What is the best way to open a bank account in Thailand on a DTV visa without overpaying for agent services?

@Greg *******

🥲 wow

@Fallon ******

The DTV is a great visa and a boon to many who found it hard to stay longer term with some security. There were the ED visas which helped but had restrictions. Then others had to do border bounces in tourist visas and visa exempt with the insecurity they brought. It would be pity if abuse of the DTV by some put it in jeopardy. Maybe I am overly suspicious but the wall of silence and no official announcements by Immigration seems strange. MFA issue it but Immigration have final say over extensions and entries. It probably does need a little tweaking to bring the advantages Thailand wants from it and like anything implemented quickly and without consulting all stakeholders there are risks. Hope it remains because it does offer people a route to longer term stays.

@Greg *******

yeah I agree. I’ve been on the TR and extensions and it’s quite stressful tbh. I started out on a non o volunteer visa and I already have an account. I’m planning to do the Dtv and hopefully it works out well 🤞🏼

@Fallon ******

Good luck - it will certainly give you a degree of security.

@Greg *******

MFA have created a monster with the DTV, and perhaps Immigration need to take a long hard look at the pedantic way they carry on with non-O extensions. People who have lived in Thailand for ten years on non-O still have to go visit immigration every year and take their resume with them to prove they're worthy of another twelve months. It's tantamount to being sent to the headmaster's office in school."You've been a naughty boy". That's how immigration feels to me. Wear long pants, comb your hair, brush your teeth. It's f*cken ridiculous, and hopefully the DTV will change a mindset that's long overdue an overhaul

@Steve *******

Agree. My view, and it is only my opinion so worth nothing. Immigration seem to be keeping their powder very dry over this visa. I think some might get surprises down the line. It is why I am not jumping to DTV. I have 7 months left on O and will let that run it's course. I will look at the lay of the land at the time. The Immigration office in Jomtien is less formal than other I hear about. They are so busy they have forced to be efficient. As for the dress of their customers I wince when I look at some of them their. Leo wife beaters and flip flops

@Greg *******

Look as far as dress code is concerned I couldn't agree more. I'm from the collared shirt brigade and I don't possess a t-shirt with writing on it, so I do show respect. The point I was making is we pander to immigration because we don't want to send them into meltdown mode, because our extensions are at stake. I can't see why a non-O retirement extension can't be done online, with simple submission of bank statements. Do they really need photos every year? A passport photo suffices for ten years, but a Thai visa extension is one year. Isn't that a tad lopsided? Or a tad pedantic? The DTV should be renamed the BPV, as in By-Pass Visa, as it gives holders a free passage past immigration. I actually wonder if MFA have had a gutful of immigration so have introduced this visa to give foreigners the opportunity to live a peaceful life in Thailand

@Steve *******

There are 5 and and 1p year retirement visas you can apply for. Just have higher barriers to entry. I am not going to complain about Thai visas when Thais have no similar reciprocal agreements with our countries. A once a year application is not exactly onerous.

@Greg *******

Nice.. only problem is it seems to cost me a min of 50k to visit pattaya 🤣

@Sefton *******

okay, the cycle starts again, stay away from walking Street and head to Soi (take your pick)

@Wannikea ********

Does anyone go to Walking Street apart from tourists these days? I had to go last January as old friends from home visited. Strange down there these days. Great for tourists I suppose.

@Sefton *******

Well there is that lol. I hardly ever go out jn Pattaya these days. It is why I shall probably relocate to Chiang Mai in February. I prefer coffee shops to bars these days. I feel like Bob Mortimer on Gone Fishing

@Greg *******

I need to live away from it.. I can resist everything except temptation etc..

@Sefton *******

When I was working in Bangkok it was out Thursday the Sunday inc most weekends. In a group where everyone was the same.

@Wannikea ********

It is down to competition. I can tell you which bank it is and during high season go in and there will be agents, wearing agency t-shirts, based in the branch permanently while other agency staff bring clients. They get a handful of numbered queue tickets at time time to hasten the waiting for clients

@Greg *******

sounds like Tik Tok

Deepak Dutta I've heard of some people's accounts getting closed because of this but idk. Also, if we do transfer from US Bank account to Thai bank is there taxes to be paid? I know atm withdrawals are not taxed at all I have Fidelity and it worked great for 2 months in Asia for me.

@Deepak ******

yes i just use my german bank and its about the same cost as using Wise and a thai account for example. so not really that useful and i pay cash all day long anyway.

@Sefton *******

How did you manage to open an account on a DTV? Nearly everyone is saying it's difficult.

Not that I need to, I already have 2 Thai bank accounts and I don't need any more. Just wondering why your experience is supposedly the opposite of everyone else's.

@Paul ******

I walked in and asked for one.. There were multiple factors that worked in my favor.

@Sefton *******

Which branch did you use? Address? Thank you.

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

scb hang dong Chiang Mai.

But as said there were other factors that helped my situation.

@Sefton *******

i would just wait. the banks will probably adapt to the situation and allow opening an account in the future… for me anyway not really an advantage of having the bank account. more of an experiment for me trying out many different branches (and getting denied at all of them so far) ;)

@Sefton *******

7000 including insurance in pattaya

@Jared ********

Which agent was that? I am still seeing 5k quotes but no need for insurance.