How can I open a Thai bank account before applying for my retirement visa?

@Jay ****

To obtain a 90-days Non-Imm-O Retirement Visa in your home country, apply for it in the E-Visa online system of the Thai embassy in your home country.

***For the application to the 90-days Non-Imm-O visa, you can upload proof of a minimum of equivalent of 800,000 THB in your HOME bank account!

*** Enter Thailand on the 90-days Non-O Visa. Get TM30 registered at your accommodation, visit Immigration, get a “certificate of residence” from them.

Get a Thai mobile number.

Visit a bank branch and get the bank account opened

*** if the bank staff is too stupid to know how to do it, or if they are inventing rules they pull out of their noses so they do not need to service you

GET AN AGENT to get your bank account opened. The service fee should be something around 5000.- THB

*** Once the Thai bank account is opened, transfer from abroad a minimum of 800,000 THB onto it

***Wait until the 800,000 have seasoned for 2 months, get the bank letter that confirms it and visit Immigration. Apply for the

“1-year Extension of Temporary Stay Permit based on Retirement”

(which some people refer to as “retirement visa” . . but which is NOT a visa but just an extended stay permit)

No agents needed if you follow the recommended route....firstly apply for a nonO visa(>50) in your home country....fly to thailand and get a permanent place to stay(lease agreement) ....now u can try to open a bank acct with nonO and lease agreement (kbank/SCB) try as many branch as possible......if still fails go to immigration office and get a residency certificate and a letter from immigration stating u need a bank acct for your extensions.....good luck you will definitely get a bank acct if u try hard enough Or u might be lucky and get it on first try....Cheers

If you are not yet in Thailand

Highly recommend getting your Non-O before you leave it creates a somewhat easier pathway to getting a bank account

I was lucky enough to get mine on a long-term IE 14-month education visa. I got rejected by several Banks before one accepted me. that was over a year ago. now at the current climate I think it's next to impossible to do it.

perhaps an agent?

At some point you will need to establish a lease agreement and certificate of residency, From my resent experience the banks will want to see that as well a cell phone in your name only, I recommend using an agent unless you have a lot of free time on your hands.

It's worth considering that this endless official tinkering and flip-flopping over visa and banking policy is the universe suggesting that there may be better places to begin your SE Asia retirement saga.

Thailand seems to have lost the plot. Hopefully only temporarily. But who knows?

Give it a think.

1)Use yr bank account to open non o 90 days in yr country.

2)When in thailand ,open yr acct with 800k baht in the bank.

Once money season in bank go extent 1 yr non o retirment.

If you want a more relax retirement when you are here,get a agent to help.

use an agent to streamline the process unless you plan on coming in and out of Thailand for 90 days.

It’s almost impossible these days to open a bank account by yourself without a long term visa. You may find an agent that can help you but even some of them are saying no chance.

Get a Non O before you come and during the first 30 days open the account and transfer 800k. Then when the money has been in for two calendar months apply for the year extension.