Do I need to be in Thailand to open a Bangkok Bank account and how long does it take?

Yes, you must go to the branch to open the account yourself. I hear some banks require residence cert from immigration, some just need a thai to certify. Unless you have a work permit which should make it much easier. They dont exactly have clear-cut rules on how to open the account for foreigners so you may have to try several banks

I took my friend to Bangkok bank (dark blue bank) they took 20mins. Kasikorn (green bank) took almost an hr! Same type of account

Yes and then go agent to open for you around 4000baht

@Ginna ******

and are you IN thailand yet?

Here's a thought, how about stating where in thailand you are or will be; seeing as it's a 513K square km country 😮

That might narrow down the suggestions to at least near where you will be staying 🙁 .

Of course you have to be here....

Billy Brown You talk some sh*t mate.

You may have to try several places before you find one that will open an account for you. Depending on why you want the account it will likely take a few days to complete everything. You have to have money transferred from a foreign account for a visa. You have to have a rental agreement or the bank won't want to open an account for you

Yes you have to be in Thailand. How long it takes to open one is approx 30-40 minutes and you can you can fund it instantly. How long it takes to find a branch that will allow you to open one is varied. Range approximately 50 minutes to 7 days.