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Which banks do expats in Thailand prefer for opening an account?

Nov 2, 2022
3 years ago
Adrian *******
ORIGINAL POSTER
Hi, need to open Thai bank account, which banks do the expats favour?
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TLDR : Answer Summary
Expats in Thailand favor several banks for opening accounts, with Bangkok Bank frequently mentioned for its ease of use, especially for international transfers. Kasikorn Bank and Siam Commercial Bank are also popular choices due to their good apps and online systems. Some users noted specific requirements such as needing a notarized form from an embassy, while others reported successful account openings without such documentation. Overall, personal experiences vary, with many suggesting that the ease of account opening often depends on the specific branch and the individual's circumstances.
Remon ***********
Definitely not yellow (Krungsri bank) as I have yellow bank account which was able to transfer large amount from overseas via Wise but now we only tranfer less than 50,000 baht a day. So inconvenience.
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Philip ************
K bank
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Adrian *******
ORIGINAL POSTER
Thank you for all the feedback, have just opened account with OA visa and lease agreement at Bangkok Bank.
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Steven ********
Bangkok bank
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John *******
Yes best bank is John's bank send you details soon I will look after you no worries 🤣🤣🤣
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Adrian *******
ORIGINAL POSTER
@John ******
ok John, I’m looking for a large interest free loan 🤣
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Adrian *******
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Bob *******
Bangkok Bank. They have a US routing number. Easy to transfer money into
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Edna *******
@Bob ******
yes, never a problem.
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Michael ********
@Bob ******
Very true they are good.
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Michael ********
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Jeh *****
I have Kasik and SCB. The scanner works better with SCB.
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Rakesh *********
Bank of Bajoria
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Edwin ********
Everybody is telling you their favorite banks and nobody (at least in the earliest responses) is asking why you need a Thai bank in the first place. If it is just to get access to your overseas money, you can simply use your overseas ATM or Debit card at any Thailand ATM machine. If it is to establish Thailand bank funds to get a Marriage or Retirement visa (assuming a bank account is even necessary for that -- I still lack personal experience of both kinds of visas), then you can play "bank account roulette" like everyone is implying you do. I personally have had a Krung Thai savings account for years (was forced to open it when employed by a Thai government university starting 2013) and I have never had any problems transferring money to and from the USA. The only problem is that Wise will not accept international transfers that begin in Thai baht, but Western Union on-line *will* accept those transfers, so I suspect you can pick any Thai bank and get similar results (except that for some reason the lines at Bangkok Bank are *shorter* than the lines at Krung Thai despite BB normally having *fewer* tellers than KT in the same town, and *that* might tell you a thing or two.... Good luck.
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Edwin ********
@Edna ******
I agree that sounds better (Remitly's price). I will try to look up Remitly. Thanks for the tip!
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Edna *******
@Edwin *******
for money transfers I like Remitly much better. From America anyway.500$ only .99c
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Dan ********
@Edwin *******
"simply use your overseas ATM card" and pay 220 baht at the machine, then 3% of the withdrawal to my uk bank, so a whopping £12 (6%) on just 10,000 baht taken out. So if you want to throw away 6% of all your spending here, just use your atm card ftom your bank back home (although my bank is pretty bad for this)
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Edwin ********
@Dan *******
Just in case you did not yet read my entire reply here, I gave you a better response at the end of it, I hope...
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Dan ********
But even the 220 baht at the atm itself makes me wince
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Edwin ********
@Dan *******
That's cheap. Chase Bank in the USA charges me US$15 PLUS an exchange rate "gap" of at least 5-6 percent. That is why I now use Wise (TransferWise) to drain my Chase Bank account every time money arrives there, and, oh, yeah, you need a Thailand bank to be able to do that! (Duh, me!). So I suggest bringing Thai friends along when you go to open a Thai bank account, and simply see what you and friend can learn in the process. I hope this response helps you out a little better :-)
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Dan ********
@Edwin *******
I achieved a bank account on an ED visa, at Krungsri on Samui, in a quieter town. Told them I was buying a property, which I was, but I'm sure you could convince them if you tried. Charm, it is known as.
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Edwin ********
@Dan *******
Yes, I agree. Charm can get you a *long* way in this country (and in a lot of other places as well!) Glad to hear you are enjoying life on Samui Island, where is not to far from where I am staying down here in "Nakhon Si Nowhere" province (hee, hee) -- 🙂
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Edwin ********
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Siddhartha *********
UOB bank 🏦
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Michael *******
Bkk bank! 👍
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Richard **********
@Dave ********
50k Decent night up walking street that
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Dave *********
You are able to send 50,000 THB or above per transfer only to the following banks as of 7 January 2022 due to regulatory changes:

Bangkok Bank Public Company

Kasikorn Bank

Siam Commercial Bank
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Rob **********
Krungthai.
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Jean-Francois ***********
I have both kasikorn and bangkok bank
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Richard **********
Bangkok Bank Hands down. All the guys who say other banks are talking garbage. Dont care how long u stayed here & what back door you used to get a Kasikorn or Krungthai.

As a tourist wanting a bank account - simple answer is use an agent to help you & within 10 mins will have all you need.

Anybody who disagrees - your all taking a load of smack
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Vesa *****************
@Richard *********
You were talking about keyboard gangsters. I can see you are one, almost worst of a kind. Please, don't spread misinformation when you don't know.
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Nick *******
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Richard **********
@Nick ******
Yes sir - 9 years & counting
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Richard **********
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Nick *******
@Richard *********
obviously you havn't a clue what you're talking about. Another troll with too much time on their hands. Are you even in Thailand??
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John ********
@Richard *********
talking rubbish

I just asked to open a bank account in Bangkok bank no problem you don't need any agent waste of time and money
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Alex *******
@John *******
Which branch did you open at with only visa-exempt, please? And the documents you needed to sign where in English or in Thai? Thanks!
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Richard **********
@John *******
course. I went to Tenerife - you went to Elevenerife 🫵
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John ********
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Richard **********
@John *******
ive forgotten more than you know about Thailand. Jog on pal
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John ********
@Richard *********
blah blah blah blah anything you say
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Richard **********
@John *******
Enjoy your 99 baht breakfast with your LB 👋
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John ********
@Richard *********
is that the best you can do

Still I do understand knowing where you came from 😅🤣
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Richard **********
@John *******
Come & meet with in town & bring your kendo stick? See how much of a keyboard gangster u want to be
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John ********
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Richard **********
@John *******
Thats what i thought. Back in your box old man. 👋
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John ********
@Richard *********
anything that you have to say 😅🤣😂
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Richard **********
@John *******
typical keyboard ganster.
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John ********
@Richard *********
ho dear its only to be expected from someone like you,

That knowledge of live is very limited 🤣
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Richard **********
@John *******
I outweigh you in terms of knowledge papa.
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John ********
@Richard *********
of course you do
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John ********
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Steven ******
@Richard *********
I disagree, just be an arse hole. I say Siam.
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Dave *********
@Richard *********
I used the front door at Kasikorn no problems.
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Richard **********
@Dave ********
- I never asked for a Bangkok Bank, they gave me one as i dropped so much money in it
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Richard **********
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Ken ********
Bangkok bank is one of the 3 with no transfer limit
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Teik ************
Is there any bank in Thailand that can register with an overseas number for otp?
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Stephen *******
@Teik ***********
You don't need an OTP for KBank
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Charlie ******
@Stephen ******
yes you do if you want to shopping online at a 3D secure site..
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Teik ************
@Stephen ******
no otp at all for verification purposes using app or website?
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Stephen *******
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Stephen *******
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Sam *****
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Huang ********
@Sam ****
can I apply while overseas or do I have to travel down to the head office in BKK?
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Sam *****
@Huang *******
need to be in person for opening account AFAIK. U need to meet certain requirements... Tourists will have a hard time to open acct
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Sam *****
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Bruce **************
@Teik ***********
tried a few over the years but no luck. I think not.
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Bruce **************
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Duncanc **********
HSBC
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Dave *********
@Duncanc *********
HSBC don't offer private banking accounts IN Thailand.
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Dave *********
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Kul ********
Krungsri
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Andrew *******
Kasikorn. Good app and online systems. Also I presume you will need to renew your visa each year. Therefore on the day of renewal you need a current bank statement Their branch at the immigration office opens at 8am and they know what to do.
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Adrian *******
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Andrew ******
thank you Andrew, I was favouring Kasikorn, didn’t know they had a branch at immigration, very useful.
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Antonio ***********
@Andrew ******
they always fail the letter for immigration
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Antonio ***********
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Sean ********
I just went through this and tried Bangkok Bank, Kasikorn, and Siam. BB is the easiest for tourists but you do need a notarized form from an embassy in country. On the US Consulate website there is a link for the generic bank form. You need to sign up online for an appointment, print the bank form plus the appointment form ahead of time and pay the $50 fee. BB also has their own form which you can fill out and have notarized along with the US one. I ended up going with Kasikorn as they accepted my Thai language course enrollment so I didn't have to go through the additional step BB required. But given these I think BB and K are best for tourists.
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Glyn **********
@Sean *******
I did this last year on a tourist visa and didn't a notarized form. Could be an American thing for tax purposes???
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James *********
@Sean *******
I didn't need anything from the Embassy when recently opening an account at BB. I found the experience quite easy. Maybe branch differences.
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Alex *******
@James ********
Were the papers you had to sign at BB to open the account all in English? Or in Thai only?
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Sean ********
@Alex ******
the forms are in English. The BB website reflects this requirement now for US citizens so perhaps this is a new requirement? Some branches do differ of course because.. well.., Thailand!
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James *********
@Alex ******
Mostly Thai. I had a Thai Citizen with me to translate, so easy enough.
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James *********
I've also heard that SCB is one of the easiest for expats to open an account.
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James *********
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Bonnie *********
@Sean *******
thanks for the informative response.
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Bonnie *********
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Johan ********
I got accounts with Kasikorn 2016. Been with them since then.
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Gareth *******
@Johan *******
24 Year's no prob.good bank.
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Chris *********************
@Gareth ******
same here 12 years with them no problem.

When I'm in UK I transfer cash into my kasikorn account
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Stuart **********
12 years same, Kasikorn excellent
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Stuart **********
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Chris *****
Best Bank is the pocket 😉

Kungsri 100%
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Brian ********
SCB bank
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David ***********
Bangkok Bank
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Verity *********
Scb
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Kay ***********
Bangkok bank
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Noel *********
Been refused a few time this trip... agent time.....
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Lincoln *******
Bangkok is good. Their app is useful and easy to use.
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Lyndon ************
Bangkok Bank, head office branch, very easy
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Markus **********
If you have a lot money every bank will be good for you :)
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Peter **********
Was easy for me to open an accout with Krungsi bank but bangkok bank are the best for overseas funds transfers.
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Rob **********
Bangkok bank for sure.
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Jawahar *********
THai famer today easy to open
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Jawahar *********
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