What are the requirements for opening a bank account in Thailand on a tourist visa?

@Gregory ********

then I think you are required to give a pint of 🍁 Maple Syrup.

@Tony ********

angry?? How has that strategy been working out for you in the land of smiles??

@Jamie *****

- I said I would have been getting pretty angry...I don't give up or into bureaucracy but obviously it's normal for such problems in Thailand...I try to avoid such situations with good planning.

I think the OP has been unlucky he needs to keep going

@Sammy ******

Yes, Had $10,000+ in a foreign bank account? You need to file a FBAR FinCEN Report 114.

@George ************

my point was the US IRS Reporting is not the problem as the EU have the same, but no reporting, problem opening accounts as Americans.

Also, there's the whole language thing. Non-Thai-speaking customers can be a headache. Foreign customers can be demanding, not understand what is said to them, be argumentative, etc. I think there's a lot of negatives associated with having foreign customers in the mind of a Thai bank employee/manager. The phrase, more trouble than they're worth, comes to mind. Also, the laziness factor comes into play, there's an additional process for opening an account for a foreigner that the person may not be familiar with and all the pain caused by that discomfort can be swept aside by saying, "cannot."

Of course, not all branches are created equal. In some branches there are English-speaking staff (staff that is comfortable speaking in English) and they may already have existing foreign customers and having one more or less isn't going to break the bank, so to speak. This is why I recommend going to larger branches and picking branches that are likely to already have foreign customers, i.e., in areas where a lot of expats live. I also think that Krungsri Bank is more open to having foreign customers, maybe because it is foreign-owned. Bangkok Bank can also be a good choice as they actually have documentation online explaining the requirements for opening a bank account for a foreign customer.

And there are some intangible factors as well. Do you have a good attitude, patience, and a sense of decorum? Are you reasonably well-dressed? Do they understand why you want to open the account (e.g., keeping 800,000 baht in the savings account all the time for purpose of immigration requirements)? Essentially, are you going to be a good person to do business with? Because if you're not, or perceived that you aren't, then it's going to be very tempting to say "cannot" or come up with additional requirements that are geared toward making you give up and go away.

@George ************

I managed to get one opened, but it was more trouble than I thought it should've been. I went to a Bangkok Bank branch in Chiang Mai that was recommended and has a lot of foreigners. The lobby has been half full of foreigners everytime I've been there. I also went with my Thai wife, so language was not an issue. They require 1 of 3 types of documents on top of the passport. A work permit, which I do not have because I am retired, a residency certificate, which immigration was not giving at the time due to their system being down, or a letter from the US consulate, which they seemed to have no idea about. They ended up accepting a certified copy of my passport.

@Wylie ******

Here's the procedure that Bangkok Bank is supposed to follow. There is a pathway for those without a work permit. So, in the case of Bangkok Bank you can actually make the case that you want them to follow their rules. I freely admit they don't always do that and they have been known to invent additional requirements including insisting on your buying an insurance product.

Required Documents

For Thai nationals

ID card or any government-issued photo ID card with 13-digit ID number

For foreigners

1. Foreigner with a work permit

Passport

Work Permit

2. Foreigner without work permit

Passport

A reference letter issued by one of the following institutes or organizations or required document

Embassy located in Thailand

An overseas bank where the customer holds an account sent via SWIFT

Trusted individuals such as a Bangkok Bank staff member or customer, director of a private company, permanent residence in Thailand, government or private educational institutes located in Thailand trusted by the Bank

Trusted companies, e.g., an employment letter from the company if the customer is in the process of applying for a work permit.

Document showing ownership of a fixed asset such as a condominium sale/purchase agreement (a condominium which is acceptable to Bangkok Bank) Or a property reservation agreement valued at 100,000 baht or more with a reference letter from the property developer that is acceptable to Bangkok Bank.

Notes: Contact addresses for both Thailand and overseas must be provided (hotel and P.O. Box addresses are not acceptable).

3. Foreigner with permanent residence in Thailand

Passport, Certificate of Residence, or Alien Certificate

House Registration document

-- above copied from

@Wylie ******

Thai banks are terrified (justifiably in my opinion) terrified of getting crossways with the US Government as it would kind of be bad to lose access to the largest economy in the world. I believe all non-Thai customers are asked if they ever lived/worked in the US and therefore may have some tax liabilities or ongoing obligations in the US.

@Gordon ********

first went to Patong 13 years ago... Good times ❤️

@Karim **************

good times and could make a living not now

@Gordon ********

rents are crazy now, especially in Phuket. The Covid discounts that landlords are currently giving are more like what rents should be in normal times 🤷‍♂️

@Karim **************

l think patong was on the way out before covid when they changed most of the bars in to tiger take care

@Gordon ********

definitely changed a lot compared to when I first visited.

@Reece *******

I had issues in Isaan. Couldn’t open and account in Maha Sarakham. Saying that, there’s loads of farrangs in KK and not too many in Sarakham.

@Karim **************

ok

@Gregory ********

Wow! That is bad form....

If you haven’t already, go to an area that has lots of foreigners e.g. Sukhumvit. If you see other farrangs banking in the branch, you should have some luck. If you already tried there and without luck, you may need to go to Pattaya.

@Janin *****

yes, KBank in Hua Hin was easy. Only needed my passport.

@Tod ********

I’m not saying they are the requirements because it seems to be totally random. That’s just what worked for me. “Truth”.