Dear All,

For a certain period of time I might need to pay daily living in Thailand with foreign credit or debit / travel cards, due to visa and bank account opening procedures and lead times.

What solutions do you guys use? My main currency is USD or AED. What would you recommend for the first 6 months of moving to Thailand when it comes to paying essentials?

Thanks for your recommendations.

Chris

My Non-O retirement Visa 2nd extension is due in a month, I am based in Chiang Mai and currently banking with Bangkok Bank. As required by Immigration I have seasoned my 800K for two months prior to applying for a bank certificate in preparation for the renewal. However, according to some recent posts I obviously fall short of the additional two months that Bangkok Bank started to impose in July.

Could someone with recent renewal experience offer guidance on how to navigate this predicament? I would greatly appreciate any advice.

Went to open a new account with K bank today Maha Sarakham they told me I have to go to either Bangkok or Chonburi to open new accounts it’s crazy

Hello Group.

I opened a bank account with Bangkok Bank and deposited the 800,000 Baht into the account, which they told me I had to do. They’re also pestering me to open a savings account and deposit a further 100,000 Baht. I initially thought they were advertising me that any amount over 100,000 Baht attracted a 4% interest rate, so I said oh great. But have since realised, it’s a secondary account and I’ve now told them I don’t wish to open a second savings account. I’ve since had a few phone calls asking me to go in to make the deposit.

I’m assuming this is purely a secondary account and will not cause any issues with my bank account I’ve just opened ? I’ve been told I must make a deposit within 30 days of opening the initial account. The language barrier has made it a tad difficult to understand exactly what the process is. Any advice please ?

Thanks v much.

I thought we had all the ducks in a row, I have got a Thai marriage certificate stamped and certified, yellow book, Thai ID card and trying to work towards a marriage visa. Now I need to open a Thai bank account to season funds however after having been to several banks that refuse to open an account without a visa, my wife is now taking me to a Chinese bank, I’m having serious reservations about this.

Hi. I am on a non O retirement visa with the 800000 baht option and my wife is in a non O retirement visa with 65000 monthly deposit. We live in Chiang Mai and both bank with Bangkok Bank. We are considering a move to Hua Hin but have read that this can create many issues around visa renewal and providing evidence from the bank for accepted time allowances for seasoning if we move to Bangkok Bank in Hua Hin. Is it best to move mid visa or at renewal time. Any advice most welcome Cheers

If you have a retirement visa and 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account and decide to leave Thailand permanently, can I easily transfer that 800,000 baht back to my bank account in Belgium? I've heard it's not easy. Does anyone have experience with this?

Hi guys,

This is a follow-up to my previous post here:

[members only]/?

---

7/8 – 6:45 AM

I entered Thailand by road from Malaysia via the Bukit Kayu Hitam / Dannok border checkpoint.

Cleared Malaysian immigration with no issues. Activated my Non-O visa using my passport and a printed eVisa (just regular A4 paper 😆). Everything was smooth and hassle-free. The Thai immigration officer even welcomed me and wished me a great stay in Thailand.

---

8/8 – 1:00 PM

Visited the immigration office in Hat Yai to request for residence certificate.

They asked for the original and a photocopy of my eVisa, TM30, passport (front page and Non-O stamp), and the completed application form. I requested two copies of the residence certificate — one for banking and one for driving license/vehicle purchase purpose. Yes you need 2-3 copies.

Waited for about 20 minutes, and everything was done. No passport-size photo, rental agreement, or payment required.

Bonus — the super friendly officer asked if I needed the visa extension checklist, gave it to me in both Thai and English, and even passed me two application forms to prepare in advance. She told me to return if I needed help any help especially on bank account matters. Kudos to Songkhla Immigration!

Location : [members only]

---

8/8 – 2:30 PM

Headed to Kasikorn Bank on Level 2 of Central Festival Hat Yai.

Told the staff at the front that I needed to open an account for visa extension purposes. She gave me a queue number, and I only had to wait for one person ahead of me.

The officer attending to me was very polite and professional. She asked for:

- My passport

- eVisa

- Rental agreement

- Kor Ror 22

- Marriage certificate (from my home country)

- Residence certificate

- Phone number

She made photocopies, asked me to sign each page, took photos of all documents, and submitted them to their HQ (I believe). After a short wait, she proceeded to open the savings account for me.

She downloaded the K+ app and set it up on my phone.

Deposited 1,000 baht + 400 baht for the upgraded debit card.

After everything was set, she introduced some of the bank’s services like PA insurance, mutual funds, and fixed deposits — which I politely declined, mentioning I’d return when I’m ready.

She also explained that I could apply for a credit card by pledging a 1:1 amount in an FD (e.g., 50K baht FD = 50K credit limit).

She gave me a SWIFT transfer slip, mentioned she wasn’t familiar with Wise, and recommended using SWIFT for international transfers. Before I left, she said to come see her later for the extension support letter and handed me her name card.

All done in about 30 minutes, plus some casual chatting.

I left with a new savings account and debit card, and honestly, everything went so smoothly — from eVisa, to immigration, to banking — I feel incredibly lucky.

Location : [members only]

---

All this completed in just 3–4 hours total, in a single day.

Next up: Funding 400k Baht and let it seasoned for 2 months & Thai driving/motorcycle license and vehicle purchase.

Till then…

(Photo taken by my wife via FaceTime 🤭 and YES I went all by myself)

---

Hello all, finally in Thailand. Q: with Non O-A visa approved 1st visit. I went to Bangkok bank with Documentation today. They required a letter from home country embassy. They called this a “certificate of residence” does anyone know what that is. Immigration did not need this.

Q: They also noted I cannot apply for Bank account without a lease agreement.

Does this mean you have to sign a lease for 1 year and stay in a rental before applying for Retirement visa? Sorry confused?

Thanks for your help.

I have just visited SCB bank and I am in the process of opening a bank account. They have sent my paperwork to head office and I will have my bank account next week. Long holiday now until Wednesday. Copy of certificate of residency , copy of my E-visa , passport non o stamp and passport details , copy of blue book and they wanted to see the blue book and copy of ownership of my house .In addition they took my Thai phone number and wanted the registration receipt from AIS , 50 baht. For me personally it was a pretty good experience with them.