How can I open a bank account in Thailand to apply for a retirement visa since banks require a visa to open an account?

Apply for an OA visa from the Thai embassy in your home country.

Like most things in thailand, it is easier to go through an agent.

And pay them in cash. Then they give a little backhander to various people who get involved. Welcome to thailand, where there is no corruption honestly.

Anybody recommend an agent to open a bank account

In my experience to get an "OA" Retirement visa in your home country, you do have to have the Bt800,000 in your home country's bank account, but there are no requirements to keep it there once you have entered Thailand. It is still in your private bank account in your home country, you can spend it as you wish and no conditions. On getting the 12-month extension of my 2 x OA visas, no one at Thai Immigration enquired where the Bt800,000 was. I was free to spend it as I wished. Although I did have more than the required amount no one at Thai Immigration enquired. Not interested when I volunteered that information.

Maybe a tip: Friend of mine did not have a bank account but could put 800k฿ on some kind of account, in his name, at the Bangkok bank. It's a yellow/orange bankbook so think it's some kind of fixed deposit account 🤷‍♂️. Did not pay attention what 'the book said'. He did not have a regular account with debit card, app etc. He got his year extension (retirement) with that. This was Korat imm.

With Non-O 90 days visa you can open accaunt in any bank

I went through a visa agent for everything. Much easier.

You can normally apply for the initial 90-day non-o visa without seasoning the funds.. meaning after you get it you must have funds deposited to a Thai bank account by day 30.. thereby giving it 60 days to season before returning for your 12-month extension.. at least that's how it worked for me with a non-o based on marriage in CM.. but you will need to check with your own immigration office to see if that process will work for you!

Get a Residence Cert. Take this along with your Passport and that should help.

Banks in Thailand are like everywhere in the world, interested in having good stable custormers, that have a permanent address, a steady easy traceable income, and use the account all year round.

That is why the banks are reluctant to give accounts to people on short time ( read: tourist ) visas, and who only spend part of the year in Thailand.

Don’t expect to get a residence certificat, until you have stayed at a permanent adress in at least 3 month, since that is what the residence certificat should confirm.

Furthermore the added attention on whitewashing of money, is an added burden on the banks, so reluctant depositing large amounts isn’t a guaranteed way to open an account.

The value of a resident certificat, had gone down, since Immigration Officers are giving them to people that are not on a longterm visa, or have stayed severel months at 1 adress in Thailand, so even if it is a formal requirement, the bank make up their own assesment of the stability of the want-to-be customer.

9-thailand-to-implement-stringent-compliance-regulations-for-new-bank-accounts?

Yeah, it's called catch-22. If you have a non-Imm O Visa, you should be able to open an account. Just keep trying different branches

I used an agent after trying so many over a few years. I'm not a retirement visa but wanted a regular input of 65k over a year. Having a bank of Bangkok account keeps it there and the evidence will be easy. Its something about their systems that doesn't add up, including proper visa advice. In all countries the immigration officer will decide but the process should be more straightforward. Maybe money changing hands has something to do with it

You only think they say this, but a retirement visa doesn’t exist. So you can not need something which doesn’t exist.

Now, there is something which is called a non-o visa based on retirement.

You need this visa to get a bank account (there are other possible visa, but let’s stick with “retirement).

The visa is valid for 90 days. After that you need an “extension of stay based on retirement”. Not a visa, but a permit to extend your stay for one year.

You need the 800k bank balance for 2 months to be able to request the extension.

Now, I ask you: Where did you see “retirement visa”?

What? you have to pay to put money in a bank. I always thought it was supposed to be the other way around. But then this is Thailand, of course. Silly me.

You need a 90 Non O visa to start with from London embassy, when you here with the Non O visa you can get Bank account, ( you need letter from immigration, quite easy ) then you can open bank account, Then deposit 0 bhat , you then apply for a 12 month visa, you need report every 90 days after you have this ( can be done on line )

Get retirement visa before going.

The way I did it was to go to Thailand on o visa at pattaya sea front bangkok bank ask for a deposit account and they said you can have one if you take out heath insurance not shore how much about 1000buat(£25) did not care about the cost needed the account like you still have it now

You keep it up you will be able to do it or you can get a service to help you

You don’t need an agent. It’s a waste of money. You can get a bank account on your own.  

Banks used to let people on tourist and visa exempt open an account with a few documents. The last several years they've gotten less willing to. Unfortunately since there is no law that actually prevents them from doing it then immigration doesn't really care since legally you are allowed to, it's not their fault the banks won't do it.

Arrive with a O visa for 90 days, obtained from the Thai embassy in your country. With that you can open a bank account. Deposit 800,000 for 2 months before applying to extend the visa to a total of 15 months. The problem is with people who don't apply for the O visa at home, so arrive as tourists and are surprised when banks don't see you as long term customers

With some bank branches getting a residence certificate from immigration can help along with the reason you need the account. If you can take a Thai along to vouch for you that also helps

The thai banks don't open accounts for visitors I.e. tourist visa 's or visa exempt etc. As you are not going to be a permanent resident. The long term visa's demonstrate you have intentions to stay i.e the O visa ( in country or from your own country through the thai embassy). So to get a bank account without using a workaround ( an agent) its best to come with an O visa or an O-A visa ( or others) from your own country ready prepared. The reason why you need money in a thai bank account is to show you have funds in a local account should you need it in an emergency ( no health insurance requirements with an O extension in country)

I have heard it is very very difficult without an agent

I used an agent to open my bank account and it was worth every baht spent

@Lester ********

there are agents in Pattaya that can do this.฿5,000 upwards.

Good luck

I had the same dilemma but I'm going onto an education visa before retirement visa.

Main options seem to be....

1 Apply for visa before you visit Thailand and you can then open a bank account when here

2 Pay an agent to do it

3 Try Bangkok bank...from what I've read, some will do it and some won't

As you're not meant to open a bank account whilst here as a visa exempt tourist your options are limited if you're already here.

I'm sure someone will correct me I'm I'm wrong 😅

Classic Catch-22. You must have an account to get a “retirement visa” or extension but can’t open one if you don’t have one….

If you apply for the initial Non O from London then it will make the process much easier to open an account.

If you’re already here then you’ll either slog it out trying 100s of branches or just use an agent.