Opening A Bank Account (as A Tourist)

[MisterFingers]

I don't live in Pattaya, but I visit frequently, pretty much every chance I get, sometimes for up to a month at a time.

I wonder if anyone has opened a bank account in Pattaya, not as a resident, but a tourist.

I think this would be easier. I coud transfer money from another bank account instead of carrying cash or travelers cheques. Then simply use my Thai bank account whenever I go to Pattaya.

Can I do this? Does anyone have any info regarding limits, for example maximum holdings or transfers? Also, is there a time limit that I can let the bank account sit?

Also, which bank is the best and safest for this?

[jasperblubber2005]

I don't live in Pattaya, but I visit frequently, pretty much every chance I get, sometimes for up to a month at a time.

I wonder if anyone has opened a bank account in Pattaya, not as a resident, but a tourist.

I think this would be easier. I coud transfer money from another bank account instead of carrying cash or travelers cheques. Then simply use my Thai bank account whenever I go to Pattaya.

Can I do this? Does anyone have any info regarding limits, for example maximum holdings or transfers? Also, is there a time limit that I can let the bank account sit?

Also, which bank is the best and safest for this?

[naka]

Should be no problem, but things seem to change from month to month.

Try Bangkok Bank or Siam Commercial.

No 'limits' as such.

Go ahead and try.

Naka.

[Mobi]

It's so hit and miss here that you can't say for certaintly - even from branch to branch of the same bank - whether they will let you open an account.

Certainly many tourists here hold accounts and if you shop around you will find one that will accommodate you.

Some will ask for a work permit, but the more common request is "proof of residence", so if you stay in apartment then your lease contract should be OK. Some banks won't ask for anything except your passport.

K Bank, Bangkok Bank, Siam Commercial Bnak and bank of Ayudhuya are the main ones - plenty of branches down town.

You will get a non interest bearing savings account, which will come with an atm card.

A standard transfer from a UK bank costs between 20 - 25 quid and is usually in your account within 3 working days. No limit on the transfer. Make sure you transfer sterling and do it when the rate is favourable. You will need to get the swift code from the Thai bank, plus their full branch address.

Your account can remain inactive indefinitely.

Good luck

[nonameidentified]

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Edited August 3, 2006 by nonameidentified

[nonameidentified]

I know that Bangkok Bank do ask for your work permit or proof of residence. The proof of residence will be given by the management of your condominium or estate if you live there.

And also, the banks do not allow tourists to have a credit card unless you've live here for at least 5 years I think.

And as for the other banks, I'm not sure.

Also, do make note that each branch handles their own accounts. For example, if you open an account from a specific bank in Pattaya, you'll need to go back to the same branch if there is a problem with your account or card. They don't handle your problem if your account doesn't comes from the same branch.

Tough yeah?

[jbaldwin]

Bangkok Bank on 2nd Road (near Soi 6) will open accounts for anyone who is a member of the Pattaya Ex-pats club. All you need to join is to take a photo and the fee (I think 300 Baht) to a meeting on Sunday morning and they will issue a card immediately

[Kerryd]

I have an account with the Bangkok Bank (branch on Phratamnak Road, just before the Marine Plaza Hotel in Pattaya).

Opened it in 2004. Only have a 30 day Transit visa.

Biggest requirement was having an address in Thailand. My landlady had to bring a signed form and a copy of the house registration to prove that I lived there (she also translated for me).

With a Transit visa, I could only open a savings account. They gave me an ATM card that works worldwide. Couldn't get a chequing account, or internet access, unless I had a 1 year visa and a work permit.

They also give you a slip of paper with the SWIFT bank code and your account number on it, to make bank transfers easier.

Note the the bank does not send out statements. In fact, I've received no correspondence from the bank at all since I opened the account.

[suiging]

I have an account with Siam Comm. My pal with exactly the same circumstances as me, ie non-resident, had his application turned down same branch one month later. Have ago and don't give up !!

[PREM-R]

I don't live in Pattaya, but I visit frequently, pretty much every chance I get, sometimes for up to a month at a time.

I wonder if anyone has opened a bank account in Pattaya, not as a resident, but a tourist.

I think this would be easier. I coud transfer money from another bank account instead of carrying cash or travelers cheques. Then simply use my Thai bank account whenever I go to Pattaya.

Can I do this? Does anyone have any info regarding limits, for example maximum holdings or transfers? Also, is there a time limit that I can let the bank account sit?

Also, which bank is the best and safest for this?

If you are from UK why not get a Nationwide Flex account. You pay no fees on withdrawing cash from ATM's here in LoS and you will not have the cost of transfering money to a Thai account by Swift ( if they let you have a Thai account). Flex allows withdrawal of up to 250 GBP per day by default but I think you can raise the limit if you require.

[Meg_2003]

Every Bank I have been to (Bangkok Bank & Kasikorn) Only require a passport to open an account. They asked me if I was on holiday or live here, so I presume it is possible to open a bank whilst on holiday. You need to have 500 baht in your account to keep it open. If any less they will charge 50 baht a month until its empty then it will be closed (As far as I know!) Hope this helps

P.s I prefer Bangkok Bank..

[Pattaya_Fox]

Every Bank I have been to (Bangkok Bank & Kasikorn) Only require a passport to open an account. They asked me if I was on holiday or live here, so I presume it is possible to open a bank whilst on holiday. You need to have 500 baht in your account to keep it open. If any less they will charge 50 baht a month until its empty then it will be closed (As far as I know!) Hope this helps

P.s I prefer Bangkok Bank..

Yes Bangkok Bank will allow a tourist to open a Resident Baht Account with proof of ID from a Passport.

You can at the same time apply for a Bualuang ATM card which should not be a problem in getting.

You can use the ATM card at any one of the Bualuang ATM`s (1,700 in total) for withdrawing cash from your account.

As a tourist You cannot use the card for internet banking or telephone banking, and the withdrawals from the ATM can only be done in Thailand.

For internet or telephone banking you must be resident in Thailand.

[daleyboy]

I don't live in Pattaya, but I visit frequently, pretty much every chance I get, sometimes for up to a month at a time.

I wonder if anyone has opened a bank account in Pattaya, not as a resident, but a tourist.

I think this would be easier. I coud transfer money from another bank account instead of carrying cash or travelers cheques. Then simply use my Thai bank account whenever I go to Pattaya.

Can I do this? Does anyone have any info regarding limits, for example maximum holdings or transfers? Also, is there a time limit that I can let the bank account sit?

Also, which bank is the best and safest for this?

If you are from UK why not get a Nationwide Flex account. You pay no fees on withdrawing cash from ATM's here in LoS and you will not have the cost of transfering money to a Thai account by Swift ( if they let you have a Thai account). Flex allows withdrawal of up to 250 GBP per day by default but I think you can raise the limit if you require.

I have opened 2 flex accounts and used them in Thailand, and this is without a doubt the best way to go, they even offer you the Thai rate instead of the UK rate, which in my case was U.K 64 baht to the pound, Thai rate 69.4 to the pound

Two accounts are advisable in case you lose a card, because with nationwide you can instantly transfer money from one account to the other, so leave the majority of cash in your other account with the card locked up in a safety box and away you go.

Edited August 3, 2006 by daleyboy

[Bangkok Barry]

Every Bank I have been to (Bangkok Bank & Kasikorn) Only require a passport to open an account. They asked me if I was on holiday or live here, so I presume it is possible to open a bank whilst on holiday. You need to have 500 baht in your account to keep it open. If any less they will charge 50 baht a month until its empty then it will be closed (As far as I know!) Hope this helps

I've had exactly the same experience and have accounts with both. When I opened the BKK Bank account though and tried to pay in some foreign cheques they refused them and said I had to have the account for six months first. Why they wouldn't accept cheques made out to me for an account in my name I have no idea. But Kasikorn did. TIT I suppose. But each place seems to make up their own rules.

None will give us damned foreigners interest on a savings account. though. Not that it's worth having anyway.

[Mobi]

I know that Bangkok Bank do ask for your work permit or proof of residence. The proof of residence will be given by the management of your condominium or estate if you live there.

And also, the banks do not allow tourists to have a credit card unless you've live here for at least 5 years I think.

And as for the other banks, I'm not sure.

Also, do make note that each branch handles their own accounts. For example, if you open an account from a specific bank in Pattaya, you'll need to go back to the same branch if there is a problem with your account or card. They don't handle your problem if your account doesn't comes from the same branch.

Tough yeah?

I'm not too sure what you mean by problems with the account.

My wife and I have banked with K Bank, in Bangkok, Pattaya and elsewhere in the country for a number of years. We have always found them efficient, polite and helpful - whether in Bangkok or elswhere.

I have lost ATM cards on my Bangkok account and had them immediately replaced by a branch in Pattaya, (takes about 30 minutes), I can update my pass book at any branch, I can get money over the counter at any branch on production of pass book and passport, (although it is limited to 500,000 Baht per day if it is not my own branch); I can talk to a bank official at any branch about any aspect of my banking with them, and they are authorised to carry transactions on that account, even though it is with another branch. In one incident, they even put me on the phone to my own branch manager when I didn't accept what they were telling me. When I transfer money from UK, if it is in excess of 10,000 pounds, I get a call from The foreign exchange department at K Bank head office and we discuss a favourable exchange rate, and they confirm that the funds have been put in my account. If it is under 10k, it goes in my account automatically.

On top of all that, I can transfer unlimited amounts to anyone's account in Thailand using my atm card, I can pay utility bills with my atm card and goodness knows what else.

Oh - I almost forgot, in Bangkok, my branch is open 7 days a week, from early morning to late evening. In Pattaya, the K Bank branch at Big C is open 7 days a week - not sure of the hours. It was there, on a Saturday that I got my Bangkok branch atm card replaced - and Big C isn't even my branch in Pattaya.

I'm not sure I can claim the same standard of service at most British banks.

Edited August 3, 2006 by Mobi D'Ark

[Kerryd]

As a tourist You cannot use the card for internet banking or telephone banking, and the withdrawals from the ATM can only be done in Thailand.

Not with my Bangkok Bank ATM card !

After opening the account, I had my paycheques sent there for a couple months. I was a little edgy though, as I couldn't check my account on the internet, and wasn't sure the money was going to the right place.

My first chance to check was at an ATM in the Dubai airport. Worked fine and my pay had been deposited properly.

I then flew on to Canada and used the card in Taiwan and Canada (and Thailand on the return trip of course).

My ATM from my Canadian bank only allows me to withdraw a maximum of $500 per day ($400 on Sundays)

My Bangkok Bank card doesn't seem to have a limit (I withdrew 120,000 once, in 6 x 20,000 baht withdrawals, one after another, then took two steps to the left and dropped it on the Exchange counter). It appears the 20,000 baht/withdrawal is an ATM machine limit, not a bank-card limit.

Of course, each bank can have it's own set of rules. And it seems each branch can also have different rules.

[Demodokos]

I guess that, as in many bank from any country, service will differe if you have only a few hundred bahts on your account, or if you have hundreds of thousands...

[Mobi]

I guess that, as in many bank from any country, service will differe if you have only a few hundred bahts on your account, or if you have hundreds of thousands...

I, and the wife have had miniscule amounts in there, and on other occassions a fair bit. We get the same service regardless. I honestly don't think the amount you have in your acount makes one iota of difference. Until they put your book in their machine they don't know anyway.

It's the bank, and sometimes the branch that matters - not how much you've got. K Bank is a well run bank and the staff are well trained. They used to have a branch is Cannon Street in London (I'm told it is gone now) and the staff and service were just as good there.

Anyone would think I've got shares in it

[guardian]

Bangkok Bank on 2nd Road (near Soi 6) will open accounts for anyone who is a member of the Pattaya Ex-pats club. All you need to join is to take a photo and the fee (I think 300 Baht) to a meeting on Sunday morning and they will issue a card immediately

Are there any Expat club in Bangkok?

Guardian