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What is the best way for my elderly aunt to obtain a bank account in Thailand after arriving on a tourist visa?

ThailandVisa RulesRetirement VisaTourist VisaBank Account SetupElderly Care
Sep 23, 2024
3 months ago
Jack ****************
ORIGINAL POSTER
This question gets so much spam it is making searching a pain in the ass. Elderly aunt has decided to relocate here so she can be around people who care for her final years. She is not very mobile so I want to avoid as much travel as possible. This means hopefully avoiding going to the embassy in the USA or here. I'd like to get her here on a tourist visa, get everything together, and get her moved over to a retirement visa. What is the "correct" answer for getting the bank account opened? I saw one post that looked like you could get some sort of letter of intent from immigration to bring to the bank?
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TLDR : Answer Summary
To successfully open a bank account in Thailand for your elderly aunt, it is recommended that she apply for a NON-O Retirement Visa from the USA before traveling. This approach simplifies the bank account opening process, allowing her to deposit the required 800,000 baht. While opening an account on a tourist visa can be challenging without using an agent, obtaining the retirement visa in advance ensures a smoother transition. Additionally, once she holds the retirement visa, she can manage her visa extensions and 90-day check-ins more easily.
NON-O RETIREMENT VISA RESOURCES / SERVICES
  • Go to the Retirement Visa Section for information on requirements, including age restrictions, financial requirements, and necessary documentation.
  • For immediate assistance, contact Thai Visa Centre directly via LINE at @ThaiVisaCentre or Email them.
  • Explore recent discussions by using the Non-O Retirement Visa tag in the search box at the top of the page.
  • Join the Thai Visa Advice Facebook Group to ask your questions, and get advice from others.
Nigel ********
Apply for a NON O A for Retirement before she leaves in the states might be a easy and less stressful She Will need insurance when applying Then a bank account is easy to set up because you'll have a retirement Visa. And you won't need 800k bht
3 months ago
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David ********
Keep trying to get a bank a/c, put Bt800,000 in it or see a visa agent who will get you a corrupt retirement visa for about Bt30,000l you will not need a real bank a/c, nor the Bt800,000 needed, so shop around.
3 months ago
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Jacques *****
Use a agent.
3 months ago
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Kate *******
What is wrong with people, somebody asking about a relative with not many years left to live and still you get some prat who wants to click laugh on it.
3 months ago
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Jack ****************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Kate ******
 yeah the caliber of people in these groups is- wait. That is not fair. I am sure most of them are fine. But there is a high number of total dickheads with nothing better to do than heckle and the mods don't kick them out.
3 months ago
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Jack ****************
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Frazer ******
I'm interested in getting a Retirement Visa to move there in 2025. Hard to find information regarding taxes etc.
3 months ago
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Dave ********
There are a lot of tutorials on Youtube with professionals explaining the new laws and they will point out where there is still ambiguity. Bottom line is if you exceed 180 days in-country you are a tax resident. Depending on your country of origin, there may or may not be a double tax agreement in place so you would not pay tax twice but may incur tax on any excess rate in Thailand over the rate you paid at home. Some incomes are exempted entirely (e.g. Social Security retirement from USA). Best see some tutorials and then, if necessary see a tax pro in Thailand.
3 months ago
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Ken ***********
@Frazer *****
 as Michael Millsaps wrote, all expats are unclear about their Thai tax liabilities because Thailand has yet to provide much of the details. I would suggest you have a plan B to retiring to Thailand for most of the year. (Less than 180 days in Thailand and the rest in another country or countries)
3 months ago
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Micheal **********
@Frazer *****
 Right now, it's hard for ALL the ex-pats to get information on how the taxes will work. They've just instituted new expat tax laws, and it hasn't really settled out into definite information yet. We all know it's coming, but in the usual Thai bureaucratic style, nothing has been nailed-down yet... I'll have been living here one year in about 3 weeks...
3 months ago
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Micheal **********
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Stuart ***********
As Brandon stated, if she gets the non o retirement visa before coming it will be much easier to open a bank account here. She can then deposit the 800,000 baht.

She then only needs to go to the bank again on the day she applies for her 12 month extension at the immigration office.

She would then need to repeat these two steps annually.

She would need to do 1 in person 90 day report, but then should be able to report online every 90 days.
3 months ago
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Lynn *******
@Stuart **********
 Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that one of the requirements for the Non-O retirement visa is having 800k baht in a Thai bank account under the applicant's name. If she doesn't have a bank account, how would she be able to obtain the retirement visa?
3 months ago
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Stuart ***********
@Lynn ******
 no you are incorrect. The 800,000 is required in a Thai bank account either; when you arrive in Thailand to extend your current non o retirement visa (obtained by the e visa system) OR if you are applying in Thailand for the non o visa. In both cases, before extending your visa, the money has to have seasoned for 2 months in your account first.

If you think about it logically, how could you have a Thai bank account without coming to Thailand first. It would put people off applying if they had to travel here to open an account before applying, so virtually nobody would use the e visa system in their own country.

It's virtually impossible to open a bank account in Thailand now without a long term visa like the non o retirement.
3 months ago
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Tim *********
@Lynn ******
 You don't need the 800k in a Thai bank to get a 90-day non-O from the Embassy in your home country. On arrival in Thailand you can then open a bank account and deposit the 800k, which must be there 2 months before you apply for 12-month extension of stay. Your nearest Immigration Office will issue a Letter of Residency, which the banks require as proof of your address. To get the letter of Residency, you need to take your passport with visa and e.g. condo rental agreement, to Immigration.
3 months ago
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Ruth *******
@Tim ********
 I did not need a certificate to open either of my accounts.
3 months ago
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Kim *********
@Ruth ******
 you didn't say when that was. The rules for opening an account has been tightened considerably recently (within the last year at least)
3 months ago
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Ruth *******
@Kim ********
 I actually did and I’m tired of defending my response to the people not actually seeking the help. Have a lovely day!
3 months ago
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Kim *********
@Ruth ******
 well I didn't see that and still don't but never mind
3 months ago
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Tim *********
@Ruth ******
 Hi Ruth. I opened my first account in Bangkok when I arrived in August 2023. No certificate needed (and I'd never heard of such a thing) having letter from my hotel confirming a long term booking. But it took 2 days of back and fro to the bank to persuade them to do it. Opened a second account in Pattaya a couple of months ago, used a Letter of Residency from the IO, the bank opened the account immediately with no quibble.
3 months ago
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Ruth *******
@Tim ********
 every bank is different. I had no quibble with either bank with no letter. I walked out of Siam Commercial because they wanted me to jump through hoops. The other two were very easy. I didn’t need to give my business to a bank that didn’t want it.

Maybe the difference was that I had a lease. I should have mentioned that little detail :-). However, the OP is living here already, so presumably he has accommodations for her.
3 months ago
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Ruth *******
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Ruth *******
@Lynn ******
 for some countries (I don’t know with which one or cannot but the U.S. is definitely a “can”), one can apply for the non-O with the 800K฿ equivalent in a home country account and apply from there. One then transfers the money to a Thai account and, before the 90-days and after the money has sat for at least 2 months, applies for the one-year extension.
3 months ago
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Ruth *******
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Jack ****************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Stuart **********
 so, I just got the marriage visa and had a big hassle learning I could not get the starting visa I needed via the website so I either had to travel and stay in a hotel in my home country or do a side trip to another country where I could go to the embassy. Those are problematic options.
3 months ago
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Stuart ***********
@Jack ***************
 the marriage visa is more difficult to obtain.
3 months ago
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Stuart ***********
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Brandon ************
If she arrives on a tourist visa, she's not going to get a bank account without using an agent.

Best is to apply for the non-O visa online from the e-visa system before traveling to Thailand, and then opening the bank account should be easier.
3 months ago
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Jack ****************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Brandon ***********
 was this the thing we learned isn't available via the US system? I had the problem with getting the marriage visa because I couldn't get the right thing through the website... Or is this a different thing?
3 months ago
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Ruth *******
@Jack ***************
 just got one a couple weeks ago to replace the one that had been in a stolen passport 😞. It’s still very much available online and very easy to apply for.
3 months ago
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Jack ****************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Ruth ******
 American?
3 months ago
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Ruth *******
@Jack ***************
 I know nothing about the marriage non-O, but I kind of feel like an expert on the over-50, having gone through the process now twice in a year. 🤣 (I’m trying to laugh, so I don’t cry :-) )
3 months ago
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Ruth *******
@Jack ***************
 yup. Your speed will still depend upon your location though. Although she will apply for an e-visa, whether it is through the embassy or one of the consulates will depend upon location. However, requirements don’t change.
3 months ago
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Ruth *******
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Brandon ************
@Jack ***************
 both are available in the US. You just have to navigate to the correct option in the e-visa system.
3 months ago
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Jack ****************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Brandon ***********
 Roger.
3 months ago
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Jack ****************
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