Thai Tax Info Required for Overseas Bank Account

[AusDieMaus]

So I have a investment bank account in Germany with a stock portfolio which is registered under my Thai address. I have been living on and off in Thailand for the past 10 years. I always stay here on visa exempt entries but planning to get a non-immigration O visa for retirement this month. My bank sent me a letter that they would need a tax ID from the country that my bank account is registered to. I do not have a tax ID from Thailand. I earn income from a rental property in Germany. This income is taxed in Germany. I am not registered in Germany any more, as I am mostly traveling around the world with my base being in Thailand most of the year. 

 

Can I get a Thai tax ID once I have the non-immigrant O visa? Or what are my options here? The bank said they will close my account in 3 months if I cannot provide the required information. Anyone with the same problem here? I am happy to provide more details. Thank you.

[Briggsy]

2 hours ago, AusDieMaus said:

So I have a investment bank account in Germany with a stock portfolio which is registered under my Thai address. I have been living on and off in Thailand for the past 10 years. I always stay here on visa exempt entries but planning to get a non-immigration O visa for retirement this month. My bank sent me a letter that they would need a tax ID from the country that my bank account is registered to. I do not have a tax ID from Thailand. I earn income from a rental property in Germany. This income is taxed in Germany. I am not registered in Germany any more, as I am mostly traveling around the world with my base being in Thailand most of the year. 

 

Can I get a Thai tax ID once I have the non-immigrant O visa? Or what are my options here? The bank said they will close my account in 3 months if I cannot provide the required information. Anyone with the same problem here? I am happy to provide more details. Thank you.

You will have the same problem in the UK. The tax residence and tax ID questions are mandatory. Once you change your address to a foreign address, the issue becomes much bigger. The banks have no choice. They have to comply with legislation regarding mandatory disclosure and reporting.

 

Easiest fix is to change your address back to a German address. Alternatively, you could explain to the bank that you are not resident in Thailand for tax purposes and have no Thai tax ID.

[scorecard]

31 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

You will have the same problem in the UK. The tax residence and tax ID questions are mandatory. Once you change your address to a foreign address, the issue becomes much bigger. The banks have no choice. They have to comply with legislation regarding mandatory disclosure and reporting.

 

Easiest fix is to change your address back to a German address. Alternatively, you could explain to the bank that you are not resident in Thailand for tax purposes and have no Thai tax ID.

Australian banks are now going down the same road, even to the point of sending them photos from google earth showing the exact location of the  residential address the client has given the bank. 

[motdaeng]

if you have a bank account in thailand and 15% withholding tax was deducted from you in 2024, you have the right to get this tax refunded. for that, the tax office needs to issue you a TIN... some offices make it easy, while others might make it difficult for you to get one.

 

do you have investments in thailand? did you send money to thailand in 2024? were you a tax resident in thailand in 2024?

[Gsxrnz]

Question for the OP.

 

Has your German bank told you to specifically gat a Thai TIN,  or have they asked you to certify if you are a tax resident in Thailand, and if so, what is your Thai TIN?

 

In my experience, most of these bank letters give you an option to attest that you do not have a foreign TIN.

 

 

[JimHuaHin]

5 hours ago, Briggsy said:

You will have the same problem in the UK. The tax residence and tax ID questions are mandatory. Once you change your address to a foreign address, the issue becomes much bigger. The banks have no choice. They have to comply with legislation regarding mandatory disclosure and reporting.

 

Easiest fix is to change your address back to a German address. Alternatively, you could explain to the bank that you are not resident in Thailand for tax purposes and have no Thai tax ID.

I have had the same issue with my Australian banks (which have my address in Thailand).

 

I have explained that, thus far, although I have been at times a tax resident of Thailand, I have never remitted assessable income to Thailand, and thus I do not need to submit a Thai tax form, and thus I do not have a Thai TIN.  This explanation has been accepted by my banks in Australia.

[Presnock]

7 hours ago, AusDieMaus said:

So I have a investment bank account in Germany with a stock portfolio which is registered under my Thai address. I have been living on and off in Thailand for the past 10 years. I always stay here on visa exempt entries but planning to get a non-immigration O visa for retirement this month. My bank sent me a letter that they would need a tax ID from the country that my bank account is registered to. I do not have a tax ID from Thailand. I earn income from a rental property in Germany. This income is taxed in Germany. I am not registered in Germany any more, as I am mostly traveling around the world with my base being in Thailand most of the year. 

 

Can I get a Thai tax ID once I have the non-immigrant O visa? Or what are my options here? The bank said they will close my account in 3 months if I cannot provide the required information. Anyone with the same problem here? I am happy to provide more details. Thank you.

I am an American so due to FACTA had to fill out the bank form plus as US had to also do the W7 form from the US revenue bit - it always wants a Thai tax number but if one doesn't have on it has a space for reason.  If like me, one has no ASSESSABLE income here then one supposedly isn't eligible for a Tax  ID number.  That is what I put on that form for me.  Usually some expats can convince their local RD office to issue a tax ID number.  If not contact the main BKK Revenue Dept and query what they suggest you do to get that number if you really need it.

[OJAS]

8 hours ago, AusDieMaus said:

with my base being in Thailand most of the year. 

 

Specifically for how long were you based in Thailand between 1 Jan and 31 Dec 2024 inclusive? If more than 180 days then you WERE deemed to be a tax resident of Thailand for that year - in which case it is IMHO essential that you then check how your German property rental income is dealt with in the double taxation agreement between Germany and Thailand*. If this is also considered to be assessable income for taxation purposes in Thailand (with tax credits likely being available to avoid double taxation), you may need to file a tax return with your local TRD office, for which a TIN would be needed in any event.

 

* https://www.rd.go.th/fileadmin/download/nation/germany_e_221057.pdf

 

[AusDieMaus]

3 hours ago, motdaeng said:

do you have investments in thailand? did you send money to thailand in 2024? were you a tax resident in thailand in 2024?

I do not have investments in Thailand. I have a bank account but no withholding tax was deducted. I usually just use my ATM card to withdraw money from my German bank account (not the account in question). I am not a tax resident, as I do not spend more than 180 days in Thailand.

 

3 hours ago, Gsxrnz said:

Question for the OP.

 

Has your German bank told you to specifically gat a Thai TIN,  or have they asked you to certify if you are a tax resident in Thailand, and if so, what is your Thai TIN?

 

In my experience, most of these bank letters give you an option to attest that you do not have a foreign TIN.

 

 

In the letter from the bank they also give the option: "If you have not yet received a TIM, please explain why!" I mean I can tell them that I am not a tax resident as I do not stay here more then 180 days per year, the question is if they will accept this or not. 

 

3 hours ago, JimHuaHin said:

I have had the same issue with my Australian banks (which have my address in Thailand).

 

I have explained that, thus far, although I have been at times a tax resident of Thailand, I have never remitted assessable income to Thailand, and thus I do not need to submit a Thai tax form, and thus I do not have a Thai TIN.  This explanation has been accepted by my banks in Australia.

That sounds like an explanation they could accept. Thank you for the advice.

 

3 hours ago, Presnock said:

I am an American so due to FACTA had to fill out the bank form plus as US had to also do the W7 form from the US revenue bit - it always wants a Thai tax number but if one doesn't have on it has a space for reason.  If like me, one has no ASSESSABLE income here then one supposedly isn't eligible for a Tax  ID number.  That is what I put on that form for me.  Usually some expats can convince their local RD office to issue a tax ID number.  If not contact the main BKK Revenue Dept and query what they suggest you do to get that number if you really need it.

Thanks for your input, I appreciate it!

 

2 hours ago, OJAS said:

Specifically for how long were you based in Thailand between 1 Jan and 31 Dec 2024 inclusive? If more than 180 days then you WERE deemed to be a tax resident of Thailand for that year - in which case it is IMHO essential that you then check how your German property rental income is dealt with in the double taxation agreement between Germany and Thailand*. If this is also considered to be assessable income for taxation purposes in Thailand (with tax credits likely being available to avoid double taxation), you may need to file a tax return with your local TRD office, for which a TIN would be needed in any event.

I was here less than 180 days.

[OJAS]

1 hour ago, AusDieMaus said:

the question is if they will accept this or not. 

 

You might improve your chances by providing evidence of the fact that you don't spend more than 180 days in Thailand each year in the form of copies of the pages in your passport containing relevant Thai immigration entry and exit stamps.

[Liverpool Lou]

10 hours ago, Briggsy said:

 

Easiest fix is to change your address back to a German address. Alternatively, you could explain to the bank that you are not resident in Thailand for tax purposes and have no Thai tax ID.

That is exactly what he needs to do to be completely above board.  No need to complicate things "the easy way" by giving the German bank false address information.

[anrcaccount]

4 hours ago, AusDieMaus said:

7 hours ago, JimHuaHin said:

I have had the same issue with my Australian banks (which have my address in Thailand).

 

I have explained that, thus far, although I have been at times a tax resident of Thailand, I have never remitted assessable income to Thailand, and thus I do not need to submit a Thai tax form, and thus I do not have a Thai TIN.  This explanation has been accepted by my banks in Australia.

That sounds like an explanation they could accept. Thank you for the advice.

 

They will accept the explanation. It's just a box ticking compliance exercise for the banks. 

 

In the extremely unlikely event they do not , there are many agents and legal firms in Thailand, that will get you a  Thai TIN, starting at about 3000 THB. This gives rise to no obligation to file a Thai tax return or pay any Thai tax, but you will have the TIN.

 

 

 

[treetops]

11 hours ago, AusDieMaus said:

I was here less than 180 days.

 

To help prove your case, and more formal than showing entry/exit stamps (exit ones may not exist in many cases now), you may want to furnish them with the travel record from Immigration as described here:

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1344081-savarnabhumi-airport-departure-through-electronic-passport-control/page/3/#findComment-19463050