Opening Thai bank account on tourist visa (Pattaya)

Hi guys, I read it somewhere in this forum that some banks near Tesco mall allow folks to open local bank accounts on a tourist visa. Is that true? All inputs appreciated.

Easy one for this for you Stocky. Kasikorn is the easiest bank to go through on a tourist visa. Just get a copy of your receipt showing your stay at your hotel or wherever, have someone there as a contact, that the bank can call to confirm you are staying there as they sometimes choose to do.

Then you can open a foreigner's savings account. Your ATM card will be issued immediately with your bank book. As soon as they give you your ATM card and set your password for you, be sure to go right back out after the clerk or teller is gone, and change the password right away.

Some people might have had good experiences at other banks, but this was my first bank here, as was many of my friends.

[1PR4BKK]

Hey Stocky, I opened an account with no problem using my tourist visa at the Kasikorn Bank located on Pattaya Tai Road near the Tukcom in South Pattaya. They did not mask for much of anything except my current Thai address, which was the rented condo near Soi Day Night. Just make sure you have a Thai mobile number so you can also check you account information on line.

DreamT was right about them giving you an ATM and bank book immediately. Have fun.

Ditto to all the above about Kasikorn. If you use the branch at Lotus Pattaya Tai (junction of Sukhumvit and Thepprasit) they are open all day (until 7PM), seven days a week. The bank clerk will also escort you outside to their ATM after advising you to change your PIN - and stand a respectful distance away while you do so!

[francois]

Just make sure you have a Thai mobile number so you can also check you account information on line.

Could you please elaborate on the mobile number and on line account info?

[cliffy]

Hello does anyone know if this is the same for Bangkok area as I tried last year by going through swift with Bangkok bank in Patong but run into trouble, I need an account I can transfer to and from at the moment just use my nationwide while there would like something sorted for my next 3 month trip Thanks


Ditto to all the above about Kasikorn. If you use the branch at Lotus Pattaya Tai (junction of Sukhumvit and Thepprasit) they are open all day (until 7PM), seven days a week. The bank clerk will also escort you outside to their ATM after advising you to change your PIN - and stand a respectful distance away while you do so!

[pong]

maybe-but as you know BKK is quite a big city/area and has a few 1000 of banks. in general Kasikorn (formerly Thai farmers=the green bank) gets mentioned first as being easy to get an account, but every local bank has its own policy-and not all will oblige. Only way is to go in and ask-as you likely know there are always english speakers in any bank. the usual expat/travellers fora have about a million of posts on this-but even if bank A in street Z did it last week to mr. Q-this will not always mean they will do it for you, tomorrow. look at sites like thaivisa.com or thailandqa.com. The only thing I have got from it is that Bangkokbank (blue) is always the hardest.

[cliffy]

Its my luck I tried the hardest 1st, the letter from my UK bank let me down last time as it was faxed and they insisted it must be sent via swift. I shall try the green banks 1st and try a little harder as gave up after BB experience. I was thinking about hitting Pattaya but I have not allowed enough time unless I make a few changes to allow a few days there, over the years never been always end up Patong.


maybe-but as you know BKK is quite a big city/area and has a few 1000 of banks. in general Kasikorn (formerly Thai farmers=the green bank) gets mentioned first as being easy to get an account, but every local bank has its own policy-and not all will oblige. Only way is to go in and ask-as you likely know there are always english speakers in any bank. the usual expat/travellers fora have about a million of posts on this-but even if bank A in street Z did it last week to mr. Q-this will not always mean they will do it for you, tomorrow. look at sites like thaivisa.com or thailandqa.com. The only thing I have got from it is that Bangkokbank (blue) is always the hardest.

The only thing I have got from it is that Bangkokbank (blue) is always the hardest.

I wonder if this is because they have a branch in NY. The US has been harping on banks worldwide about being more stringent about who opens accounts (to stem terrorism or tax evasion). It'd be easier for a bank that doesn't have a US presence to ignore them.

[1PR4BKK]

Just make sure you have a Thai mobile number so you can also check you account information on line.

Could you please elaborate on the mobile number and on line account info?

If you want to access your account online make sure you let them know at that time you open your bank account that you want K-Cyber banking as well. Also, make sure you give them your correct email address and YOUR personal mobile number. Also, double check to make sure that they enter your email address correctly.

The mobile is so that they can send you a 1 time password via SMS. Otherwise, you can only see basic information. If you want to transfer money to another bank K-Bank account or other Thai account you will need to be able to get a SMS to YOUR mobile. If you lose your phone or no longer have access to that phone you will need to jump through hoops to add your replacement phone to the account.

The email address is so that they can send your temporary password and user ID.

The reason I said make sure you provide the correct email address when you open your account is because the representative at the bank when I opened my account wrote my email address wrong, even though I presented my business card with my email address on it. It took over a month for them to fix this problem and for me to finally have access to the account online.

Good luck.

[neddy3]

Earlier this month, I tried to open an account on a tourist visa at Bangkok Bank, Pattaya Tai (opposite the VC Hotel).

They said no, cannot do. A friend did this in the past, I said. Yes, before can, now have new rules, cannot.
I was advised to go to immigration, and get a 'guarantee' certificate, then it would be possible.

Since I was leaving the country soon, I decided to leave the whole issue until my next visit.
Then I might try Kasikorn Bank first, as advised above.

Does anybody have an experience with this 'guarantee'?

Its same same for BKK, as I have accounts here as well. There is one catch if you are traveling between Patts and BKK a lot though. If you have a Patts based Kasi account, then you will be charged an atm fee if using an atm in BKK or other areas, 80baht or so I believe.

As for online banking with them, its the weirdest thing I have ever seen lol. The online banking keeps the same hours as the bank itself, so when the bank is closed, you can't even so much as check your balance online lmao. You would think they would of heard of automated websites by now. As to the phone line, you can have K-bank info sent directly to your phone or check your balance that way. Almost all utility companies or anything that you would have to make payments on, is very easy to do with Kasikorn directly.

Needy, when I first opened my bank account here, I went to all the banks, Kasikorn was the last one I went to. None of them would open an account for me, and even Kasikorn asked for a letter showing my Thai address. Had to go back, but they did open it for me. The letter it seems is up to the teller, and might not be a must have in all cases, but good to have to save time if you can get it.

The guarantee certificate, sounds like a residence certificate for non-imm visas. Some banks will just look at your visa, the cert. is just a registered letter that you reside at your current address in Thailand. Its needed for purchasing cars, getting your Thai DL, and other things like that, but not usually with banks. As you say though, the rules change from bank to bank on an almost daily basis. I know you can get away with just a copy of your visa instead of the cert. if opening an account as well.

Presumably opening the bank account doesn't work if I enter Thailand without a visa & therefore it would be necessary to apply for a visa in advance?

[gumblebee]

Does anybody have an experience with this 'guarantee'?

I believe it's a guarantee that you're allowed to use the Thai address you specify.

In my case, Kasikorn bank initially refused to open an account for me. I was with a Thai friend, who proposed to act as a guarantee for me, after that, no problem (discussions were in Thai, so I don't know exactly what was said). The account is in my own name, and I have my own ATM card with my picture on it.

My conclusion is Thai banks don't to want to open an account with a foreign correspondence address. Your visa makes no difference. I managed to open my account on a VISA-free entry stamp, but was refused before when I tried alone, with a 2 Month visa ; they all required a working permit/retirement visa (which means you'd have an official Thai address without help).
The only exception I found was HSBC, but their charges are outrageous.

I'm not absolutely sure what the effects are in case of trouble, so I wouldn't want to put too much money in an account on someone else's address.

I managed to activate Cyberbanking without a Thai mobile, but didn't manage to transfer money to my Thai friend's account ; the system only allows money transfers to a list of specified bank accounts. To add a new bank account you have to either send them a letter etc., or use a security mechanism is based on confirmation codes that are sent by SMS. My Thai SIM card doesn't work in Europe, so I guess I'll have to arrange things next time I return to Thailand (maybe try to find a Prepaid Thai SIM card that can receive SMS'es in Europe). Of course if you set-up everything while you're still in Thailand, it will be much easier.

My conclusion is Thai banks don't to want to open an account with a foreign correspondence address.

Understandable, hence the posts above telling you to use a Thai address - even a temporary one, such as a hotel.

The "guarantee certifcate" referred to is a residence certificate, for which you need to show Immigration a proof of residence such as a utilities bill in your name, rental contract, etc.

Keep it simple - in Pattaya, use Kasikorn.

[mahjongguy]

...There is one catch if you are traveling between Patts and BKK a lot though. If you have a Patts based Kasi account, then you will be charged an atm fee if using an atm in BKK or other areas, 80baht or so I believe..
The out-of-region ATM fee is 10 baht. A fee of 80 to 100 baht sounds like the charge for transferring funds across regions, e.g. from your BKK to your Pattaya account.


...As for online banking with them, its the weirdest thing I have ever seen lol. The online banking keeps the same hours as the bank itself, so when the bank is closed, you can't even so much as check your balance online lmao.
Well, it's not quite that bad. There are certain things, including transferring funds, that can't be done outside of 6am to 10pm. I don't understand why that is the case, but overall I love K-bank's online banking. Two things in particular:
- I don't carry the ATM card for my main account. I have a second account in which I maintain around 50,000 baht. That's the card I keep in my wallet. As that money gets spent I go online and move baht over from the main account. No fee.
- Being able to top up my mobile phone account from online is a treat. No more dashing off to 7/11. And I can top up my b/f's phone, or anyone else's.

[quiet1]

As for online banking with them, its the weirdest thing I have ever seen lol. The online banking keeps the same hours as the bank itself, so when the bank is closed, you can't even so much as check your balance online lmao.
When I first moved to Japan (in the mid '90's) ATMs were only open during banking hours. Talk about "unclear on the concept...."

As for online banking with them, its the weirdest thing I have ever seen lol. The online banking keeps the same hours as the bank itself, so when the bank is closed, you can't even so much as check your balance online lmao.
When I first moved to Japan (in the mid '90's) ATMs were only open during banking hours. Talk about "unclear on the concept...."

It is still quite difficult to find one that takes international cards. For such an advanced country, Japan is way behind in some surprising ways.