I went to bangkok bank to get my gf's IBAN number so i could transfer some $ in thailand without using my atm and high fee's.

According to the workers, theres only SWIFT available..

Well as far as i know even congo uses iban's.

Could anyone with inside knowledge tell me how i could get her iban number? Im transfering from an internet company, not a bank and they want iban.

Also, when applying for a bank account. i need a letter of recommandation.

Is there an official paper it needs to be written on?

From the the Bangkok Bank Web site:

5. What is an IBAN number?

IBAN stands for the International Bank Account Number and is used by banks in European countries for international fund transfers. It is not a number required by Bangkok Bank for incoming or outgoing international fund transfers.

Edited August 4, 200818 yr by thaihome

Yup, IBAN only works in Europe, even the UK only recently started using IBAN numbers.

I went to bangkok bank to get my gf's IBAN number so i could transfer some $ in thailand without using my atm and high fee's.

According to the workers, theres only SWIFT available..

Could anyone with inside knowledge tell me how i could get her iban number? Im transfering from an internet company, not a bank and they want iban.

Also, when applying for a bank account. i need a letter of recommandation.

IBAN is mandatory in Europe otherwise banks there provide you with bigger charges.

I have not seen IBAN in Thailand as of yet. What your paying bank needs and should be happy with is account number, SWIFT, beneficiary address and Thai bank address.

If your bank here in Thailand requires a letter of recommendation (recommend what and from whom) then it is time to look out for a different branch or even bank.

Regarding the letter of recommendation; this is not required for long stay visa holders or people with non IMM B visa's and work permits. So by the sounds of it, you'd be on a tourist visa?

In that case the bank is looking for either of the following: a certified copy of your Passport (authorised by your embassy; or a SWIFT message from your home bank sent to Bangkok Bank (a specific format is required); or a letter of recommendation (again in their format - get it from a branch, I think) from someone who is known to the bank - a bank executive or someone from a larger company that is one of their clients.

Problem is that tourists come and go and easily disappear - the Bank of Thailand and international money laundering and anti-terroism regulations, require additional effort to verify the "real" identity of a customer and also to be able to contact them each year to verify or update their contact details.

Problem is that tourists come and go and easily disappear - the Bank of Thailand and international money laundering and anti-terroism regulations, require additional effort to verify the "real" identity of a customer and also to be able to contact them each year to verify or update their contact details.

I've never had any communication from BKK bank and the Siam Commercial Bank, where I have my accounts. In fact, the addresses they have are now well out of date, which might explain the lack of communication At one point in my early days I even had an account with the BKK Bank in Soi 3 and my address at the Nana Hotel, but those were the days when they just wanted a passport.