19 hours ago, LivingNThailand said:

I was told I need a valid photo ID from my home country showing my home country address?  I asked at least four times.   Like a current driver's license from my home country with my home country address.   So very weird.  

My expired drivers license from my home country doesn't even have an address on it.

14 hours ago, OJAS said:

 

Would not be at all surprised, though, if this were all down to the Bank of Thailand and the Immigration Bureau deliberately colluding with each other with the sole and avowed aim of ensuring that the annual retirement or marriage extension holder became an extinct species eventually.

 

 

Very possible, and there's more money to be made by pushing people into Elite visas and LTRs, and we know who started the Elite visas and who's holding the strings now. Just the word elite in a country on the verge of bankruptcy can make one think about the kind of people behind it.🤔🙃

Felt

20 hours ago, LivingNThailand said:

I asked over and over and this person insisted that I needed a current un-expired  ID from my home country. 

Maybe a "passport card," if you are from the USA.  It only shows your state, though - not "address."

I don't understand. If I live in my home country permanent with address there and stay in a condo or house, I can have a national Id card valid even to board flights in all Schengen without passport, but I don't live in my home country and my permanent address is here. My passport I renew, when necessary, at the embassy in Bangkok. Last year I was visiting relatives' home for a couple weeks and at the same time want to get a new "driving license card only" due to wear, and tear carry it in my wallet for 45 years but no was the answer, you have no address as living here. So how are the regulations for all of yours who can have a home address connected to passport in prvious home country if you are from USA, Germany, France etc. and have moved out and the only address you have is here🤔 Or only on long-term tourist / visas?

Thanks

Felt

 

19 minutes ago, Felt 35 said:

 

Very possible, and there's more money to be made by pushing people into Elite visas and LTRs, and we know who started the Elite visas and who's holding the strings now. Just the word elite in a country on the verge of bankruptcy can make one think about the kind of people behind it.🤔🙃

Felt

If you can't open a new bank account because you can't provide evidence of an overseas photo ID card with proof of address, then the Elite and LTR options are essentially non starters.

Just now, Liquorice said:

If you can't open a new bank account because you can't provide evidence of an overseas photo ID card with proof of address, then the Elite and LTR options are essentially non starters.

 

Personally, I have my bank accounts and have been with Bangkok Bank exactly 29 years and also have accounts in Krungsri so this is not about bank accounts for me pr. today but if this develops into be all banks and other platforms not to forget official offices, it could eventually cause problems for me and many others, I believe, who have simply emigrated from their home countries.

Felt

2 hours ago, Dilligaph98 said:

I have been a victim of BBL for more than two decades here and I most emphatically DISagree with your sentiment! 

I have banked (yeah, ha ha) on every continent and even by banking standards BBL is appalling on every score.

Had zero problem with Bangkok Bank until they introduced face recognition, which worked after two hours and 50 tries. Then when I wanted statements (4 years) for my FCDs, they had to produced them one by one, one a day...

 

Which bank woul you work with for FCD.

4 minutes ago, Peter Crow said:

Had zero problem with Bangkok Bank until they introduced face recognition, which worked after two hours and 50 tries.

12 years with BKK, but never asked to enrol for face recognition.

17 minutes ago, Liquorice said:

12 years with BKK, but never asked to enrol for face recognition.

 

Post from last year
 

Sounds more likley that he came accross a lazy/incompetent  worker who just made up something to rid of him, thus avoiding doing a job they did not want to do. If it is true the forums will soon be full of complaints

21 hours ago, Aforek said:

France, too

in the UK we don't have ID cards, at least that was the case 56 years ago when I was last there.

1 hour ago, MJCM said:

 

Post from last year
 

Thanks.

I never use mobile phone for transfers, sometimes online using PC.

I transferred 800K from my BKK account to my wife's Govt Savings bank account in branch without any problem.

 

Could this only apply to using the banking app on a mobile?

2 hours ago, Felt 35 said:

Last year I was visiting relatives' home for a couple weeks and at the same time want to get a new "driving license card only" due to wear, and tear carry it in my wallet for 45 years but no was the answer, you have no address as living here.

It's the same in most western countries as far as I am aware. You need to be a resident there to get/renew a driving license. Like many others away for many, many years, I used a relative's address to renew. But the last time I tried that, the licensing authority woman asked me if I had a driving license 'anywhere else in the world'. The message was clear. So I let my renewed home country license eventually expire. 

 

There are good reasons to follow the rules too. The first reason is taxation. For countries that base income tax on your residency status, if you claim to be a non-resident for tax purposes, possession of a local driving license in that country is a smoking gun, and can be used as a primary indicator that you are indeed a resident (under their interpretation). The second reason is using that home country license to rent a car anywhere in the world, knowing you are not a resident of the place where you hold that license, can backfire badly in an accident. Lot's of people use them to rent, and I used to do so as well, until I realized that if you get into an accident (especially if your fault) the first thing the rental company's claims adjuster 'could' do (and should do) is check to see if the renter really lives where he says he does on the license. If the claims adjuster finds out you live in Thailand and not London or Frankfurt, then he can void your insurance because the license is technically not valid. I know many do this anyway without any issues, but you run a big risk. Nowadays, I only rent a car worldwide on my Thai DL. In many places in the US, Canada and Europe, the license becomes invalid after a certain period of living away. Each authority has a different grace period - usually 3-6 months.

On 8/5/2025 at 12:53 PM, Aforek said:

France, too

 

Do they have the home country address on them?

17 hours ago, Peter Crow said:

Which bank woul you work with for FCD.

I used to use a private bank in HKG. Last ten years or so I have used Transferwise for all foreign currencies, and have not had a single problem. Some people comlain about "slow payments" to TH in particular, but I have never been inconvenienced.

With BBL, it has proved impossible even at Silom HQ to enter my date of birth into the mobile app. That's how good Bangkok Bank is................

15 hours ago, ronnie50 said:

It's the same in most western countries as far as I am aware. You need to be a resident there to get/renew a driving license. Like many others away for many, many years, I used a relative's address to renew. But the last time I tried that, the licensing authority woman asked me if I had a driving license 'anywhere else in the world'. The message was clear. So I let my renewed home country license eventually expire. 

 

There are good reasons to follow the rules too. The first reason is taxation. For countries that base income tax on your residency status, if you claim to be a non-resident for tax purposes, possession of a local driving license in that country is a smoking gun, and can be used as a primary indicator that you are indeed a resident (under their interpretation). The second reason is using that home country license to rent a car anywhere in the world, knowing you are not a resident of the place where you hold that license, can backfire badly in an accident. Lot's of people use them to rent, and I used to do so as well, until I realized that if you get into an accident (especially if your fault) the first thing the rental company's claims adjuster 'could' do (and should do) is check to see if the renter really lives where he says he does on the license. If the claims adjuster finds out you live in Thailand and not London or Frankfurt, then he can void your insurance because the license is technically not valid. I know many do this anyway without any issues, but you run a big risk. Nowadays, I only rent a car worldwide on my Thai DL. In many places in the US, Canada and Europe, the license becomes invalid after a certain period of living away. Each authority has a different grace period - usually 3-6 months.

 

Thanks for the reply. However, this was not about get or renew a driving license. Just a new driving license card due to wear and tear. Btw, If I want to drive (rent a car as example) here I will addition need an international permit which is easy to get issued back home for either one- or three-years and as long as you do not renew or need to make other changes to the original driver's license, which is initially issued for 100 years with a requirement for a medical certificate after the age of 70, it does not prevent insurance, etc. from being valid.

Felt

Update:  I didn't get as far as even showing any ID at BKK Bank.  I was quizzed by the teller and her supervisor on why I wanted a new account.  Even as I explained my reasoning, I was quizzed again and told I had enough accounts and that BKK Bank isn't opening new additional accounts to foreigners.  Was treated like a criminal. 

 

Needless to say, I will be researching a new bank to open one or two accounts. Can anyone recommend a bank that is friendly to foreigners in Thailand?  

 

BTW, I find it interesting in a leading English Thai Newspaper websites  this morning one of the stories was about scams / mule accounts / fraud and the photo was of BKK Bank passbooks.   I guess they are running scared and don't want any foreigner money right now.  I'm a bit worried they might close the accounts just to be hysterical.  Sigh. 

Bangkok Bank do seem to be paying more attention to accounts, last week after 3 years they noticed my passport number had changed, this involved huge amounts of paperwork for my 2 accounts and 2 new passbooks, only 500 baht, i consider myself lucky as i expected them to send me to the branch that opened my account

6 minutes ago, howerde said:

i consider myself lucky as i expected them to send me to the branch that opened my account

You are.  Last year I needed a new ATM card and the call center told me I could go to any branch.  Any branch, for sure.  So I went to the nearest branch and they made a big deal about how I was at the wrong branch and I had to go back to the original branch.  I held my ground, but the clerk made me suffer and fill out tons of paperwork.  I was there for at least 2 hours just to get a replacement card.  This has been festering for a while I guess.

On 8/5/2025 at 5:06 PM, Caldera said:

 

That an expired ID cannot be used for anything goes without saying. I see your dilemma though.

 

I have unexpired ID from my home country, but it also wouldn't be acceptable under the rules you state, as it doesn't include my home country address. As secondary ID for opening bank accounts and TrueMoney, I used my Thai driving license which (unsurprisingly) has my Thai address.

 

The only current home country document that I have that includes my home country address is an election-related letter, so no "ID" as such.

Have  look at your UK Driving Licence.

A UK Passport does not included any address, so would it be rejected.?

7 hours ago, Maestro said:

 

Do they have the home country address on them?

No, Thai address , valid for  10 years, free 

made  at the French embassy in Bangkok 

On 8/5/2025 at 2:32 PM, Peter Crow said:

I'll have to see how I can open UBS accounts for my wife

How do you want to do this?  They have a branch in Thailand dealing with (affluent) retail customers?

Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) has no branch in Thailand, but an office and offers no bank accounts in Thailand.

 

This makes discussion of the UBS off topic here.

On 8/5/2025 at 5:38 PM, LivingNThailand said:

What happened to the sad emoji.

What happened to being able to add any emojis?? 

Requirements are passport with valid longterm Visa, or retirement extension, and then I use my Thai pink ID for my proof of address (or yellow tabien baan). This was usually sufficient to open an account.

On 8/5/2025 at 10:21 PM, ronnie50 said:

Pretty sure a lot of this is reacting to the foreign mule thing..

 

Yes, "money laundering mule" is an occupation reserved for Thais...

Are you a collector of bank accounts or something.?

What? You don't have a valid passport from your home country, or what?

Clearly Bangkok Bank is being a Richard... it just depends if such BS spreads to other banks. I personally have multiple bank accounts here, but not with Bangkok Bank as they are not really very cool for foreigners. My suggestion to everyone is to open accounts with other banks before the contagion spreads... SCB and Krungshri makes sense.

On 8/6/2025 at 1:03 AM, BrandonJT said:

On 8/5/2025 at 10:12 PM, OJAS said:

 

Would not be at all surprised, though, if this were all down to the Bank of Thailand and the Immigration Bureau deliberately colluding with each other with the sole and avowed aim of ensuring that the annual retirement or marriage extension holder became an extinct species eventually.

 

You can leave the conspiracy theories at the door.  This is just an unfortunate confluence of events all happening at the time, not some big conspiracy against foreigners.  If they wanted to get rid of foreigners, they can do that much easier than this.

 

Agreed. @OJAS has ignored the first step which would be farang internment camps.