport and with the 100.00 bills they always inspect them. However, when I went up Country to Chaingmai and exchanged my US 100 bills they didn't even ask for my passport. How do you figure that?

[andy1308]

Your credit history outside Thailand is not taken into account whatsoever when opening a bank account here.

[raybkk]

And Today I took my mate to the Head office of the SCB where I opened an account 3 years ago without any hassles no questions asked.

Coming today was totally different.

1. No bank account with Tourist Visa

2. Need workpermit

Told the lady that he was a friend of mine (spoke in Thai to them). Further did I tell them that he needed that account to transfer funds from abroad to purchase a condo.

Manager came, signed of and all was done very fast.

Asked them why all the hassle to which she said: "Many problems with Foreigners who open account without NON-B visa. Bank was told to change their policy because of Terrorism scare. Needs to be NON-B Visa minimum.