What do I need to open a bank account in Thailand on a retirement visa, and can anyone recommend a reliable agent in Koh Samui?

Bangkok bank asked me to get my passport validated from embassy. That took two weeks. They are not as accommodating since that crack down 18 months ago.

Start reporting Bangkok bank to the bank of thailand for any consumer violation. Frozen funds, etc. Trust me when I say this. They froze 2 mill baht two years ago, reported to BOT and problem fucking solved. If enough foreigners and Thai report them the government will start to apply huge pressure.

My advice is to pay an agent to do this for you. Ours did the paperwork and opened a bank account for us.

Go to Kbank, Bangkok Bank is a nightmare waiting to happen.

Forget BB

Waste of space !

Make their own rules up

Save yourself days of running around and frustration and use an agent.

Foreign govs will scam anyone anytime they can.

look before you leap, not a lot of thought goin into this.....

Go to Kasikorn forget BB.

Vous avez 1 mois pour trouver et déposer l'argent.

Pour obtenir le droit de rester une année, il faut que l'argent soit sur le compte thaie 2 mois avant la demande

AVOID BANGKOK BANK .

Jackie Caitlin, If you don't want to try again with a different bank (and have all the paperwork needed), try asking for a recommendation for an agent in the location of your choice. Some people are happy to pay for convenience.

Try SCB

It’s obvious that immigration wants foreigners to use agents for visas.

Well get a thai sim

Use an agent.

Try a different bank branch, or as some here say, a different bank.

There are no such requirements - by law - to open a bank account. Your particular branch does not want to do it, that is why they sent you to get papers the immigration office likely has no clue about themselves (except for the TM30 of course).

Some people here are bad in explaining it, e.g.

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

- a TM30 is not useless. You correctly point out, that he might need (that is not really required, but he might need it) a "residence certificate from immigration".

And for that you need a TM30, oops. Obviously you would get/do that in one go at immigration.

So, "@ Jacki Catlin" if you have to go to immigration anyway, then get both the recipe for the TM30 (you need that long term for nearly any interaction with immigration, anyway), and the residence certificate. (You hand in a TM30 form, simplest from a hotel, then you basically have the complete TM30 recipe already. OR: you have to do one with your landlord, and you get a recipe for it, the recipe is what you need).

Electric bills etc. are not needed.

Regarding your Thai SIM, get a simple cheep one at or Lotus. Something like 50GB/70GB will start around 220THB a month. Their prices (AiS/TRUE etc.) are very similar but the behaviour if the data option is exhausted, when you top them up again might be different (and complicated in some cases).

Fuck Bangkok bank They called me a scammer when I tried to open a new account

Krungthai bank is good as well

Thailand is fine only for holidays , and no longer viable as retirement destination … it is just too complicated , become very expensive and unwelcoming …

I have a Bangkok bank and Kasikorn account. Kasikorn are far better. Also advice varies from branch to branch. I live in BKk and after going to local branches in Samut Prakan I went to Kasikorn in EMQuartier and they have loads of international customers so give good helpful advice.

Give Bangkok bank a miss use others as recommended

Never Bangkok bank!

Just have a think. Why would any bank in the world let you open a bank without a fixed address in country. Get a thai sim registered to your passport first. Go to kasikorn bank and ask then what is needed. Dont use bangkok bank. You will need a proof of residence from immigration to open an account. This can take 7 days or more to get. That should be enough. So TM30 and proof of residence. It can be done with a guest house address. Or rental of an apartment.

My advice is go and see a reputable agent and they will sort everything out for you and put your mind at rest , have a great day 👍

From what I have been told if the banks there dick you around maybe better to use an agent bit of money up front to organise an account but they get it sorted without jumping through the hoops????

Read the comments re Bangkok Bank

Bangkok Bank hit me with the same Yellow Book request. Go anywhere else, BB in a shit storm right now.

I tried Bangkok bank,kasikorn ,SCB and a branch of krungsgri last June in Udon thani central mall,I had everything needed plus my thai girlfriend chatting, all said no, went to another branch of krunsgri outside the malll, which exactly the same paperwork, 40 minutes later all done, app on the phone, debit card etcetc...sometimes it's not easy

Use a better bank or better still avoid Thailand banks like the plague

Change to Kasikorn bank.👍

I am coming also on the riterement visa , when they do it to me i will go home . Thatswy i take lawyers for expats. It looks like ( when i read i lot off comment) we are not welcome in Thailand!

Get a residence certificate non o visa passport drivers licence or another photo I'd Thai sim and go to kasikorn bank I went last week and it only took 25 minutes you get a bank book cash card choose your own pin there and then great service happy days

Well get on with it then, go to immigration get the letter, head to a bank of your choosing and open an account

Nobody is answering the lady’s question you only talking about banks.

She is asking for somebody to recommend a COMPANY to help so out the problem.

@THAI *****************************

definitely can help you out

Nothing like a country that makes you feel welcome

Yeah, Bangkok Bank is a hassle to deal with. Use Kasikorn. Much better customer service!!!

Go to Kasikorn, you still need your living paperwork and a phone in your name

I opened with SCB last month and as well as residence (yellow book for me) they also wanted a phone contract copy showing your passport registered to a specific number. Once that was obtained from a local True/DTAC shop, everything went smoothly.

好棒！

To get a residence certificate from Immigration you will need a rent contract for at least 3 month. Your mobile phone has to be register to your Passport. There is a list on Immigration website what you need there. There are also information on bank websites what they need. If can’t find this infos online go to the bank of your choice and ask the questions. Most of them will be happy to help. you a

So can youse an agent or lawyer to help you to set up or at least help you. Money well spent.

Good luck. If you are set up with bank account and long stay visa, it is easy to move around Thailand and a place where you want to live.

Don't use Bangkok Bank

People make it sound so easy, get the 90 day visa, come to Thailand open a bank account, apply for the extension - simple. Sometimes it is and sometimes it is not. Definitely Kasikorn or SCB are very helpful. All banks are going to want a residency certificate from immigration. Best to go sit down with the bank first and ask them what they need then you can go back prepared. I have never used an agent, however unless one of you speak Thai it can be helpful to have someone to help you communicate with the bank, a friend or an agent. In these situations my Thai wife does all the talking and she rarely takes no for an answer.

Try Kasikorn. All the banks have different requirements! They are all in Central samui so you can go and try each one in a row to see what they need

Many problems and jumping through hoops with Bangkok Bank.

I would not recommend

Bangkok Bank

Agree, Kasikorn is your best bet👍

Fu*k Bangkok bank don't use them for anything. Kasikorn is the best

Kasikorn much easier,as is using an agent the first time

My guest house wrote a short term lease agreement for me. Prepaid SIM for a year was cheap. COR was a couple trips to imagration office. Copy of the visa, and passport pages. Opened an account with Krungthai bank on 1st try. I used Wise and the 800k shows up in minutes. Chok Dee

When you request a Residence certificate from immigration be sure to tell them you need it to open a bank account. Immigration will make a statement as such in the certificate.

My advice is to stay away from Bangkok Bank. Many expats have problems with them over the past 2 years. Use Kasikorn or Krunsri

TM30 is useless. It means nothing to the bank. You need a residence certificate from immigration.

Once you have the residence certificate, go back to the bank with your non-O visa and your passport, along with whatever else you have. If the bank branch you go to says no, or throws in some stupid requirement, go 100m down the street to the next bank branch. Even different branches of the same bank have their own requirements. You just need to find a branch that actually wants to work with foreigners. Many do not.