2 minutes ago, Salerno said:

Because people are trying to open a Thai account to deposit money for retirement extensions - saying people should use their "home country" bank isn't exactly helpful is it.

You've been here long enough to understand how the banks work. If you can't get the right answer from one branch, go to another one, that must be the one of the most common statements made on this forum. The bank needs a letter of residency from the OP so he needs to go to Immigration. If Immigration wont give him one, he needs to tell his visa facilitator to sort it out. 

14 minutes ago, nigelforbes said:

No, it's an Immi. thing. Who do you think has instructed the banks to check the validity of visa's of all their foreign customers, every time they transact on their account at a branch, it certainly wasn't the banks idea and AMLO doesn't care about visa validity. And who do you think has instructed the banks to require specific documents from foreign customers, that wasn't the banks idea either!

Have you proof of that ?

Also the TM-30 enforcement is very resent,

1 minute ago, nigelforbes said:

You've been here long enough to understand how the banks work. If you can't get the right answer from one branch, go to another one, that must be the one of the most common statements made on this forum. The bank needs a letter of residency from the OP so he needs to go to Immigration. If Immigration wont give him one, he needs to tell his visa facilitator to sort it out. 

Indeed, which is a far cry from "use your bank in your home country". I had already posted the going rate for an agent to open an account.

11 minutes ago, nigelforbes said:

And who do you think has instructed the banks to require specific documents from foreign customers, that wasn't the banks idea either!

Of course it is.

Bank staff are obliged to check that customers are entitled to receive the service being offered, a fairly standard global requirement. Very difficult to  open an account anywhere without proof of address with services being subject to varying requirements.

I tried to open an account with HSBC and they wouldn't do it until I proved I paid income tax in the UK.

1 minute ago, Orinoco said:

Have you proof of that ?

Also the TM-30 enforcement is very resent,

TM30 is not recent, TM 30 has been around for a long time.

 

Do I have proof? Yes, I asked my bank and the manager  reaffirmed it was an Immi. requirement. Later I wrote to the CEO of the bank because I was annoyed, he said enough words to confirm that was the case, without actually saying anyone was responsible....you know how those letters go here.

1 minute ago, nigelforbes said:

TM30 is not recent, TM 30 has been around for a long time.

 

Do I have proof? Yes, I asked my bank and the manager  reaffirmed it was an Immi. requirement. Later I wrote to the CEO of the bank because I was annoyed, he said enough words to confirm that was the case, without actually saying anyone was responsible....you know how those letters go here.

God your hard work

Quote

 the TM-30 enforcement is very resent,

Good day

1 minute ago, Orinoco said:

God your hard work

Good day

"TM30 is a notification, which a home owner, or a hotel owner needs to complete if a foreigner stays on their property. This report was established in 1979".

 

https://www.theblondtravels.com/tm-30-how-to-do/#:~:text=TM30 is a notification%2C which,it has never been executed.

3 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Of course it is.

Bank staff are obliged to check that customers are entitled to receive the service being offered, a fairly standard global requirement. Very difficult to  open an account anywhere without proof of address with services being subject to varying requirements.

I tried to open an account with HSBC and they wouldn't do it until I proved I paid income tax in the UK.

Do you really think it was the banks idea to check the validity of visa's of their foreign customers, every time they transact......of course it wasn't, that has nothing to do with KYC or money laundering et al, that's purely Immi..

6 minutes ago, Salerno said:

Indeed, which is a far cry from "use your bank in your home country". I had already posted the going rate for an agent to open an account.

No it is not a far cry. If you don't have a long stay visa, you can't have a bank account. If you do have a long stay visa, you can. Sure there's some guys who are getting caught in the middle on this, the OP is one such case it seems. But that doesn't change the principles involved.

1 hour ago, Orinoco said:

Hard to give banks money. Honestly

It's almost as hard as trying to get some of "their" money, that they are keeping in your account for you.

 

16 minutes ago, nigelforbes said:

Do you really think it was the banks idea to check the validity of visa's of their foreign customers, every time they transact......of course it wasn't, that has nothing to do with KYC or money laundering et al, that's purely Immi..

Garbage, the validity of my visa has not been checked since 2014.

People are up in arms because Thailand has abandoned the old ways and followed  the ways of the west.

How easy is it for a foreigner visiting a western country to deal with the banks?

You are quite entitled to believe you are a permanent resident and entitled to special treatment.

There is no dispute the 90 day timeline is quite tight and immigration could make things easier if they said a 12 month extension will only be granted to those on a 12 month ME visa.

1 minute ago, sandyf said:

Garbage, the validity of my visa has not been checked since 2014.

People are up in arms because Thailand has abandoned the old ways and followed  the ways of the west.

How easy is it for a foreigner visiting a western country to deal with the banks?

You are quite entitled to believe you are a permanent resident and entitled to special treatment.

There is no dispute the 90 day timeline is quite tight and immigration could make things easier if they said a 12 month extension will only be granted to those on a 12 month ME visa.

Garbage!!!!

 

Either you have not transacted inside a branch for a long time or you used a pink card to open your account. If you have been inside a branch and you have not been asked for your passport, I don't believe you because there have been numerous discussions about this subject over the past few months. If you have been asked for your passport I can believe that you may not have noticed that your visa was being checked. I bank at Bangkok Bank and UOB and both require my passport before I can even update my bank book! Bangkok Bank even has signs at teller stations stating that passports will be required.

 

As for the rest of what you wrote: no, I'm not up in arms, I'm very supportive of what the banks are doing, I think it's the right thing to do. And I never said I thought I was a permanent resident, I don't know where you pulled that one from!!

10 minutes ago, nigelforbes said:

If you have been inside a branch and you have not been asked for your passport, I don't believe you because there have been numerous discussions about this subject over the past few months. If you have been asked for your passport I can believe that you may not have noticed that your visa was being checked.

Your statement about every transaction was gross exageration. I only go to the bank when doing an extension and you obviously think I am stupid in not knowing when my visa is being checked.

It is only a few weeks since doing my last extension and the bank copied my pasport but they never asked to see my visa.

12 hours ago, cubism001 said:

  1 requirement (from my visa facilitator) is to start a savings account before I get involved in the paperwork.

Yes, good idea to have money in a Thai Bank as you have "retired" here!!! 

Put 800,000 or more in there and you can save 20,000 or more per year that you pay your "visa facilitator"

18 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Your statement about every transaction was gross exageration. I only go to the bank when doing an extension and you obviously think I am stupid in not knowing when my visa is being checked.

It is only a few weeks since doing my last extension and the bank copied my pasport but they never asked to see my visa.

If they copied your passport they checked your visa, even if they didn't ask you, all they had to do was turn the page!. And yes, EVERY transaction. And hey, don't take it out on me just because you don't understand what's going on.

2 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

I dont need to.

I have done this in Bangkok myself. 

 

All the old nonsense of take a Thai (of note) or existing customer etc etc does not work anymore.

 

There may be some back of Bourke banks that will open an account without a certificate of residence (or embassy letter) in most provinces the residence certificate will be required. 

I think you misunderstood my post and the word "should" that I used. I am finding that we are saying the same thing. What you have found out by doing a particular journey is different from others and the guide written down on paper to be successful at that journey isn't usually followed.

1 hour ago, Skallywag said:

Yes, good idea to have money in a Thai Bank as you have "retired" here!!! 

Put 800,000 or more in there and you can save 20,000 or more per year that you pay your "visa facilitator"

In the USA,  citizens can get up to 5.03% APY on a standard savings account, federally insured up to 250k.

(Those rates can change at any time).

 

The highest interest in Thailand currently on a savings account is 1.5%.

 

 

Always seems easy if you tell them you want to transfer a few million or go in with a Thai

4 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Pretty obvious, if you DO NOT  live here, opening a bank account would imply, you're doing something illegal. 

?????

4 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Pretty obvious, if you DO NOT  live here, opening a bank account would imply, you're doing something illegal. 

That's a nonsensical generalization. I opened a Thai bank account two years before moving to Thailand, when I was already a frequent visitor. Just for convenience and to avoid having to pay ATM fees which were starting to become ridiculous. Nothing to do with any criminal activities.

 

Nowadays, with QR code payments and whatnot, there are even more reasons to have a local bank account. Not for someone on a once in a lifetime trip to Thailand obviously, but for any frequent visitor (of which there are many).

15 hours ago, cubism001 said:

Yes, that was the second bank.  Lots more stuff to gather than last time...

I used kk but had gf with me.

I opened my Bangkok Bank account years ago and it was so easy. But now-a-days it might not be. However, I wanted a second bank account so I could save money for any future medical issues. So I went to the green bank, Kasikornbank at Central Festival Mall last week. I only had my passport, nothing else and they opened me an account with a ATM within minutes. All I told the lady was that I wanted to open an account and no other questions were asked. 15 minutes later I was done. It was super simple.

2 hours ago, JimmyJ said:

In the USA,  citizens can get up to 5.03% APY on a standard savings account, federally insured up to 250k.

(Those rates can change at any time).

 

The highest interest in Thailand currently on a savings account is 1.5%.

 

 

You are not retired if you need a 5% return on a savings account IMO. 

Understood, some people always want more, they can never have enough.

I believe, people also can get an equivalent residency certificate or bank account opening letter from their Embassy in Thailand... at least U.S. folks can. Though the price at the U.S. Embassy is a steep $50.... but it will/should work for Thai bank account opening purposes.

 

The reality is, Thai bank branches long have been all over the map in terms of what they require of foreigners who want to open local bank accounts here...and it even varies widely from branch to branch within the same banking company. So most expats/tourists faced with this dilemma branch shop until they find a more cooperative branch.

 

For expats, IME, Krungsri branches often tend to be among the more cooperative. And Bangkok Bank branches can be OK too... especially branches located in more tourist busy areas.

 

Here's a prior version of BKK Bank's policy for account opening for folks on tourist visas or visa exempt/visa on arrival: (Note that the section 2 part requires only ONE of the listed docs, not both).

 

 

https://www.bangkokbank.com/-/media/Files/Personal/Other-Services/Branch-Services/International-Branches/ExpatBooklet_Jan2017.ashx?la=en&hash=15587776FB3E6C04F9DE10BC2742AFE153E20D44

 

It's kind of a chicken vs egg problem -- Thai Immigration wants 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account for retirement extensions. But many Thai bank branches don't want to open new Thai bank accounts for folks unless they already have a residency certificate from Immigration.

 

6 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Most banks now require a certificate of residence or letter from your embassy to open a bank account. 

Most branches of Bangkok Bank have required that for years, but I have not encountered any other banks asking for it at all (Kasikorn, Krungsri, SCB, TTB).

why immigration does not allow foreign bank with 800k equivalent ?  my mother could not open a bank account... if she gets a long stay  xo visa in her home country, at 80, she has to have insurance from a thai company, quoted 193.000 - 253.000 BAHT a year... which sadly is... half of her YEARLY pension

11 hours ago, nigelforbes said:

It isn't really. This is part of the new money laundering laws, neither banks nor AMLO want tourists or casual visitors wandering in and opening bank accounts and using the fraudulently. Banks want to see that customers have a long stay visa and a place to live, that is not unreasonable. If you don't have those things use your bank in your home country, simple.

But to convert from a visa exempt to a Non O based on retirement, which is possible, you will need a Thai bank account to show the  THB 800,000 if you are using that method.

Hence the Residence Certificate from Immigration, and perhaps the TM.30.

Hey Bryan, my visa agent explained that the govt changes the rules almost every year, and this year had the ones I mentioned: an applicant for retirement visa must have a bank account prior to filing the application. It was Not that way in 2020-21. I never went to immigration, never got a bank account here because I didn't want one...

14 minutes ago, Justanotherone said:

why immigration does not allow foreign bank with 800k equivalent ?  my mother could not open a bank account... if she gets a long stay  xo visa in her home country, at 80, she has to have insurance from a thai company, quoted 193.000 - 253.000 BAHT a year... which sadly is... half of her YEARLY pension

They allow Thai branches of foreign banks. 

But immigration would not be able to check whether the documents from a bank in a foreign country are legitimate or not. And if I show up with statements from my account at First Somali Shabab Bank Inc. - how would they even know whether this bank exists? How would they know that if need may be I can easily transfer money from there to Thailand?

Immigration wouldn't give me the residency letter because there weren't enough days on my entry visa...Which has me thinking about visa runs again. I tire of all the hoop-jumping.