Thai bank account on a tourist visa... possible?

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robcar
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Re: Thai bank account on a tourist visa... possible?

Post by robcar »

I opened one at Kasikorn about 3 years ago, on a tourist visa and without any difficulty. Took a friend there to do the same 6 months ago (Tourist Visa again) and they insisted on 10k deposit and and their own accident insurance policy for another 4k. I certainly won't take anyone else there.
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Re: Thai bank account on a tourist visa... possible?

Post by PBbeacher »

Can now only do at Bangkok Bank with a Thai guarantor, who must be someone with a decent job and be there with you. Have done it for 2 clients recently, this was the only way. Forget Kasikorn, especially MV branch which now has horrendous customer service.
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Re: Thai bank account on a tourist visa... possible?

Post by Big Boy »

PBbeacher wrote: Wed Apr 26, 2017 1:14 pm Can now only do at Bangkok Bank with a Thai guarantor, who must be someone with a decent job and be there with you.
Yes. sorry, I missed the guarantor bit for my friend. He used his wife's family farm in Isaan, although the family did not have to travel from Kalasin to be there.
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Re: RE: Re: Thai bank account on a tourist visa... possible?

Post by hhinner »

PBbeacher wrote:Can now only do at Bangkok Bank with a Thai guarantor, who must be someone with a decent job and be there with you. Have done it for 2 clients recently, this was the only way. Forget Kasikorn, especially MV branch which now has horrendous customer service.
Kasikorn used to be a good bank and I still have an account opened years ago in BKK, which I keep for the web card facility.

Anyway, I was in the MV branch the other day when a customer at the adjacent clerk was trying to send 500k baht to his wife in the Philippines from their joint account. Apparently this was too​ difficult for Kasikorn's bureaucracy and the clerk eventually told him he should withdraw the amount in cash and take it to Bangkok Bank where it would be a very easy thing to send the money abroad. Bonkers!

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Re: Thai bank account on a tourist visa... possible?

Post by Spitfire »

You should be aware that any requirement for anything can change in a moment's notice and do a 180 on anything, anytime. Ultimately, non indigenous people are not welcome here....only to be used for what they are useful for.

IMO, anyone who invests anything here atm is insane. Nothing is clear and it depends on where you try to do your paperwork and which 'Jobsworth' deals with you to sort anything. There is so much turbulence in society and politics now here that anyone with half a brain wouldn't spend anything.

As an aside, today I tried to pay my electricity bill at 7-11....was OK, but they insisted on me providing my phone number to do so....first time that's happened.

:roll:

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Re: Thai bank account on a tourist visa... possible?

Post by Nereus »

As an aside, today I tried to pay my electricity bill at 7-11....was OK, but they insisted on me providing my phone number to do so....
I had one of those 7-11 girls do that. But I told her I was too old for her! :rasta:
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Re: Thai bank account on a tourist visa... possible?

Post by moater »

Definitely depends on the branch and the person you happen to get. I was able to open with Krungsri on a tourist visa only in the 3rd branch I tried. The secret is keep trying different branches until someone says yes.
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Re: Thai bank account on a tourist visa... possible?

Post by Name Taken »

Spitfire wrote: Wed Apr 26, 2017 9:18 pm You should be aware that any requirement for anything can change in a moment's notice and do a 180 on anything, anytime. Ultimately, non indigenous people are not welcome here....only to be used for what they are useful for.

IMO, anyone who invests anything here atm is insane. Nothing is clear and it depends on where you try to do your paperwork and which 'Jobsworth' deals with you to sort anything. There is so much turbulence in society and politics now here that anyone with half a brain wouldn't spend anything.

As an aside, today I tried to pay my electricity bill at 7-11....was OK, but they insisted on me providing my phone number to do so....first time that's happened.

:roll:

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:agree: with what you're saying. But in some ways living in Thailand is still better than living in the U.S.
There are a lot of areas in the U.S. that are so bad that they make Thailand seem nice, and the turbulence in Thai society has always seemed minor and small compared to the social turbulence and turmoil in the U.S.

Anyways, :offtopic:
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Re: Thai bank account on a tourist visa... possible?

Post by robcar »

Just been to Bangkok Bank to open a savings account (the branch near Market Village. Waited over 45 minutes to be seen. I want to use their London UK branch to Thailand money transfer facility. Had all the necessary paperwork copies etc. as indicated on their webpage. (Passport, Rental contract, UK bank and pension details etc. etc.) The receptionist/teller lady was not interested in any of it. She gave me a very tatty, (obviously a copy of a poor copy) of a letter to take to immigration to enable me to get (yet another) residence certificate. I pointed out that I already have stapled in my Passport an immigration slip of paper with my address printed on it............not good enough.
I now have another Residence Certificate application to complete. Also required are 2 photo's and 2 copies of my Passport.
Wish me luck for tomorrow :banghead: :bow:
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Re: Thai bank account on a tourist visa... possible?

Post by nil »

robcar wrote: Wed May 03, 2017 3:27 pm Just been to Bangkok Bank to open a savings account (the branch near Market Village. Waited over 45 minutes to be seen. I want to use their London UK branch to Thailand money transfer facility. Had all the necessary paperwork copies etc. as indicated on their webpage. (Passport, Rental contract, UK bank and pension details etc. etc.) The receptionist/teller lady was not interested in any of it. She gave me a very tatty, (obviously a copy of a poor copy) of a letter to take to immigration to enable me to get (yet another) residence certificate. I pointed out that I already have stapled in my Passport an immigration slip of paper with my address printed on it............not good enough.
I now have another Residence Certificate application to complete. Also required are 2 photo's and 2 copies of my Passport.
Wish me luck for tomorrow :banghead: :bow:
They love their paperwork. Can't you just do this online though from your UK bank. I'm planning to do the same in a couple of months. There are some instructions here:

http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/ ... romUK.aspx
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Re: Thai bank account on a tourist visa... possible?

Post by robcar »

You still need to have a Bangkok Bank account to accept the funds.

If you have an account with a UK bank, you can transfer funds to your Bangkok Bank account in Thailand via our London Branch using your UK bank’s online services, or instruct your local bank in person to transfer the funds to us (via Faster Payments Service or BACS) for onward transmission. Funds will be credited to the nominated account in Thailand on the next working day after we receive them in London.
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Re: Thai bank account on a tourist visa... possible?

Post by NOKYAI »

Do you know if it's possible to have your wages deposited in the London branch of BKK bank and use it like a normal current acc when in the U.K. ( eg a couple of direct debits and withdraw cash) then do the same when in Thailand?
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Re: Thai bank account on a tourist visa... possible?

Post by oakdale160 »

a few moths ago i wanted to send some money abroad from my account. MV was not open till 11 so i went to another branch. The lady went through my bank book.I had recently brought some money in from a consult job abroad, my branch had taken it without a murmer she asked me for proof of where the money had come from, of course i had nothing with me. so she refused my request---just too damn lazy to process my request.
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Re: Thai bank account on a tourist visa... possible?

Post by caller »

NOKYAI wrote: Wed May 03, 2017 5:21 pm Do you know if it's possible to have your wages deposited in the London branch of BKK bank and use it like a normal current acc when in the U.K. ( eg a couple of direct debits and withdraw cash) then do the same when in Thailand?
A list of their services here - it's fairly ambiguous.

http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/ ... index.aspx

They charge £15-20 to transfer funds to Thailand, which is expensive, I suspect you will pay a premium for opening a current account, if that is actually possible with UK ATM access?
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Re: Thai bank account on a tourist visa... possible?

Post by NOKYAI »

Mmmm I thought there wouldn't be an easy way! I'm using the TransferWise app linking Barclays to KTM, which seems cost effective although there is a short delay.
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