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How can I successfully open a bank account in Thailand with a DTV visa?

DTV visaThailand bank account openingvisa requirementsbanking in Thailandexpat banking experiencesThai residency certificateagent servicesThai banking policies
Oct 10, 2024
2 months ago
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
DTV visa bank account opening update October 2024

I have the following documents:

- Thai driving license

- Residency certificate

- passport ofcoz

- My foreign bank account reference letter and bank statement

- my home country ID card

- My foreign bank credit cards

- Thai speaking friend with me

- My US company incorporation certificate - I own the company

Unbelievable, with all these documents, they all rejected me for no reason. The staffs were all rude to me. I went to all the banks in Bangkok, HQs. You name it, all the banks.

Some people at the front of the bank laughed at me. It's annoying me. I will go through with agent soon.

Does anyone being treated like this or anyone able to open bank account with DTV visa successfully?
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The post discusses the author's frustrations with attempting to open a Thai bank account using a DTV visa, despite providing extensive documentation. The author reports rudeness from bank staff and rejection from multiple banks. Several comments suggest that DTV holders face significant challenges due to Thai banks' strict requirements, particularly concerning residency. Many suggest hiring an agent to facilitate the process, as banks are known to be increasingly cautious due to issues like money laundering and compliance with international standards.
DTV VISA RESOURCES / SERVICES
John **********
All? You need to remember that every branch of every bank has its own rules so just because you're rejected by one branch of one bank doesn't mean the next branch of the same bank will. Also did you have an official certificate of residence issued by an immigration office (not a TM30)
2 months ago
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Peter *******
If you go to Bangkok Bank in Phuket Town, they will only ask for your passport and require you to purchase insurance for 5,000 THB. This applies to any type of visa.
2 months ago
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Nick ***
@Peter ******
 when was this? They don't ask for immigration residency certificate?
2 months ago
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Peter *******
@Nick **
 2 years ago. They only asked for passport and proof of address (I used a short term lease)
2 months ago
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Peter *******
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กิตติศักดิ์ **********
I truly don't understand why you would go to all this hassle and stress when you can just pay an agent 2,000 Baht to handle everything and literally all you do is sign a few pieces of paper
2 months ago
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마리오 ***
It’s not “for no reason”. They rejected you because you aren’t complying with their requirements. Did you ask what the requirements are?

Beginning early this year the Thai gov started cracking down hard on money laundering due to international pressure. This in turn has caused the banks to significantly tighten their procedures for accepting and onboarding new customers. Good luck.
2 months ago
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Greg ********
@마리오 **
 This! Thailand also signed the CRS (Common Reporting Standards) so now your banking details have to be shared with your country of tax residency. That is a lot of work for little gain for many banks. How are the banks supposed to know where you are tax resident" - if it was me it would be put in the "Too much hassle" box and deny bank accounts
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2 months ago
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Greg ********
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Greg ********
To be fait the DTV is still only a tourist visa. Tell me which other countries allow yiu to open a bank account as a tourist these days? With all the scams and money laundering it is fighters in nearly all jurisdictions to open a bank account.
2 months ago
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Dominic ******
@Greg *******
 The DTV is not a tourist visa though. If it was, the assumption would be valid, sure.
2 months ago
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Greg ********
@Dominic *****
 The DTV is a tourist visa - it is a visitors visa. Bye
2 months ago
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Dominic ******
@Greg *******
 Repeating yourself doesn't make it true. lol Keep telling yourself it's a tourist visa, I'm ok with that. It's a 'workation' visa, which is something very different from a tourst.
2 months ago
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Dominic ******
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Greg ********
@William *******
 Looks so simple. Next tome anyone in here asks about bank accounts please chirp up and point them to this
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2 months ago
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Greg ********
@William *******
 As a tourist with no registered address? Funny I see Digital Nomads asking questions about how can they keep their bank account, need a USA number etc. Links please. Anyway. It mean Sweet FA. The DTV is for Thailand this you will just have to suck it up.
2 months ago
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Greg ********
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JC ************
I got mine with the ED visa at krungthai
2 months ago
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Paul *******
@Vitaly *******
 Yes but it's still restrictive. Only with a work permit is it easy to apply for a Thai bank account at any branch.
2 months ago
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Vitaly ********
@JC ***********
 ED is a long-term non-immigrant visa, it’s never been a problem to open a bank account with ED. DTV is a completely different story
2 months ago
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Paul *******
@Vitaly *******
 Never is not true. The only failsafe visa types to be on to open a bank account anywhere in Thailand is a non-B or non-O WITH work permit. Without a work permit, you're at the whims of the policy applying to that bank or branch.
2 months ago
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Vitaly ********
@Paul ******
 usually works like this: you ask your school's admin staff, they prepare the papers and tell you the branch to go to. You're all set
2 months ago
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Vitaly ********
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Gre *****
@JC ***********
 which city please?
2 months ago
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JC ************
@Gre ****
 Bkk
2 months ago
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JC ************
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Adrian ******
@JC ***********
 same with me. In and out in under hour.
2 months ago
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Adrian ******
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Werner ************
DTV is treated as a tourist visa not resident visa - you will need to pay a agent, welcome to Thailand unless you have a resident visa most activities will require a agent
2 months ago
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Deepak *******
It is laughable with the list you presented. It is annoying, arrogance, and trying to assert privileges. No wonder banks rejected it. Pay the agent. Let them make some money also.
2 months ago
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Niall ***************
2 months ago
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Nikita ************
Try agents. It’s Thailand. People know people, etc.
2 months ago
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Robert *******
Have DTV but will want to open bank account once we get there. Is it possible to hire an agent in Chiang Mai to help you open a bank account. Don't need anything else, just a bank account with ATM card, online banking and ability to transfer money from HSBC Hong Kong periodically. What would be typical fee for an agent to do that?
2 months ago
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Henrik *****
Never sell your soul to an agent.
2 months ago
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Paul *******
@Henrik ****
 While I wouldn't use an agent to extend a visa these days (in Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos, yes, since that's the system there) I would use one to open a bank account if I needed to. Since I already have 2 Thai bank accounts, I personally have no reason to ever use an agent for opening a bank account but I can see the merit in using one.
2 months ago
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Paul ****
@Henrik ****
 but agent help you with the hassle. not thing about soul but easy life . and I am a agent .
2 months ago
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Robert *******
@Henrik ****
 we managed the DTV process on our own and are good in terms of visa, but the nightmare of running around to 20 banks seems unthinkable. If the bank account is opened in my name and address, how would the agent have control over me in the future.
2 months ago
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Henrik *****
Check out if foreign tourists can walk in to a bank in you country, and walk out with a account, before you critizie the Thailand banks for doing the excact same thing as banks everywhere else.
2 months ago
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Henrik *****
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Henrik *****
You simply haven’t stayed in Thailand long enough.

Reconsider if a Thai bankaccount is need-to-have or nice-to-have.

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 even 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.

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9-thailand-to-implement-stringent-compliance-regulations-for-new-bank-accounts?
2 months ago
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Paul *******
@Stephan **********
 Thai rules don't necessarily make much sense.

All I can say is, if you possess a Thai work permit OR are in the process of obtaining one and have documentation to show this, then applying for a Thai bank account is easy.

Without one, it's a crapshoot. It then depends on the banks own policy, that of the particular branch or whether you use an agent or not.
2 months ago
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Stephan ***********
@Henrik ****
 Yeah, but what kind of account we are talking about? Savings account, right... no loan, no interest, no real credit card, just debit... you can only use/work with the money that is in the account, there is no risk for the bank in any way. So why they make it so hard these days? Because we are all up for money laundering? Come on...

It wasn't that easy 10-15 years ago already, but now it's almost impossible without an agent. And this is the next point... you cannot, because you are probably a bad guy, but if you let an agent do it and/or buy an insurance from the bank then you are suddenly good enough? Ridiculous...

Funny somehow... they are totally in love with Non-Imm-visa... copy passport, copy visa, copy drivers license and you are good... 15 minutes and you'll have your account. So... Non-Imm = good guys, all other visa = bad guys? What a nonsense...

Residency Certificate... you can get an address confirmation letter from your Embassy/Consulate... they just confirm that you stay at the address that you'll tell them... and you are good for many banks...

They make it unnecessary hard to open an account without any valid reason... that's what it is now... sadly...

And don't forget this silly situation they create here for applying for a Non-O... you need an account to be able to apply for the visa, but without the visa you can't open the account... here you go... Catch-22...
2 months ago
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Paul *******
@Stephan **********
 There are several reasons, mainly to do with money laundering. One principal reason cited by Bangkok Bank is due to Burmese citizens using their accounts for nefarious purposes including scams.

Another reason is compliance with international laws; Thai banks are being pressured by the west to comply with certain requirements, one of which is they want foreigners to be resident in the country, rather than just being a tourist.
2 months ago
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Stephan ***********
@Paul ******
 If the law (or the rules) in a country require that you have an account in that country (Non-Imm-Visa), than the same country cannot have a law (or rules) that excludes you from open an account. That's absolutely ridiculous...
2 months ago
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Stephan ***********
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Henrik *****
It is not harder to open a bankaccount for a foreigner in Thailand than a foreigner opening a bankaccount anywhere else.

And as long as people are stupid enough to support korruption by using agents nothing will change.
2 months ago
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Henrik *****
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Rab ******
You are on tourist visa -_- get proper visa if you want to have bank account
2 months ago
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Goaerg ******
I think everyone who's trying a DTV visa should travel to Thailand first with TR visa then open Thai Bank Account (There is a Bank that can open with TR visa) then go to lao or Cambodia to apply DTV.
2 months ago
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Joyce ****
Base on my experiences of trying to do this for over a year, no matter how many legalized documents you have, they won’t open it for you unless you have a work permit.

There may be the odd one here or there that would do it but it’s very rare.

Another option is to open a Wise account, this way you can do payments in Thailand and also transfer money etc.
2 months ago
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Greg ********
@Joyce ***
 Retirement or Spouse Visa also possible to open an account
2 months ago
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Joyce ****
@Greg *******
 some banks would do it on retirement visa but I’m not of age to get the retirement visa
2 months ago
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Greg ********
@Joyce ***
 The only way is to use an agent. The banks have clamped down recently due to a few things. One is Thailand signed the CRS (Common Reporting Standards) agreement recently and this puts extra conditions on them ie reporting to the country of tax residency of account holders. So for exam0le if I was still Tax Resident in UK my Thai banks woukd have to report to UK each year my banking. The other issue is the number of scams taking place. This is especially true where the scammer compounds are based in Burna and Cambodia. There was a case where a man killed his wife and family after his wife lost everything to scammers. Banks need to be careful who they let open accounts. This also effected SIM cards and how many a person can have
2 months ago
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Joyce ****
@Greg *******
 very informative! Thanks 🙏
2 months ago
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Joyce ****
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James *********
@Joyce ***
 also possible to open with an education visa
2 months ago
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Joyce ****
@James ********
 I’ve tried with this visa as well but they all said I need work permit
2 months ago
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James *********
@Joyce ***
 - Krungthai had no problem opening an account for me previously with only an Ed visa.
2 months ago
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Travelling ********
@James ********
 Can you give us the details of Krungthai?
2 months ago
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James *********
@Travelling *******
If I recall I brought a letter from immigration to open a bank and took this and my passport. It was straight forward.

Each bank has different stipulations as many have previously said so I would just continue trying.
2 months ago
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James *********
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Elías ********
@Joyce ***
 or you pay to an agent, but then, money wise, it might not be worthy
2 months ago
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Elías ********
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Kaung **********
I still don't see anyone successfully opening a bank account with DTV so far. If you seriously need to open a Thai bank account, you can try with an agent and normally they open with Bangkok Bank.
2 months ago
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Kaung **********
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