How can I open a Thai bank account on a Non Immigrant O Retirement visa while planning a short trip?

@David *****

You need a Thai bank anyway for your visa. I use Wise to keep my money waiting for good exchange rates (like right now - I’m Swiss - 40:1), not as the account for daily use.

But you can send the money from Wise to any account in the world.

I don’t understand your need for a card. I use the card only to pay for goods and services around the world. If I need cash, I get it from one of my other bank accounts.

BTW: all banks hold the money virtually, not only Wise. Or how can it be that they lend about 50 bucks for every 1 buck that they really own? And how can a transfer from one end of the world to the other be done in a second?

@Jeff *****

no

@Jeff *****

No no i.dont work there ! I'm in Bangkok now from Australia. I used them for my retirement visa after recommendations from friends here in Bangkok. Could not fault them !

@Marcel ******

you only have to do it once instead of multiple times how much transfer fees are you going to pay? And how about the better interest he earns in his home acct.....it's a requirement to get visa extensions and ppl have no choice the rates are irrelevant when it comes to priority

@Todd ********

also less risk and a lot less fapping around. Options are available in the future if you do go the retirement route

@Charlie *******

to open a bank account already done it

@Dany *******

not true, i even Opend an account at bkk bank In Phuket on a visa excemption just had to extend for a new 30 day stamp got letter from my hotel , went to Immigration for their letter and than i had no problem

@Dany *******

exactly that's what I wrote .

@David *****

you are aware you must have the equivalent of bt800,000 in your home country personal bank account to get the type O visa. When you get here after you have your type O visa it is easy to get a Thai bank account, and I recommend getting two accounts at different banks. I have accounts with Bangkok Bank, and Kasikorn Bank. You'll see the advantages after you live here for a while. As long as you have enough in the accounts to cover the yearly service fees nothing happens to the accounts no matter where you are in the world. When you actually decide to move here it is much better to do a SWIFT transfer of the bt800,000 all at once rather than small transfers over time. By doing it this way you can get a FET, foreign exchange transfer, document if you ever decide to leave Thailand and want to send the whole amount out of Thailand. You'll need the FET to justify where that much money came from, meeting anti money laundering laws Thailand enforces.