Embassy letter to open bank account?

Post by **jpx** » Sun May 03, 2015 2:56 pm

on a visit to thailand last month i visited the bangkok bank on silom road to open a saving account.
i was informed by the bank staff that the rules on opening a account have changed.
you now need a letter of introduction from your consul
as there is now a appointment system in place at the uk consul i was unable to obtain the letter in time.
i would be intersted to know has anyone here been to the consul for this letter of introduction and what does it involve.
as i will be back in thailand in june i intend to book a appointment at the consul.

Post by **buksida** » Mon May 04, 2015 8:06 am

Why dont you just try a different bank? Some are more farang friendly than others.

Post by **sandyhh347** » Mon May 04, 2015 9:19 am

I opened a new account at B/kok. bank here in Hua Hin last week and only needed my passport.Over the years I have opened several accounts but never heard of your experience.Maybe this is just this particular banks rules.I agree with buksida.

Post by **JAGfx** » Mon May 04, 2015 11:17 am

Can I ask what visa you are on sandyhhh347? The reason I ask is that I attempted to open a savings account with Bangkok Bank in HH (next to Market Village branch) a couple of months ago and they refused me on the grounds I didn't have the letter from the consul, or a letter from Immigration regarding my visa status, or a letter from my employer. I did have my passport and I was on my first entry of a double entry tourist visa at the time, and I also had a copy of my lease and other ID etc. Might try again if you are on a similar visa.

Post by **sandyhh347** » Tue May 05, 2015 9:11 am

I am on a marriage visa.At the bank they did take a photocopy of this visa out of my passport.I did not think at the time of responding to you that this made the difference,so sorry.

Post by **huahin4ever** » Tue May 05, 2015 10:22 am

I think you should have no problem at the Hua Hin Branch next to Market Village as long as you have your Marriage Visa (Non-immigrant visa) AND a letter from the local Immigration Office confirming your visa and address status. . Normally that's all they want here in Hua Hin for Bangkok Bank. But as mentioned above other banks have different practices and could be more leaneant towards opening an account for you.

Post by **captbonio** » Sun May 17, 2015 7:51 am

Had the same thing happen to me despite being a customer for some years with a good balance for most of it.. I decided rather than jump through all the hoops a trip to the consul would entail , to see if there were alternatives... Sure enough I went next door to Krungsri bank who couldn't do enough for me to open as many accounts as I liked. Very refreshing
Also , they pay 2% on balances over 400k which is a nice touch for those who need to keep that deposit to one side

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Post by **jpx** » Mon May 18, 2015 2:36 pm

Thank you for your replays I did try to open a account I hua hin without success I contacted the embassy who informed me they will not issue a letter of introduction but will rubber stamp a certified letter that I can download from the Bangkok bank website.
I phoned the Bangkok bank call centre and was told they will not accept the certified letter.

Post by **buksida** » Mon May 18, 2015 3:05 pm

Why even bother with Bangkok Bank then who obviously don't want your custom.

Kasikorn Bank and Krungsri are much more amenable and foreigner-friendly.

Post by **Dannie Boy** » Mon May 18, 2015 3:05 pm

jpx wrote:Thank you for your replays I did try to open a account I hua hin without success I contacted the embassy who informed me they will not issue a letter of introduction but will rubber stamp a certified letter that I can download from the Bangkok bank website.
I phoned the Bangkok bank call centre and was told they will not accept the certified letter.

Looks like you need to change your bank - try either Krungsi or Kasikorn
Edit - you beat me to it Buks, but singing from the same hymn sheet

Post by **JAGfx** » Tue May 26, 2015 6:01 pm

Just an update for anyone trying to open a bank account here in Hua Hin, I did have success today. I am currently on a Tourist Visa and planning on changing over to Non O retirement type visa very shortly. I was planning on doing this in Bangkok as I qualify both for age and finances, but the issue was always that I need a Thai bank account.
So today, I collated as much relevant paperwork as I could get my hands on, showered up, collar shirt and big boy pants, and dragged the wife along for support and hit the Market Village branches.

Thought I'd try Krungsri first as we always use their ATMs due to the fact that you can get 20,000 baht out at a time. The gatekeeper there on the ticket box enquired as to our business, where she politely told me I could not open an account with them due to the fact I did not have a long term visa. Tried to explain to her that I needed the bank account to get the visa but I think that was lost in translation.

So next was the Kasikorn Bank. Again there was a gatekeeper at the ticket machine, but she gave us a ticket and pointed out the waiting area to us. Up to the counter a short time later where a very friendly girl understood my request, asked for my passport so she could get a copy without mentioning visa type or anything. Then asked for my Thai address and Thai phone number, email address and a deposit (1,000 baht was plenty). Didn't have to show here any proof of anything, other than passport. She did offer me a debit card but I baulked at the 800 baht fee. Maybe another day as I don't need the account for every day banking etc. She gave me info re international transfers and internet banking, and that was it. Walked out with a smile on my face and a new Kasikorn Passbook. Not sure what the go is with these books and all the different machines out the front, but I'm sure I'll work it out.

Now keep in mind that I had previous tried Bangkok Bank but they wanted a letter of recommendation from my Australian bank, which is Westpac, and has been for 20+ years. I did contact Westpac via email requesting the letter where I was politely told that they did not do this any more. I explained I needed it to open a Thai bank account, but the Westpac response was 'just show them your statements and that will be fine'. So there was a bit of email banter between myself and Westpac, where eventually I drafted a letter to them so they could stick it on their letterhead and sign off on it. Nothing too specific other that I have been a long time loyal customer without any problems. But they said we would have to get approval from higher up and I am still waiting. Sometimes I wonder about rules and regulations back home and it's probably one of the reasons I moved here.

Long response, I know, but hit up Kasikorn if you want to open a hassle free savings account on a Tourist Visa. Cheers.

Post by **Big Boy** » Tue May 26, 2015 6:08 pm

JAGfx wrote:So today, I collated as much relevant paperwork as I could get my hands on, showered up, collar shirt and big boy pants, and dragged the wife along for support and hit the Market Village branches.

OMG, I've been looking everywhere for them

Post by **Big Boy** » Tue May 26, 2015 6:09 pm

Seriously, most of the feedback I read on Kasikorn is favourable.

Post by **Pagey** » Tue May 26, 2015 6:35 pm

A bit late for you now JAGfx but I assisted the family buying a property from me last year to open an account at Krungsri. I do know a member of staff there so I asked her advice and all he needed was proof of address in Thailand so we used a dummy contract to say he was renting the property from me. He was only on a tourist visa, in fact he flew in from Brunei and was only here for 2 or 3 days.

I opened an acct with Kasikorn on a tourist visa many years ago but now I also have accts with Krungsri as if you require to season your funds for a retirement visa, or need money to live off, Krungsri acct was paying 2.3% when I opened mine last year although it's down to 1.85% now.

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