Do I need to open a bank account in the same city for a Thai 12-month extension on a Non-O visa?

Having just gone through this in the last two weeks I can confirm yes it can be very difficult based on location. Hopefully by the time you get here things may of settled down.

My advice is to seek advice from people with RECENT experience in the area you want to open an account.

Or

Use an agent. That’s probably the easiest solution and could be worth it when you’re on a timeline getting the 800K seasoned (visa type dependant of course)

Some great advice on this but it’ll only be relevant WHEN you arrive. It can get out of date pretty quickly at the moment.

You may already know, but its woth pointing out that whenever you withdraw funds outside of the province that your account is based in you will get charged a fee.

Having a bank account in one province and staying in another makes no sense whatsoever. It will eventually bite you in the ass.Of that I'm quite sure.There are also bank branches that won't issue for example a bank letter if you're not a customer.

Just remember that you have to go in person to Thai banks to make even there smallest request. So using a branch local to you can be important.

That is probably a good idea, with the Thai banking situation.

@Sacha ************

for the ease and streamlining of the application to the 1-year extension of stay, I recommend you stay in ONE and the SAME place

Are there people in hua hin that speak Thai that can help open a bank account? If so, who?

Follow up question, so if I opened up an account in Pattaya and now live in Korat would I be able to use a Korat branch for proof of funds?

Don’t make the process any more complicated as it already is

Once you have entered Thailand and move into an acommodation, you need to get registered by the TM30 Immigration system within 24 hours of your arrival in this accommodation

No Immigration office inside Thailand is going to do any service for you if you haven’t been properly registered to where you stay

If you enter on a 90-days Non-Imm-O visa and wish to open a Thai bank account, you need to be aware:

*** you need a certificate of residency from Immigration that explicitly states you need it for opening a bank account

*** you need a Thai mobile phone number

***you need to show that you entered Thailand on a Non-Imm visa type

Many bank clerks ask for much more. If bank clerks have no idea how to open bank accounts for foreigners, they will pull out of their noses a multitude of invented reasons

Just remember that you need a letter from your bank manager to certify the amounts held when you apply for the extension... These letters are only valid for 2 or3 days... so the branch needs to be close to your Immigration office...

Nowadays, it's more about opening an account where you can. People are having such difficulty, that if you can find a bank that will do it, then do it.