Opening a Thai bank account for Immigration purposes.

[Raugh]

2 hours ago, M.O. said:

If willing to spend 5000 Baht, just use Siam Legal. They will give you a stack of paperwork which you take to the bank. I opened my account in one morning. Complete with bank book, ATM card and online banking access. 

PS: I was on VE and staying in a hotel

Thanks. Does the 5000 baht include any filing of permit paperwork or just bank account assistance?

11 hours ago, Faz said:

How did you get a 30 day extension without filing a TM30, for which you need copies of the owners Tabien Baan and ID card as proof of residence.

Usually once you filed a TM30 with Immigration you can request a residence certificate as proof of address for opening a bank account (instead of the Embassy). The problem is Bangkok won't issue a residence certificate until you've done your first 90 day report.

Airbnb has a feature that provides a PDF of reservation for Visa purposes. I gave IO copy of that which showed a month's rental.

[Faz]

44 minutes ago, Raugh said:

Thanks. Does the 5000 baht include any filing of permit paperwork or just bank account assistance?

That fee would just be for assisting to open a bank account.

[Faz]

1 hour ago, Raugh said:

Airbnb has a feature that provides a PDF of reservation for Visa purposes. I gave IO copy of that which showed a month's rental.

Do you have the confirmation receipt of the TM30 stapled in the back of your Passport?

[LYNX]

On 7/7/2021 at 1:06 PM, Faz said:

I may also add, it's beneficial to open a Thai bank account within the Province you intend to reside.

If you open a bank account in a different Province than where you'll predominately use an ATM for cash withdrawals, you will be charged an 'out of Province' withdrawal fee.
These fees can vary from 15 to 35 baht for each withdrawal depending on the bank ATM used.

May I add also one convenient to your Immigration Office if you are needing statements that day for long stay extensions.

[LYNX]

On 7/7/2021 at 1:33 PM, Geo said:

Yes kaptainrob you are correct yellow book or landlords letter from police or immigration is sufficient for proof of address. 

In my case a Thai driver's license was accepted

[LYNX]

On 7/7/2021 at 2:19 PM, BlueSphinx said:

Hi, here a slightly modified re-post from another thread as the info provided on opening a Thai bank-account is more fitting in the current thread.

= = = = =

There is a serious mis-alignment between the financial requirement to 'have a personal Thai bank-account with the required funds' and the requirements that most Thai banks apply to open an account with them.

There are reports of those that entered Thailand VisaExempt or on a Tourist Visa, that needed to open a personal Thai bank-account to meet the 800K/400K funds in bank requirement for their Non Imm O Visa application that had to visit more than 10 different bank branches, before they found one that was willing to open an account for them.  It is useful to remember that in Thailand bank-branches are little fiefdoms that do not necessarily need to follow their Headquarter rules/regulations for opening an account.  That's why you can be turned down in one bank branch and be accepted by the one across the street from the same Bank.  The crazy 'face-saving' in Thailand will also often result in the bank-staffer telling you it is 'not possible' because he/she is afraid to admit that he/she is not familiar with the process of opening an account for a farang, and rather than asking their collegues or the manager it is much easier to tell 'no can do'.  Keeping this in mind, it is worthwhile when wanting/needing to open a Thai bank-account to immediately ask to talk to the manager of that branch.

I live 'in the sticks' and it took me 2 visits to the local Kasikorn branch before I could open a Thai bank-account.  Even though I was at that time staying in Thailand on a Non Imm O-A Visa (and needed the Thai bank-account to apply for my 1-year extension), the assistant Bank manager insisted that I needed a Work Permit to open an account.  Totally ridiculous, as it is strictly prohibited to work when you are on a Visa/Extension for reason of retirement.  I didn't argue but simply came back a couple of days later, and after checking that the manager was in I re-entered the branche and politely asked to talk with her.  Within 2 minutes the manager said OK, and the same assistant-manager that turned me down earlier then proceeded in opening an account for me.  It took almost 1.5 hour and she was more than half of the time on the phone with Headquarters to ask for instructions (which confirmed my suspicion that I was sent away first time because she was not familiar with the process of opening an account for a farang).  As nobody of the office staff in that Kasikorn branch speaks one word English, it is always an ordeal going there as even the easiest requests are prone for misunderstanding (my Thai girlfriend accompagning me has to tell what I want/need but obviously much is 'lost in translation'). 

A tip: When opening a personal Thai bank-account do opt when possible for one of the larger Banks that have a nation-wide network and have a large farang clientele.  In practice that are Bangkok Bank, Kasikorn Bank and SCB, as the other Thai banks mainly cater for thai clientele.  And when choosing between these 3 - if they are willing to accept you as a customer -  also look for a friendly customer-attitude and the staff/management understanding basic english.  

Wish you success!

While I have accounts with all , TMB was also as easy and I imagine would be the very  last to default for obvious reasons.

[LYNX]

On 7/7/2021 at 2:57 PM, thai3 said:

slap 800k on the counter and very unlikely any will refuse to open an account for you. Last one I opened in Jan was at Krugthai exchange tower Bkk, don't have yellow book or WP, 500 baht to open.

Money talks exactly.

As others stated the reasons for refusal are usual ignorance , inexperience of the rules , or as worldwide indolence

[Faz]

16 minutes ago, LYNX said:

In my case a Thai driver's license was accepted

When did you open an account?

Your very fortunate to find a bank willing to open a new account with anything other than a Yellow Tabien Baan, or a residence certificate issued by Immigration/Embassy as proof of address these days. I opened my first bank account with no more than my Passport and a copy of my landladies Tabien Baan as proof of address - times have changed.

[LYNX]

3 minutes ago, Faz said:

When did you open an account?

Your very fortunate to find a bank willing to open a new account with anything other than a Yellow Tabien Baan, or a residence certificate issued by Immigration/Embassy as proof of address these days. I opened my first bank account with no more than my Passport and a copy of my landladies Tabien Baan as proof of address - times have changed.

October 2021 as others stated it's not what you know , it may be who you know.

[Faz]

24 minutes ago, LYNX said:

October 2021 as others stated it's not what you know , it may be who you know.

That can certainly make a difference in Thailand.

[ChrisRoberts]

Hi Faz,

I am currently in Mae Chan on a retirement 12 month Visa and staying at my partners (not currently married) house, she has a blue book for the property in her name.

She has an account with the Bangkok Bank and all my government documentation for me comes to our address.

cam I get a certificate of residency proving I stay at this address from the immigration office in Mai Sai.?

thanks in advance for any help.

regards

chris Roberts

[Faz]

Hi Chris and welcome to the forum.

I suspect you have a 1-year extension of stay based on retirement, a permit, not a Visa.

If you obtained your extension from Mea Chan, then it shouldn't be a problem to obtain a residence certificate from there for the purpose of proof of address to open a bank account.

You can download the 'Application form for residence certificate' from here:
Immigration application forms for download. - > Visas, Long Stay, Extensions, Re-entry Permit - Thaiger Talk (thethaiger.com)

I'd recommend you have your girlfriend take her Blue book and ID card as well, as she can recommend you for an account.

 

[Landlocked]

I opened a Savings account today at Bangkok Bank at the main branch in Silom.  I went there first and got a blank Certified Letter posted in this thread.  I filled it out and went to the US Embassy, and they quickly gave me a form of their own to fill out.  Did that, and they stamped it no problem at all.  Back to the bank with my Girlfriend in tow.  I wanted her to be a signer on the account, and wanted to use her address as mine in Thailand.  The process was to give her power of attorney and we filled out the forms.  She brought a couple of documents for the house.  It wasn't the yellow book, she said that got phased out.  Everything went smoothly, and the account has been opened.  They would only do a savings account with her as a signer, couldn't do a fixed term account.

Thank you all for the helpful information in this thread.  I'm not going to do it anytime soon, but this forum will be a great resource when I want to retire here.

[Faz]

6 minutes ago, Landlocked said:

She brought a couple of documents for the house.  It wasn't the yellow book, she said that got phased out. 

The Yellow Tabien Baan is strictly for foreigners, Thais are registered in a blue Tabien Baan.

7 minutes ago, Landlocked said:

Everything went smoothly, and the account has been opened.  They would only do a savings account with her as a signer, couldn't do a fixed term account.

Also, with Bangkok Bank and my wife has power of attorney of both Savings and Fixed Term accounts.
Possible they are more lenient when married.

[aublumberg]

On 7/7/2021 at 5:23 PM, Faz said:

And if you entered Visa exempt or Tourist Visa how would you prove the funds came from overseas for a Non O application?

Hi @Faz can you please elaborate where the requirement to prove that the funds come from overseas for a Non Immigrant O visa application / renewal is stipulated? I can’t seem to find any reference on the relevant Immigration Department websites other than mentioning the need for 400k / 800k or 3m (for O-X) in a local bank account. Thank you.

[Faz]

17 hours ago, aublumberg said:

Hi @Faz can you please elaborate where the requirement to prove that the funds come from overseas for a Non Immigrant O visa application / renewal is stipulated? I can’t seem to find any reference on the relevant Immigration Department websites other than mentioning the need for 400k / 800k or 3m (for O-X) in a local bank account. Thank you.

If you entered VE or TV and are applying to change your status to Non Immigrant (Non O), then only the 400K (Thai spouse/family, OR the 800K (retirement) are acceptable, unless you can provide an Embassy Income letter.

If you're applying to extend your stay for 1-year, a permit (not Visa renewal) and using the income method as proof of funds, there are 3 options;
1. If working in Thailand, a personal income tax form.
2. An Embassy Income letter (not applicable to nationals of the UK, US, or Australians).
3. Overseas transfers of either 40K THB per month (Thai spouse/family), or, 65K THB per month, (retirement).

For 3, the requirement of proof of overseas transfers is in Immigrations amendment (2019) changing original order 138/2557 (2014).
Original order 138/2557 (2014) 138-2557 (2014) Docs for extensions - ENG.pdf 
The amendment to the above (2019) Amend 138-2557 (2014 ) clause 2.18-2.22 for Thai bank income ENG.pdf 
Section 2.18 (retirement);
2) Evidence showing pension - a letter of certification on deposit in the bank in Thailand and bank statement showing money transfer from overseas every month for the past 12 months.

Prior to 2019, all foreigners using the income method could obtain an Embassy Income letter.
The British, US and Australian Embassies ceased issuing these Income letters the end of 2019, therefore Immigration were forced to amend their existing order, to allow the above 3 nationalities to provide proof of income via overseas transfers to a Thai bank account.

 

[palooka]

On 7/7/2021 at 4:44 PM, Stonker said:

My only observation is that "none of the above" should be taken for granted as interpretation of the rules varies from bank to bank, branch to branch, and immigration office to immigration office.

Two years ago, the local immigration decided that wasn't in the spirit of what was needed as I had "too much money" and although they accepted it that time they warned me that in future they'd only accept an account that I "used" that showed I was taking money out and spending it regularly.

 

Think you must have inherited the immigration guy from my area. He told me the same and next year he was gone and new staff told me his way was wrong.

(missed your input nice to see you back.)

[aublumberg]

42 minutes ago, Faz said:

If you entered VE or TV and are applying to change your status to Non Immigrant (Non O), then only the 400K (Thai spouse/family, OR the 800K (retirement) are acceptable, unless you can provide an Embassy Income letter.

Thank you very much for clarifying @Faz this interesting fact. So it applies for the monthly income / pension method, not for the 400k / 800k lumpsum method. 

[Faz]

49 minutes ago, aublumberg said:

Thank you very much for clarifying @Faz this interesting fact. So it applies for the monthly income / pension method, not for the 400k / 800k lumpsum method. 

If using the fund's method, it's 400/800K deposited in a Thai bank.
The financial requirements (as well as the amount) of the above also vary depending on whether it's based on retirement, or Thai spouse/family.
Are you familiar with the required 'seasoning' periods using the fund's method?

If using the income method, it's either an Embassy Income letter or 12 x 40/65K overseas transfers.

All the requirements can be found in Immigrations Police Orders, listed here:
https://thethaiger.com/talk/topic/1874-immigration-bureau-orders/#comment-7283

In all orders, the most commonly viewed are section 2.18 (Thai spouse/family) and section 2.22 (retirement).

[Faz]

@aublumberg
Did you enter Visa exempt or on a Tourist Visa and enquiring about apply for the Non O at Immigration, OR, did you enter on a Non O Visa and enquiring about applying for a 1-year extension of stay?
Retirement/Thai spouse?

[aublumberg]

10 hours ago, Faz said:

@aublumberg
Did you enter Visa exempt or on a Tourist Visa and enquiring about apply for the Non O at Immigration, OR, did you enter on a Non O Visa and enquiring about applying for a 1-year extension of stay?
Retirement/Thai spouse?

Thank you again @Faz, at this stage I'm only studying the options to get my ducks in a row. I have funds in Thailand already which I need to move to a different account, hence my question about requirement for 'overseas' transfer. I could do both retirement or spouse approach in future. Am actually approved for LTR WFTP and waiting for final Notification Letter for Qualifications Endorsement now so that I can contact the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Hong Kong to get the actual visa. So just thinking ahead what may be after 5 or 5+5 years LTR ... of course things can (and likely will) change by then.

[Faz]

1 hour ago, aublumberg said:

Am actually approved for LTR WFTP and waiting for final Notification Letter for Qualifications Endorsement now so that I can contact the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Hong Kong to get the actual visa. So just thinking ahead what may be after 5 or 5+5 years LTR ... of course things can (and likely will) change by then.

WFTP >
Work - From Thailand Professional
(Remote workers working for well-established overseas companies)
– Personal income of a minimum of USD 80,000 / year in the past two years
– In case of personal income below UDS 80,000 / year but no less than USD 40,000 / year in the past two years, applicants must have a Master’s degree or above or own intellectual property or receive Series A funding
– Current employer must be public company on a stock exchange, or private company in operation for at least three years with combined revenue at least USD 150 million in the last three years
– At least five years of work experience in the relevant fields of the current employment over the past 10 years

 

If married to a Thai, you're automatically legally permitted to work, just need a work permit.

 

[Eagle]

On 10/5/2021 at 10:54 PM, JamesE said:

.....you can get a notarized Affidavit of Residence through your home country's embassy or consulate. This is just a document in which you say what your address is and sign it in front of a notary who - by dint of your passport - "knows" you. Third, a rental contract/house book copy  showing your address.

 

I have recently tried to open an account with Bangkok Bank as my wife has an account there too. We were told to get the notorized affidavit from the British Consulate in Chiang Mai. I sent off an email to the consulate for information on how I go about doing this. This is the reply I got: Unfortunatley, we no longer provide notorial services in Chiang Mai. You will need to contact the British Embassy in Bangkok. More details can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/notarial-and-documentary-services-guide-for-thailand

However, when you look around the website you and find the link "services we provide in Thailand" it clearly states as one of the services they do not provide... "Any form of affirmation, affidavit or statutory declaration to confirm identity, address, family relationships or marital status" which is, I believe what Bangkok Bank requested. There is another way around this but I'm putting it on hold for now as it's not overly important for me right now.

[Faz]

1 hour ago, Eagle said:

There is another way around this but I'm putting it on hold for now as it's not overly important for me right now.

They will also accept a 'residence certificate' obtained from your local Immigration office as proof of address.

[Eagle]

9 hours ago, Faz said:

They will also accept a 'residence certificate' obtained from your local Immigration office as proof of address.

Yes, that is what I'm going to do but I can't do it yet. Unfortunately I have to go back to England tomorrow and won't be back until November. I read somewhere that you have to have at least 30 days left on your visa to get a 'residence certificate'. A English friend here in Chiang Mai who has been here for 20+ years said it's fairly easy to get this and being married to a Thai with our own house should make it even easier.