7 hours ago, 007 RED said:

I’m just curious to know, did the bank ask for confirmation of your UK address (e.g. your UK driving licence), and if so why would they need that?

I ask because I'm considering doing the same as you.

I didn’t need a UK address when I opened my Fixed Deposit account (already had a normal account with them).

Will be switching to this, hopefully for my next extension (August) but if not, definitely for the one after

7 hours ago, teetersb said:

Sadly, I just returned from Kasikorn without a new account, because I do not have the 3rd piece of ID they require (new 2025). They need a National ID card, or Driver;s license. America doesn't have the ID card & my DL expired 2 years ago & I can't renew online in my state! Looks like I'll have ti find another bank so I can get away from Bangkok Bank & their *^% funds freezing for 4-6 months

Try another Branch, as mentioned I opened a Fixed Deposit account with them in Jan 26 using Passport & copy of lease with owners Chanote in there.

I do already have a normal account with them which i opened 2-3 years ago with Passport, CoR & lease (no Chanote).

34 minutes ago, wimpy said:

Anyone opened an account with Krung Thai bank recently?

Hi i opened one in january no problems, just required passport and certificate of residence from immigration.

1 hour ago, OJAS said:

What, with their ridiculous new requirement for proof of (non-existent, in most cases) home country addresses, Kasikorn are now, I feel, on an equal footing at least to Bangkok Bank when it comes to the shabby treatment of foreigners who, in their eyes, have the audacity to want to open and operate accounts with them.

But, thankfully, there are other banking alternatives to both Bangkok Bank and Kasikorn.

Such as?

2 hours ago, wimpy said:

Anyone opened an account with Krung Thai bank recently?

2 hours ago, John mozley said:

Hi i opened one in january no problems, just required passport and certificate of residence from immigration.

Late December for me with passport, Thai driving licence and proof of mobile phone number ownership.

36 minutes ago, treetops said:

Late December for me with passport, Thai driving licence and proof of mobile phone number ownership.

How does one prove their mobile phone number ownership (when prepaid)?

3 minutes ago, wimpy said:

How does one prove their mobile phone number ownership (when prepaid)?

I'm with AIS and just went into their Telewiz shop and asked about proof for opening a bank account. They knew the procedure. I'd already registered my passport to my account either in the app or in person.

4 hours ago, Maestro said:

That's very interesting.

I always thought that there was an International standard for the display of information on the ID page of passports.

My Swiss passport, for example, has an information field labelled "Authority" that indicates the location (town/city) where the passport office that issued the passport was located. Is this the place in your passport which you are mistaking for the indication of your residence?

I'm not mistaking anything and I didn't say that the place of residence is on the ID page. For what it's worth, my passport has an "Authority" field on the ID page just like yours, and a "Residence" field on another page.

Just now, Caldera said:

I'm not mistaking anything and I didn't say that the place of residence is on the ID page. For what it's worth, my passport has an "Authority" field on the ID page just like yours, and a "Residence" field on another page.

UK Passport has an "Issuing" Authority, HMPO (Her/His Majesty's Passport office) for Black/Blue ones, IPS (Identity & Passport Service) for the older EU style ones but no indication of Town of issue or anything to indicate place of residence anywhere in the Passport.

49 minutes ago, SamSpade said:

UK Passport has an "Issuing" Authority, HMPO (Her/His Majesty's Passport office) for Black/Blue ones, IPS (Identity & Passport Service) for the older EU style ones . . . .

My EU style one says HMPO. Looks like it changed in 2013 and the blue/black passports didn't start until 2020 so any passports with IPS should be long gone by now.

14 hours ago, 007 RED said:

I’m just curious to know, did the bank ask for confirmation of your UK address (e.g. your UK driving licence), and if so why would they need that?

I ask because I'm considering doing the same as you.

As an existing customer of Bangkok Bank for the 12 previous years, I was requested to provide additional information to further confirm my ID, due to these scam shenanigans, which included proof of my UK address, OR previous UK address. Although I have a valid UK driving licence, it was in the UK and they wouldn't accept a photocopy.

I did have email statements from pension providers, UK bank statements, and a UK solicitors receipt, all of which detailed my UK address, which they accepted.

11 hours ago, hotandsticky said:

I know you have a bee in your bonnet about Kasikorn (I understand that),but I can only speak as I find and in almost 20 years they have been consistently good.

I have never, ever had a problem with Kasikorn in 18 years. Prior to that I have used SCB (junk, closed that after 6 months) and BBL (more junk and closed that too). Before I closed BBL I took everything out (150,000 plus) and went to KKB and was greeted with courtesy and smiles.

Everything was done in 20-30 minutes (but the girl spoke good English so we had a long chat at the same time) with no hassles but this was in about 2008. Later I opened another KKB account for a specific purpose and again, everything done with no problems whatsoever.

In my opinion, Kasikorn are the most foreigner-friendly bank of all and BBL is the worst.

18 hours ago, teetersb said:

Sadly, I just returned from Kasikorn without a new account, because I do not have the 3rd piece of ID they require (new 2025). They need a National ID card, or Driver;s license. America doesn't have the ID card & my DL expired 2 years ago & I can't renew online in my state! Looks like I'll have ti find another bank so I can get away from Bangkok Bank & their *^% funds freezing for 4-6 months

My U.K driving licence expires in a few months time. I doubt I will ever drive in the U.K again however I will be renewing it because instances like this go to show that it is a good back up form of ID that is accepted.

6 hours ago, treetops said:

My EU style one says HMPO. Looks like it changed in 2013 and the blue/black passports didn't start until 2020 so any passports with IPS should be long gone by now.

Interesting, mine was issued in 2014 (Liverpool same day service) and had IPS....

Even though the Government switched to HMPO from 13/05/13 :s

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/identity-and-passport-service#:~:text=The%20Minister%20of%20State%20for,of%20Her%20Majesty's%20Passport%20Office.

5 hours ago, Liquorice said:

As an existing customer of Bangkok Bank for the 12 previous years, I was requested to provide additional information to further confirm my ID, due to these scam shenanigans, which included proof of my UK address, OR previous UK address. Although I have a valid UK driving licence, it was in the UK and they wouldn't accept a photocopy.

I did have email statements from pension providers, UK bank statements, and a UK solicitors receipt, all of which detailed my UK address, which they accepted.

In January, whilst trying to move some money from my FD account to my normal account, they told me I had to provide additional proof (Driving License or Chanote, CoR/TM30 Bank statement from another Bank etc... were not acceptible) of my Thai address or close the FD account to get the money.

I wasn't asked about proof of UK address, is this what I can look forward to the next time I need to do something with the account :(

1 hour ago, SamSpade said:

(Driving License or Chanote, CoR/TM30 Bank statement from another Bank etc... were not acceptible)

What did they accept?

40 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

What did they accept?

Sorry, my post was poorly worded... I meant to say that they wanted to see a Driving License or a Chanote. Things like CoR, TM30s, Bank Statements from other banks etc... we not acceptable.

In my case, they wouldn't accept my lease as it was with my landlady but the Condo is in her (British) husband's name so I ended up having to get a new lease with him + a copy of his Passport/Chanote and they accepted this.

20 hours ago, mlkik said:

So how do you supply proof of your made up address?

Register a credit card to that address?

4 hours ago, SamSpade said:

I wasn't asked about proof of UK address, is this what I can look forward to the next time I need to do something with the account :(

I think it can differ from bank to bank what information they request to satisfy there security checks, and what information they already hold.
In my case, they were most interested in evidence of my current/previous UK address, and my Immigration status, taking copies of my extension, which they've never previously done.

12 hours ago, Caldera said:

I'm not mistaking anything and I didn't say that the place of residence is on the ID page. For what it's worth, my passport has an "Authority" field on the ID page just like yours, and a "Residence" field on another page.

So if you change address you must get a new Passport, as you SHOULD with your Driving Licence.

20 hours ago, 007 RED said:

FYI…. I have scanned copies (on file) of my Bangkok Bank produced statements which I have used to support my application for permission to stay based upon retirement for the past 5 years.

I would confirm that: -

They have all been produced by dot matrix printers, with perforations on both edges of each page. 

There is one page for each month.

There is no letterhead on any of the pages... Just the account holder's details.

None of the statements have been signed or been officially stamped.

My local IO (Nakhon Pathom) have accepted these statements without any question.

My local IO in Phitsanulok are as good as gold, not needing everything to be meticulously correct.

I shall go with a self-printed statement for last month and ask if it is acceptable to do Extension in December.

23 hours ago, 007 RED said:

SNIP

As I mentioned, I'm also looking to open an account with Kasikorn for basically the same reason as you (and many other members). In the next few days I'll pop into my local branch and make enquiries regarding their new account requirements.

I appreciate that you may not have the answer to the second part of my original question, but I’m still curious to know the reason(s) why Kasikorn have introduced this requirement, bearing in mind that many expats may not have any official ID from their home country with their address on it. If when I make my enquiries, they confirm that proof of home country address is a requirement, I will ask them why, and what alternatives they will accept if one doesn't have such official ID..

UPDATE

As mentioned above in an earlier post, I went this morning to my local Kasikorn Bank ((Central Salaya), with my better half in attendance just in case of a language problem, to enquire about their requirements for me to open a savings account with them.

They were quite busy, so had to wait for about 30 minutes before being called to one of the customer relations desks. The Customer Service Advisor (CSA) spoke very reasonable English. I informed her that I was considering opening an account with them in order to deposit funds required for my Immigration Non-O extension of permission to stay, based upon retirement. I asked her if they are able to accommodate a foreigner setting up an account, and if yes, what document they would requirements from me.

She responded that they would be able to create a savings account for me, for the purpose I had indicated. To do this I would need to provide the following documents:

1. My passport, which must have more that 6 months validity before it expires.

2. Proof of my Immigration status, namely extension of stay, in my case, based upon Non-O Retirement.

3. Proof of address in Thailand in the form of a Certificate of Residence issued by Immigration, or if I had one, a Yellow Book.

4. Our marriage certificate.

5. Proof of my address in my 'home country', which can be in the form of a driving licence or any other original government document which contains my 'home country' address. She emphasised that the documents must be originals, and not PDFs or scan prints etc.

I informed her that I have no problems with requirements 1 to 4, but that I was a little confused to say the least as to why Kasikorn needs our marriage certificate, as my Non-O is based upon retirement, not marriage. She responded that in my case it was not a mandatory requirement, but it helps confirm the spelling of my name in Thai. I consider that to be a fair reason for providing it.

I said that I am seriously concerned regarding the 5th requirement, namely having to provide proof of my address in my 'home country', and the reasoning behind such a requirement. She said that this is a recently introduced requirement which the bank had to implement in line with a Bank of Thailand's directive. She produced a document, which was in Thai, that gave staff instruction concerning new procedures. As I do not read Thai very well, my better half quickly perused the document and advised me that what the CSA had said was as per the bank's instructions. My better half also noted that the document was dated 2nd February 2026, confirming that it was a recent directive.

I advised the CSA that I had lived in Thailand for 13 years, with my (Thai) wife, and that I had no address in the UK. All correspondence from my UK bank, pensions, tax office etc are addressed to me here in Thailand. I asked the CSA if there was any exemption to this requirement. She said she did not think so, and went to speak to the branch manager. After a few minutes the manager came over to us and said that she was not aware of any exemption to this requirement. She said that she understood the reason for me not having any official UK government issued document with my 'home country address' and the problem that it causes in not being able to open an account. She took my wife's telephone number and said that she would contact HQ and ask for their advice and let me know the outcome.

I asked the manager why this proof of 'home country address' requirement had been introduced. She repeated what the CSA had said, that it was so the bank complies with the Bank of Thailand directive. She was unable to give any detailed explanation.

I have to say that I was impressed by the service, attention to detail and good spoken English by both the CSA and the manager. I will await the phone call, but won't be hold my breath.

10 minutes ago, 007 RED said:

I will await the phone call, but won't be hold my breath.

Thanks for the important information and such detail in your post.

So what is plan B.

There would be many folk without such things as DL etc for passport country.

21 hours ago, Caldera said:

I'm not mistaking anything and I didn't say that the place of residence is on the ID page. For what it's worth, my passport has an "Authority" field on the ID page just like yours, and a "Residence" field on another page.

That's really interesting. Now, you have me wondering what country's passport this is and if all passports of that country list the holder's place of residence.

I have never encountered a passport ID page listing address.

Think about it. In general passports in the main have validity 10 years.

Address would be useless.

19 hours ago, 007 RED said:

I said that I am seriously concerned regarding the 5th requirement, namely having to provide proof of my address in my 'home country', and the reasoning behind such a requirement. She said that this is a recently introduced requirement which the bank had to implement in line with a Bank of Thailand's directive. She produced a document, which was in Thai, that gave staff instruction concerning new procedures. As I do not read Thai very well, my better half quickly perused the document and advised me that what the CSA had said was as per the bank's instructions. My better half also noted that the document was dated 2nd February 2026, confirming that it was a recent directive.

Any reports yet of other banks following suit, I wonder?

14 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

I have never encountered a passport ID page listing address.

Think about it. In general passports in the main have validity 10 years.

Address would be useless.

France does I believe.

On 2/13/2026 at 6:12 AM, mlkik said:

My U.K driving licence expires in a few months time. I doubt I will ever drive in the U.K again however I will be renewing it because instances like this go to show that it is a good back up form of ID that is accepted.

Might prove easier said than done in practice, though, if the following link is to be believed:

https://www.keithmichaels.co.uk/news/renew-your-uk-driving-licence-as-an-expat/

3 minutes ago, OJAS said:

Might prove easier said than done in practice, though, if the following link is to be believed:

https://www.keithmichaels.co.uk/news/renew-your-uk-driving-licence-as-an-expat/

Not only is it a criminal offence to use somebody else's address to renew a license, it's also an offence to drive on a licence that is not registered to your permenant UK address (Cannot have a registered address outside of the UK on a UK licence).

Far easier to drive on your Thai licence, though this doesn't help with the original challange of proving UK address.

1 hour ago, OJAS said:

Might prove easier said than done in practice, though, if the following link is to be believed:

https://www.keithmichaels.co.uk/news/renew-your-uk-driving-licence-as-an-expat/

It will be easily done online or at a main Post Office for me as I am not an expat.