@Gordon ******

. I live in Koh Tao and I was in Chang Mai for about 3 months so I got a receipt from the hotel I was staying at as proof . I took the contract with me to Immigration and I got a TM30 .

Opening an Accnt in Chang Mai was super easy for me . I just went to Bangkok Bank , found out what I needed to open an Accnt , went to Immigration , got a letter of residence , paid 500 baht to expedite it , picked up my letter the next and I got a bank Accnt . Super easy . Visa agent offered to do it for me for 10 x the amount but no thanks , I'll do it myself . I was on a tourist visa

@Karl *****

, true that . We got an agent from Bangkok to do our retirement visa . They're pretty good

We obtained retirement visa w multiple entry while vacationing in Thailand . We're US citizens . The way I look at it there are 2 ways of going about it . Do it on your own & apply thru Thai consulate back home or hire an agent from Thailand . Since we were in Thailand already , we paid an agent to do the paperwork . We're happy and every year we renew . For 12 months we don't have to worry about visa extension or leaving the country and fly back in

Oyve ! Simplify your life & use an agent or be consistent in your monthly deposit into ur account

May I put in my 2 cents . Before we left Hawaii , hubby researched about Thailand , cost of living , food , and so forth . Then I started reading about visa but once we got here , I started contacting visa agents to get more info . If FB peeps are offering or giving you free info you're lucky . Expect to get positive and negative comments from FB . That's the world we live in . Brush it off and take the helpful advice and throw the rest out .

@Chan *****

, residency of certificate is easy to obtain . You can get that from Immigration . Just take the necessary paperwork with you as mentioned in my previous reply .

@Chan *****

, good luck

@Chan *****

, this is in Chang Mai . I went to the Immigration and obtained a letter of residence for 500 baht . I filled out a form at Immigration with the following copies , passport page , visa , 1 photo , TM30 and 500 baht . I picked it up the next day . At Immigration , there's an office on the property where you can get the TM30 . You just need to bring your contract or receipt from the hotel where you're staying . You should be in their system . Anyway I took that letter to Bangkok Bank . That's what they require in order to open an account . Did you ask the bank what they needed from you in order to open an account ? That's what I did in Chang Mai . I went in and there was a sign posted at the bank . The 500 baht fee is for the lady to expedite the letter . My friend opened an account in Chang Mai without the letter . She went to Kasikorn Bank .

@Nick ***********

, I don't know about other places , I only know that in Chang Mai it was very easy . 2 of my friends also on tourist visa were able to open bank accounts in Chang Mai .