Is it possible for a non-Thai and Thai married couple to have a JOINT bank account?

[nglodnig]

Preferably one with both passbook and internet / ATM access for both

[Mike Lister]

Yes, of course, it's very common. My wife and I have a joint accounts as well as our own separate accounts.

[DualSportBiker]

My wife and I have had separate and joint account for years. The only issue has been the interpretation of "and/or" where they think that means all documents must be signed by both. 

[KhunHeineken]

Yes. 

[Andyfez]

UOB do this

[scotty1286]

We have had a joint account for over 20 years with BKK Bank but they will only issue 1 ATM and only 1 person can have the mobile banking, well that's we were informed previously, not sure if this has changed.

[Will B Good]

We do....my wife has had my debit card for over 12 years....never seen it since she took it off me.

[fittobethaied]

Just make sure you understand that joint accounts in Thailand don't function the way they do in the West in that here there is no "rights of survivorship". In Thailand, if one dies, the surviving signatory can't just walk in the bank and take over the account. There will be other heirs that may be entitled to those funds in the event of a death, and you may be way down on the list. Higher-ups at Bangkok Bank have advised our Expat Group in public meetings to rush to the bank in the event of a death and withdraw the money before the bank finds out there has been a death. The account will be frozen if they know that one signatory has died. Yes, that really did happen!

[Expat4life66]

SCB is also good for this; both get bank cards, both can have mobile banking and one passbook with both signatures UV ready in the cover.  SCB can also change your branch in their system if you ever move to a different bank region (e.g., BKK to Hua Hin) without having to close an account and open a new one. 

 

When we were updating our individual accounts with facial recognition, SCB also told us that joint accounts are currently exempt from the new facial recognition rule for transactions over 50K.  On the account, my falang name is in English, wife's name in Thai.  

Edited May 30 by Expat4life66

[peteralex]

1 hour ago, Will B Good said:

We do....my wife has had my debit card for over 12 years....never seen it since she took it off me.

The card, your wife or both?

[nglodnig]

Thanks for all the replies

[Adventurer1]

😅sounds like a nightmare waiting to happen

[thainet]

3 hours ago, scotty1286 said:

We have had a joint account for over 20 years with BKK Bank but they will only issue 1 ATM and only 1 person can have the mobile banking, well that's we were informed previously, not sure if this has changed.

This is correct. But with Bangkok Bank you can get a Mastercard and a Unionpay debit card for the same account. So theoretically both persons have a card.

Also make sure the account is 'either/or' if you want only one person to be able sign/operate. If you don't stipulate at the beginning then both signatures will be required for any transactions. But even with the 'either/or' it takes both signatures to actually close the account.

Hope this helps.

Edited May 30 by thainet

[scorecard]

12 hours ago, Mike Lister said:

Yes, of course, it's very common. My wife and I have a joint accounts as well as our own separate accounts.

I also have it in a joint savings account with my Thai adult son.

I use this account in my internet banking facility therefore I can access the account via internet. 

[scorecard]

10 minutes ago, thainet said:

This is correct. But with Bangkok Bank you can get a Mastercard and a Unionpay debit card for the same account. So theoretically both persons have a card.

Also make sure the account is 'either/or' if you want only one person to be able sign/operate. If you don't stipulate at the beginning then both signatures will be required for any transactions. But even with the 'either/or' it takes both signatures to actually close the account.

Hope this helps.

Agree, I have this situation with BBL and K bank.

[Jaxxper]

Yes, certainly with SCB. One passbook, two ATM cards.

[Luuk Chaai]

K Bank  .   seperate and joint accts 

 joint acct we both have cards and mobile banking ...

[treetops]

On 5/30/2024 at 7:52 AM, fittobethaied said:

Just make sure you understand that joint accounts in Thailand don't function the way they do in the West in that here there is no "rights of survivorship". In Thailand, if one dies, the surviving signatory can't just walk in the bank and take over the account. There will be other heirs that may be entitled to those funds in the event of a death, and you may be way down on the list. Higher-ups at Bangkok Bank have advised our Expat Group in public meetings to rush to the bank in the event of a death and withdraw the money before the bank finds out there has been a death. The account will be frozen if they know that one signatory has died. Yes, that really did happen!

 

There is a specific type of joint account where the survivor can legally access the funds that gets mentioned on here frequently.  I can't remember the exact name but hopefully someone will be along soon who has one and can tell you what to ask for if you want one.

Edited May 31 by treetops

[Mike Lister]

38 minutes ago, treetops said:

 

There is a specific type of joint account where the survivor can legally access the funds that gets mentioned on here frequently.  I can't remember the exact name but hopefully someone will be along soon who has one and can tell you what to ask for if you want one.

An "either or" account.

[anchadian]

On 5/31/2024 at 7:52 PM, Mike Lister said:

An "either or" account.t

Let's say a foreigner who is married to a Thai lady but separated, opens an "either or" account with his Thai girlfriend, can the surviving holder LEGALLY access the funds?