What are the recent changes regarding Thai bank accounts for foreigners and how do they impact visa holders?

@Robert ********

I feel your pain. I was there in Nov 2024 with a 90-day non-O even though I knew I wouldn't be getting an extension. Just did it to facilitate a bank account. Went to MANY banks and they all said no "I needed a long term visa" I'm in the Nong Khai area and they had never seen the E-Visa, so their lack of knowledge held me back. Finally, on my last week home a wonderful young lady at KrungThai bank went to the wall for me and got an account open. I was told by 2 banks that if I got a Thai driver's license come after and we will do....lies, they had excuses after I showed up with the license. FF to April and was able to open an account at Kasikorn on a 90-day non-o because my SO knew the lady. Even when you have the requirements needed in Northern Thailand it is still a huge PIA because they haven't dealt with many foreigners, especially when it involves E-Visas.

@Thomas ******

Thanks for reply. I'm going to try again in a couple of days. Hope life is going well for you.

Thank you. Life is going well. House closes on June 20 in Washington State and will make the transition to Thailand full time. Where are you located, if I may ask?

@Christophe *********

I was just commenting on what I found. Even without the Patriot Act in the U.S. if the banks want someone's money, they'll just put that person in court until the person realizes that there will be no ROI of time and money because they will just outgun them.

@Dave ******

and besides getting any of them the point you to the right direction is almost near impossible because you can tell they're annoyed by you and they do not appreciate your presence no matter what you do you can be kind and Thailand but that ain't going to earn you any points

@Dave ******

learning Thai was not the issue the issue was she did not want to have to deal with a foreigner because if they do not like foreigners regardless if you know their language or not that's the nature of the type people remember every other Foreigner in the world thinks negatively of America for thinking that way it's only natural that they think negative of Thailand that way but unlike America Thailand's not going to sit there and cry whether what names they're called or not they don't care this is their country does not matter how much money we put into it it's our loss if they decide to change their immigration system to gear it towards just taking money off of people and I know this is a horrible thing but we knew the risk when we came here and no promises were made so therefore we just have to move on

@Nate **********

what's funny is that I get treated that way in some places as a citizen in my own country. 😁

@John ******

me kinda after they get to know your local but this happed when i was still new here

@Christophe *********

you expect them to speak perfect English and make 9000 a month

@James *****

considering the dating scene in Thailand most of them are looking for elderly or people with VIP visas says it's the other way around bro

@James *****

why? Bruh...then you in a gooood place

@James *****

non sequitur

@Christophe *********

It's not lying if they don't know what he's talking about

@Andrew ******

exactly if you said sauce, Maggie, which is their form of that sauce they would get it immediately

@James *****

they don't speak english primarly HERE sauce was in "soy sauce" but EVERY OTHER THAI UNDERSTANDS SOY SAUCE. 🤣🤣

@Andrew ******

they did thats why she got angery at me after i got it and brought it to checkout.

@James ******

because a lot of the Filipinos they're kind to you no matter what but that don't mean that won't change in a heartbeat when money gets involved any place that has a culture that runs their family like a business is going to end up horribly at the end I know I have the mental scars and the experience sitting in the Philippine national police station but of course I need to have a few friends before s*** hit the fan so all that happened to me was I got a free trip to the bus station and then straight to a hotel in Manila also they're kind of isn't a border hopping method there if you go to leave the country and you're with somebody that's in a village they can just go right back with their husband and keep taking your money trust me I've seen this in action while I've been there in these villages the extortion the poor quality of life and meanwhile the mothers of some of these young women are just living like queens and Dubai while you sit your rear end in a hot Village watching how miserable everyone else gets to live until The cargo they ship in comes in trust me it's not a good place to be right now It's best that we take Tourism and help other countries that need it that are nearby besides the khmmer Empire is what mostly made Thailand what it is today

@James ******

Going there as a tourist is a completely different experience from living there as an expat.

@Carl ****

but by all means it's your life do what you want to do just be safe and bless you

@Nate **********

did someone broke your heart from the Philippines?

@Weng *****

I say we just give Cambodia a chance but we have to remember that it's not going to be easy

@Nate **********

I have heard that Cambodia's infrastructure and accommodation's are about 20 year's behind the surrounding areas. I don't know, just what I have heard.

@Thomas ******

yes indeed but it won't get any better unless they get the business needed to improve upon that it's just the same as Thailand but however we need to contribute in order for that to get better. But as we see with Thailand that does not guarantee will get better it'll probably only get so much better until maybe which depends on how kind of nature they are they end up doing the same thing Thailand's doing to us putting all of that money into them love and care just for them to continue to do is they've been doing. But remember this is Thailand it's for Thai people. Regardless whether how much money we put into their economy that does not make us God or King. That's the same as anywhere in the world

What you are saying isn't really any different than what is constantly said in the U.S.. "it's not my fault we are like this, it's the people holding us back", when in reality the people have been forced to do everything they can so no one is held back and yet, people feel disenfranchised. I agree with your point of regardless of how much money we put into Thailand, we should feel like neither "God nor King" because we are just people trying to exist in a place we are happy with our families or by ourselves if that is the case. Whatever monies I put into Thailand to exist are no different than the expenditures I have in my home country.

@Weng *****

the woman I was with was far too pregnant to give me trouble matter of fact she was a good woman until her family got back a hold of her and brainwashed her probably threatened her with God knows what those people are completely different when money is involved

@Weng *****

no they almost murdered me and fed me to the pigs just because I wouldn't give them my money anymore be very careful there

@Carl ****

another factor to consider is that a lot of them will have works at Facebook on their profile and in some cases they do and if you talk too much to them in some cases someone in the village to try to keep trying to talk to them when they cut you off they can have you permanently kicked off the platform

@Carl ****

if Thailand has a dark side at least Thailand doesn't make any promises the Philippines however is a different story it all changes when you get on tribal soil

@Thomas ******

and meanwhile literally with Thailand is what you just did.😅😅😅🤣🤣🤣🤣

so, I'm benefitting from what Cambodia did for Thailand? If that's the case, I didn't pay for the solution, I just enjoyed the results and carry on the tradition of cleaning up after myself and making things better in Thailand.

@Thomas ******

I didn't even say that I said what I was trying to say was that we kind of did that already with Thailand when it comes to paying for a solution in that regard so regardless we can kind of look at Thailand in a way is kind of just a bad investment and really Thailand's always been that way even neighboring countries will tell you Thailand is always been that way for the longest of time. Thailand is just another bad investment it's best to move on especially with industry coming to some other countries like Vietnam and Cambodia definitely expect better product on the shelves there and eventually Improvement of life could be an opportunity for a bunch of us to actually settle in and maybe visit Thailand on the side. That way everyone's happy well for the most part

@Tony ************

I said this post is about bank accounts not the DTV so your experience is not relevant. Start your own post if you think it is.

@Tony ************

then you're CLEARLY not a tourist and you shouldn't be allowed in as one

@Brandon ***********

Exactly.

@Brandon ***********

I was a tourist. I don’t reside there full-time. I got there November 21 told immigration in Pattaya that I’d be leaving the 7th May. because their system is so stupid I had to rent my own house to myself for that period and you have to tell & provide written proof of where you’ll be staying and for how long how much rent you’ll be paying who you’re renting from et cetera to immigration within 24 hours of arriving in the country. The problem is they change their mind all the time on what you can’t & can do and also that was the longest period I was going to be staying there I’ve never stayed that long 

@Tony ************

have you been doing this consistently since 2004? If you have been staying almost 6 months a year in a house that you own, kinda screams "not a tourist" even if you left after that amount of time, were you planning on coming back to Thailand before the end of the year? It sounds like they were trying to help you be legitimate in Thailand. Get the DTV and stay your 6 months, go visit Laos, come back in and have another great 6 months if that's what you want.

@Tony ************

This post is about bank accounts and you cannot easily get a bank account on a DTV entry stamp

@Lna *****

sticky only😜

@Phil **********

yes but they know not to do that around the cops woo wee

@Thomas ******

did phone number and ID verification with the bank in March. So hope all will be well for now. Thanks

@Graham *****

fine for opening a bank account? My wife is with bkk bank so I will open in the same branch in Seacon Square

@John ********

Yes, get a residence certificate from Immigration and ensure you a Thai registered in your name plus take your passport & driving licence (if you have one)

@Graham *****

what is a residence certificate? Is this what tha landlord fills out when we rent the condo?

@John ********

No, it's something from Immigration to certify your address for bank accounts, vehicle purchase etc. You are talking about a TM30 which notifies a foreigner staying.

@Jordan ****

i can understand rooting out the dregs who have feck all interest other than bars and girls.

@Dayna *****************

They want only tourists who don’t live here : those don’t need bank account. They don’t want foreigners living here long time.

@Erik ******

they dont want foreigners living in Thialand who dont have the correct Visa and extension of stay. Not unreasonable.

@Dayna *****************

So far yes. But you never know here. Can change tomorrow . It’s not stable

@Ste***

I don't think it's "written somewhere" but the actual experience of people trying to open accounts on DTV is that it's next to impossible. They are being treated differently to other long term visas.

@Ivan ***********

I got my bank account no problem with it , if you are staying in a county for up to 6 months at a time (full year if you pay the extension) for 5 years then why would you not need a bank account?

Also it's the visa that will catch a lot out with the 6m tax rule and then you're liable so how would they know what if going on if you never had a Thai account?

It's all very strange as they are saying tourism is dropping.. and they are losing a lot of income

Yet constantly chop and change the rules .. if they want to close my account 🤷🏻‍♂️...as long as I get my money out first...and on that note I wonder how many millions of Baht are in there from farang ? If they all panicked and withdrew their money ...that would be very interesting to see the impact it would have on the bank

@Ste***

if they did close an account they would give your money back, they wouldn't hold onto it. Once you have an account open, at least historically, they don't tend to close them, even if rules for new accounts change. Plenty of people still with accounts they opened on tourist entries when that was easy, ten years ago. This thing, for now just with Russians, is different in this regard.

@Gra***

Elite is also a tourist visa

@Ivan ***********

yes it is a visa issued under Tourist Authority of Thailand. But it most certainly is a long term visa, and part of the benefits is the assistance given to open a bank account with Bangkok Bank or others. Official, and government sponsored arrangements. There are the usual conditions such as proof of residence etc. But they are not going to rescind legitimate accounts for individuals on Elite Visas unless there are specific money laundering or sanctions concerns.

@Mi**

Elite is a 5 year visa just like DTV is, and both are tourist visas. I know they assist with bank accounts but regular tourist tourists used have no issues opening bank accounts either. Just saying they are the same class of visa.

@Daniel *****

Check the terms and conditions for your particular bank. At the end of the document they will mention the reasons that would allow them to close your account.

@Jordan ****

I’m not sure where I’d find that, so perhaps you could tell me if it’s BKK bank that you looked up :)

@Daniel *****

look in your email. Bangkok Bank sends updated terms and conditions about 4 times a year.