Opening a joint bank account without a WP?

[davejonesbkk]

Tried to open a joint bank account with my gf yesterday at a BKK bank branch and then Bank of Ayudhya and was told I needed a WP at both, I know all about the issues with bank accounts and being told you need a WP at some branches but not so at others so does anyone have any experience opening joint accounts and do they know any banks and branches in Bkk that will let us do this without a WP?

[Cloggie]

Just try another bank / branch - some do, some don't

Edited June 15, 2014 by Cloggie

[CharlieH]

Persistance is the key, from my experience Kasikorn and SCB were easy and straight forward.

Its a "savings account" you ask for not a checking account.

Edited June 15, 2014 by CharlieH

[thrilled]

If your an American in the future it might become harder to open an account,or even keep the bank account you have now.

If your from another country,I opened up an account with Kasikorn Bank not A problem

[pmarlin]

If your an American in the future it might become harder to open an account,or even keep the bank account you have now.

If your from another country,I opened up an account with Kasikorn Bank not A problem

And this gem of wisdom comes from what source or is it just rumormongering on your part. Thai banks already comply with the new reporting laws . At least that is what the IRS website states.

[pmarlin]

http://apps.irs.gov/app/fatcaFfiList/flu.jsf

List of all the banks who comply

[jacko45k]

I know of married couples, both falang, who have joint bank accounts.

SCB if I recall correctly.

[davejonesbkk]

Thanks guys, Im not from the US, can anyone tell me actual branches though? I know that often it can vary on the branch and not just the bank if they will let you do it or not and I dont want to spend time going from branch to branch until I get lucky...

[KayCee]

Me and my spouse, neither of us Thai, have a joint account, but while we don't have a WP, we do have valid 1 year visas and extensions of stay. Without it, I'm not sure we would have been able to do it. The Central Chaengwattana branch of Bangkok Bank in our case - though even with the 1 yr visa, the SCB branch there turned us down - despite us already having had money in their Chiang Mai branch (which did agree to open it for us, on our arrival with tourist visa before we converted to non-imm O after aging the funds the requisite months). It does seem random across branches, so you may just have to keep trying, unfortunately.

[Dublin]

I found SCB to be the best , no questions asked just require valid ID i.e. Passport. Also had a joint account with Krung Thai bank but did not like the online service...

Edited June 16, 2014 by Dublin

[davejonesbkk]

I found SCB to be the best , no questions asked just require valid ID i.e. Passport. Also had a joint account with Krung Thai bank but did not like the online service...

which branch?

[SDM0712]

Never bothered with a Joint Bank account with 'er indoors, we just have our own accounts. Transferring money takes a couple of minutes via the interweb, (mobile or PC),

And to anticipate the next question I didn't need a work permit to open accounts at Bangkok Bank or Krungsri. Staff in both asked for one and I just said I don't have one, and why would I need one as I didn't (at the time) work here. In Thai style they have been told by their manager that applicants must have a Work a Permit to open an account so the staff are just doing what they have been told, very similar to on one occasion when I wanted to buy a cone without any ice cream from an Ice cream seller at Dom Muang Airport and was told I couldn't, but that's a different story, that ended in tears (not mine).

SDM

Edited June 16, 2014 by SDM0712

[Aussieroaming]

Kasikorn siam paragon was easy for us ....thai and farang couple.

[pmarlin]

Kasikorn siam paragon was easy for us ....thai and farang couple.

K-bank and Bangkok Bank branch banks along the lower to middle Sukhumvit Rd. From Soi 1 to soi 55. But you may have a problem if you are here on a visa exempt stamp or tourist visa but not impossible just harder to get. K-bank close to Soi 33 Sukhumvit is good. Bangkok Bank between Soi 8 and 10 also at the Emporium Branch Behind the Emporium shopping center. Good luck. Every time I opened a Thai Bank account, I have three, I was always asked for a WP but when I produced my passport and after I showed them my long stay extension it wasn't a problem. One of my accounts is a joint account with the wife.

[smotherb]

I found SCB to be the best , no questions asked just require valid ID i.e. Passport. Also had a joint account with Krung Thai bank but did not like the online service...

which branch?

It seems all branches of SCB are falang friendly--A friend has accounts in SCB in Hatyai, Trang, and Phattalung.

[xen]

We opened a joint account at Bangkok Bank just along from Emporium about 12 months ago - has net access too. We were told it was one of the head Bangkok Banks . Don't really think so but it worked. No problems apart from the girl running off to her supervisor all the time to find out what to do next.Such a sweetie .

[Kondiao]

Interesting stuff. I was not thinking about a joint bank account: I was thinking about ways to send money to my g/f/ in Myanmar. She is here in Mae Jo, with me now, but she is fixing to go back - to Yangon - to apply for the regular passport to replace the workers passport she uses now. She also believes she can get approval to marry me over there, and get a visa to go to the U.S.A. with me whether or not they permit us to marry. If the one case then i would fly there to meet her, and we do the ceremony there; failing this, she expects to get a tourist visa to the States What I am worried about is that with all the Kafkaesque games those officials play and the bribes and extorsion, if she needs emergency money, how can I get it to her? It will take a week to get my visa and plane ticket to Yangon at a travel agent.

I have my account here with Bangkok Bank and my lady's account is with Kasikorn in Thailand.

Are there any ATM's in Yangon yet? What about electronic transfer? Anyone have up-to-date knowledge?

[KonKorat]

Bankok bank in Korat no problem

[Maestro]

Tried to open a joint bank account with my gf yesterday at a BKK bank branch and then Bank of Ayudhya and was told I needed a WP at both...

Try asking to open a savings account and see if you have better luck.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Suradit69]

If your an American in the future it might become harder to open an account,or even keep the bank account you have now.

If your from another country,I opened up an account with Kasikorn Bank not A problem

And this gem of wisdom comes from what source or is it just rumormongering on your part. Thai banks already comply with the new reporting laws . At least that is what the IRS website states.

"...or is it just rumor mongering on your part..."

Drama queens do what drama queens do and the facts be damned!

Just checking for Kasikorn and Bangkok Bank:

Edited June 16, 2014 by Suradit69

[pmarlin]

If your an American in the future it might become harder to open an account,or even keep the bank account you have now.

If your from another country,I opened up an account with Kasikorn Bank not A problem

And this gem of wisdom comes from what source or is it just rumormongering on your part. Thai banks already comply with the new reporting laws . At least that is what the IRS website states.

"...or is it just rumor mongering on your part..."

Drama queens do what drama queens do and the facts be damned!

Just checking for Kasikorn and Bangkok Bank:

On my part? I checked all the Thai banks I can think of and all of them are listed as being in compliance. Last time I checked over 77,000 banks frpm 70 countries are now in compliance.

[laxman1960]

Try KBank at Central Rama 3, MBK or Future Park Rangsit. I had no problems at Central Rama 3 or Future Park and others have opened at MBK

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Guest]

I went into the branch of Bangkok and was told I need WP but they told me to go to head office in the city Silom Rd. where they can process it there without WP and I will go next week

[Pib]

I went into the branch of Bangkok and was told I need WP but they told me to go to head office in the city Silom Rd. where they can process it there without WP and I will go next week

Sounds like that particular Bangkok Bank branch just didn't want farangs as customers; instead refer them to another Bangkok Bank branch that deals with a lot of farangs like the Silom branch in the HQ Bangkok Bank building (1st floor) on Silom Rd. But the that Silom branch is good...has plenty of English capability...and the other HQ Bangkok Bank functions in the same building can come in handy like the funds transfer/international section on the 2nd floor. I have two accounts at that branch...but I also have two accounts at two other Bangkok Bank branches. I have no WP...just on a retirement extension of stay...and had one Bangkok Bank account before retiring to Thailand. Opening an account for a farang seems to vary from bank to bank, branch to branch.

Edited June 16, 2014 by Pib

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Kasikorn siam paragon was easy for us ....thai and farang couple.

With or without a work permit for the farang, and how recently?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I found SCB to be the best , no questions asked just require valid ID i.e. Passport. Also had a joint account with Krung Thai bank but did not like the online service...

which branch?

It seems all branches of SCB are falang friendly--A friend has accounts in SCB in Hatyai, Trang, and Phattalung.

I think that's overstating things as regards to farangs and SCB account openings.

I have an SCB account, obtained on a B visa. But I've subsequently been denied by several other SCB branches in BKK even though I at those times had a retirement visa, and those denials came at mall branches such as Siam Paragon and Terminal 21 where you'd expect them to be more farang friendly.

I've also had a friend from a different country here on a tourist visa with his Thai wife try to open a new account at several different SCB branches around central Bangkok and get denied at all he tried -- because they demanded that he have a work permit.

AFAICT, it continues to be very much a hit or miss thing when it comes to opening Thai bank accounts. There's little discernable consistency from bank to bank or branch to branch when it comes to how they respond to farangs who don't have work permits.

Edited June 16, 2014 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[JimHuaHin]

AFAICT, it continues to be very much a hit or miss thing when it comes to opening Thai bank accounts. There's little discernable consistency from bank to bank or branch to branch when it comes to how they respond to farangs who don't have work permits.

Some Australian friends and I have had no problems opening savings accounts at different KBank branches over the last 2 years in Hua Hin while we were here on tourist visas.

However, getting a credit card issued by a Thai bank is a totally different story .. still no success on that front (am here now on a non-immigrant O-A "retirement" visa) ... so do not cancel your credit cards back "home"!!

[crazykopite]

Go into any bank with a wad of cash they will smile at you invite you to sit down , take your cash ,open you up an account ask if you require a debit card when you say yes they will ask you for 300 baht and every year after that they will deduct a charge for the debit card when I did this some 9 years ago out of the 300 baht I paid the girl opening my account she placed 200 baht in the till and the other in her purse I was amazed as she did not attempt to hide what she was doing the bank was the SCB at the time all I had was a 30 day tourist visa but I had 500,000 baht and it was clear they were not going to turn me down and see me walk across the road to the Bangkok bank !!