Agents to open bank account

[DrJack54]

19 minutes ago, Hakuna Matata said:

It smells fishy. Never use agents!

That's just ignorance.

 

[MrJ2U]

On 4/30/2023 at 5:19 PM, Red Phoenix said:

Obviously you want to open a Bank-Account at a Bank-branche in the vicinity of where you are staying (or alternatively close or on the way to the Imm Office of that province).  Because when applying for a Non Imm O Visa or extension of such Visa, you always need to visit your Bank first to get hold of the required bank-documents for your application.

As mentioned in previous posts a Visa Agent can help you with opening a Bank-Account, and in many cases the fee for such service (approx 4.000-5.000 THB) is well worth it.

But what if you are staying in a non-touristy province where there are NO Visa-Agents, and you need to open a Bank-account in order to apply for your Non Imm O Visa? 

In that case you would need to do a tour of the Banks in your area in the hope to find one that is willing to open a Bank-account for you and not require impossible demands to do so (like a residence certificate or a Work Permit).

Such a quest for a Bank-Account can be an extremely frustrating experience, hence some tips, that will considerably augment your chances of being successful at opening the required Bank-Account:

- When visiting the Bank to open a Personal Bank-Account, make sure to be polite, never loose your temper and be dressed appropriately (no flip-flops or T-shirts);

- Your chances to open a Bank-Account rise significantly when you are accompanied by a Thai friend/relative who has an account at that bank, and who can introduce you there;

- IMPORTANT > Don't deal with the Bank desk-officers, but ask immediately on entry to talk with the Bank Manager and tell him/her that you want to open an account at their branche.  The desk-officers are quick to say 'Not possible' when they are unsure about how to open an account for a foreigner and often don't want to lose face by having to ask their colleagues or the manager how to do it.  But if the Bank Manager told you OK, he will assign you to a desk officer to open your account.

- Be aware that EVERY bank-branche is a little fiefdom, and so it is well possible that when applying at branche X of Bank ZZZ that they tell you that it's not possible, while asking at branche Y of that same Bank at the other side of the street, that you might be successful. 

- Your best chances are with Thai Banks that are familiar with foreign customers, like Kasikorn Bank, Bangkok Bank, KrungSri Bank, KrungThep Bank, Siam Commercial Bank. ...  Banks that deal almost exclusively with Thai clientele (like GSD) are as good as always very busy and they will have little experience with how to deal with foreigners that are in need of specific Bank documents to meet Immigration requirements.

 

Cheers and success!

 

Or just have the agent open the bank account, get the retirement visa, do your 90 day reports. 

 

You never have to do a thing except pay the agent's fees.

 

 

 

 

 

[wildpuppet72]

On 5/12/2023 at 6:30 PM, Lemsta69 said:

Which BBL branch in Pathum Thani was this?

Pattaya branch was the branch I opened it

[Lemsta69]

14 minutes ago, wildpuppet72 said:

Pattaya branch was the branch I opened it

Nice, but Pathum Thani is a bit far from Pattaya!

[wildpuppet72]

Yeah Sometimes you need to go for a drive or get out to get work done you asked I replied I was visiting a friend in pattaya and opened and account at the same time I could had did it where I lived in suphanburi but did it in pattaya regards the time spent 

[Golden Triangle]

Times have changed a lot, 12 years ago I just walked into the local Kasikorn with 30,000 baht which I dropped on the counter and told them I wanted/needed to open an account, 30 minutes later I walked out with the job done. 

[Will27]

For those discussing the merits of agents.

 

A mate from Oz arrived into Thailand last week (VOA).

Intends to go the retirement route.

 

Went to Kamphaeng Phet Immigration for details.

They gave him a certificate of Residency.

 

He went to Bangkok bank and was able to open an account no problems.

[Lemsta69]

3 minutes ago, Will27 said:

For those discussing the merits of agents.

 

A mate from Oz arrived into Thailand last week (VOA).

Intends to go the retirement route.

 

Went to Kamphaeng Phet Immigration for details.

They gave him a certificate of Residency.

 

He went to Bangkok bank and was able to open an account no problems.

Your mate came in Visa Exempt not VOA, they're not the same.  Also the whole point of the OP it's that Parhum Thani office apparently won't do a CoR and neither will his embassy.

[DrJack54]

15 minutes ago, Will27 said:

Went to Kamphaeng Phet Immigration for details.

They gave him a certificate of Residency

That all well and good.

Immigration offices vary and that would not work in Bangkok.

CW requires a TM47 report to obtain a certificate of residence and hence for anyone on visa exempt entry or tourist visa they cannot open a bank account unless their embassy provides service to endorse address.

 

That is when discussion of agents enters the game. 

Edited May 16, 2023 by DrJack54

[Will27]

6 minutes ago, Lemsta69 said:

Your mate came in Visa Exempt not VOA, they're not the same.  Also the whole point of the OP it's that Parhum Thani office apparently won't do a CoR and neither will his embassy.

Fair enough.

 

But it was just to advise the people who are having difficulty opening a bank account without being on a visa.

Some people were asking about other provinces.