Opening a Thai bank account

[Nisakiman]

I'm in BKK at the moment, and have just been to 2 banks - Siam Commercial and Bangkok Bank (accompanied by tgf, who is an accountant, and no fool) to open an account. Both banks gave me a resounding NO. Farang cannot open a Thai bank account unless they have a reference from an employer here.

WTF?

I'm here for a couple of months only, but wanted to have an active account here as tgf and I will be getting married soon and will then be back in Europe. I figured it could be useful in future to have an account here in case I want to move funds here for any reason. They wouldn't even do a joint account for us. Tgf has an account here (with Bangkok bank) of course, but I would really like to open one in my name.

Any ideas?
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[niggle]

Keep trying. Try a different person / different day. If you have a contact who has sa business account with them should be ok as they act as a sort of sponsor.
I opened one 2 weeks ago no hassle, opened in 15 mins with ATM card. (Bangkok Bank Hua Hin Branch )

[Wanderlust]

I believe that the Bangkok banks are following the rules correctly, because I tried to open a bank account in Bangkok some 7 years ago, and apparently the rules had just changed then, so that you had to have a work permit/employers reference in Thailand. When I came to Hua Hin in late 2002 I still did not have a bank account, but was told by expats here that I would be able to open one, and they were right. I would imagine this is the case anywhere outside the capital so that is probably the best bet.

[Jim]

Never heard of anyone having problems in Hua Hin. Sounds like a nice excuse for a trip to the coast.
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[want2bethere]

I opened one in HH Bangkok bank, just showed my passport (UK) I now have an ATM card, only visit thailand for hols, I take dollars with me, exchange them to thai bht, deposit to my account, withdraw when needed, always have a small amount in my account for when I arrive, works well for me and was easy to open !

[SHADOW]

I think you can't open a current account with out a work permit, but you can open a savings account and a foreign currency account.
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[want2bethere]

yes, mine is a savings acc, handy thing to have to keep your beer money safe, I also have no problem transfering money from home to have funds ready when I step off the plane, though it is better to bring cash along and make a deposit, it saves tranfer charges.

[Pagey]

I tried opening one with Bangkok bank in Phuket last month and told all I needed was my passport.

I took my passport and waited about 25 mins for the cashier dealing with new accounts to be free. He looked through my passport and asked where my visa was. He said I needed a years visa to open an account.

Telling this to a mates friend on the night and he had opened one without a visa in a bank in the new Jungceylon place but not Bkk bank. Cannot remember the name but it was lime green!!
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[STEVE G]

According to Bangkok Bank, you only need a visa or residency for advanced features like phone and internet banking, not to open an account:

“If you are working or living in Thailand or just moving here, we can help to set up a new bank account for you quickly and easily. With a long-term visa and a work permit or a Certificate of Residence, you can apply for access to our additional banking services like phone banking and internet banking.”

I certainly had no problem opening a savings account with them on a 30 day tourist stamp.

[lomuamart]

Thanks, Bangkok Bank.
You're going to give me a muti-coloured mobile phone, access to the internet which is slowly becoming a closed world here?
Thanks again. BTW, do you actually give me any interest for the foreign currency I've brought in here. And will you allow me to withdraw my hard-earned cash to elsewhere on this little planet that dosn't have a name like Thailand.
And exactly when are you going to grant me that visa?
Sorry, steveG, that's not directed at you but they're little children trying to play in a big field. It just dosn't work. I know that's a bit bitter, but until the Thai people wake up and realise what's happening, no-one's going to get out of this quagmire.
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[Nisakiman]

Thanks for all the info. Seems like BKK has a different set of rules to the rest of the country!

Looks as if a long weekend in HH is in the offing...

It's a tough old life...
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[nevets]

I opened an account 5yrs ago Bangkok Bank cha-am no problem , has to be the big bank the small local banks dont handle farangs.

[a10ams]

I couldn't get a bank account without a work permit. However the estate agent I bought my house from sent me round to the bank with one of his staff and it was done in ten minutes! That was the SCB in Hua Hin across the street from the Police Station.
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[ozuncle]

I tried to open a savings acc in BKK about a year ago.
They said no unless I had a work permit.
Have not tried in HH yet.
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[Nisakiman]

Popped down to HH Sunday and went to Bangkok Bank with the future Mrs nisakiman yesterday morning to open an account. We were initially told, politely but firmly, sorry but no can do. The lady in the bank gave me a printed sheet entitled "Account opening for Tourist Visa Holders - Reference Requirements".

It says if you want to open an account, submit your passport with a letter of recommendation as follows: (and I quote verbatim)

a) A letter of recommendation from a reputable company, an embassy or an international organization located in Thailand.
The letter should clearly confirm your identification document and be signed by authorized officers.

or

b) A letter of recommendation from your bank abroad. This must be a bank which is acceptable to Bangkok Bank and sent to Bangkok Bank via SWIFT. (It then details the format the letter should take.)

or

c) A letter of recommendation from a person acceptable to Bangkok Bank such as an existing customer of Bangkok Bank. (It again gives details of how this must be done.)
Kindly note that Bangkok Bank is not obliged to accept the recommendation. This is at our own discretion and we reserve the right not to provide any reason for our decision.

That is the official stance - apparently the banks were obliged to tighten up on the law last year sometime.

However, while I was reading through this sheet about references, tgf was chatting to the lady in charge of opening accounts. As I mentioned in my original post, tgf is an accountant, a member of the Thai federation of accountants (or something like that) and also has an account with Bangkok Bank. Suddenly account application forms appeared, were filled in, copies taken of passport, 5300 baht handed over (5000 into the new account, 300 admin), and I walked out with an account in my name and a Visa debit card.

According to Mrs nisakiman-to-be, they really aren't dishing out accounts to farang easily these days, so I think I was lucky to walk in and get it immediately.

So there you have it - the latest on opening a Thai bank account!
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