Visa and how to open a bank account

Hello Rbakker,

Welcome on board !

Please note that I have created this new thread on the Thailand forum from your post so that members can share some info with you.

Feel free to read the Living in Thailand guide for expats for a good start.

All the best

Bhavna

Thanks to LeedUnitedForever (in another thread) I am now of the opinion that Non-Immigrant O is the way to go. Now I just have to figure out how to get that and how to get a bank account in Thailand. Thanks for all the help so far everyone!

I have edited the title, you might get even more visibility and members will surely guide you.

We have an article in the Guide in which you will find info on how to open a bank account : The banking system in Thailand

I have edited the title, you might get even more visibility and members will surely guide you.
We have an article in the Guide in which you will find info on how to open a bank account : The banking system in Thailand
-@Bhavna

Sorry, but your guide/info about how to open a bank account in Thailand is outdated and not correct. Most banks in Thailand do not officially allow foreigners to open bank accounts. You have obviously missed that.In 2019 there were changes in requirements at some banks and suddenly foreigners were not even mentioned. For example,until the end of the first quarter 2019 at Kasikorn Bank, a foreigner could officially open a savings account with a 10.000 baht deposit and being retired or having a work permit. Suddenly, about a month later, retired foreigners weren't mentioned anymore and it's still the same today. Some other banks did the same thing without any explanation what so ever. Luckily, many branches, especially in tourist areas still follows the old requirements. Bangkok Bank is the most foreigner friendly bank and allows foreigners to open accounts if meeting the requirements. Your guide is basically useless, because like I said, it's outdated. I know this because I've been living in Thailand many years and I have out of curiosity checked out requirements on a regular basis if I for some reason need to open another account in another bank. When you're "trying" to help people you must understand the word "officially". What worked 4 years ago or even 1 year ago is totally irrelevant today.Some people will say something like "at my branch up in Isaan,there's no problem opening an account on a tourist visa". That might be true,but does it help anyone else?

Hello, I am going through the form for a non-Immigrant O visa at https://thaievisa.go.th  and I have come across these questions:

4 . Proof of the permanent residence in the country where the application is submitted

5 . Financial evidence (A copy of pension statement or a copy of 1-month bank statement showing your income from pension, or 3-month bank statement of at least 10,000 GBP)

6 . Health Insurance issued by insurer with outpatient benefit of not less than 40,000 THB and inpatient benefit of not less than 400,000 THB.

7 . Applicant is required to upload his/her passport pages which contain all travel records for the past 12 months (1 year) since the last international trip.

8 . Applicant must apply for e-Visa via specific Embassy/Consulate conforming with his/her consular jurisdiction and residency. Applicant is required to upload document that can verify his/her current residency.

9 . Please upload your picture holding the photo and information page of the passport.

5,6 and 7 seem relatively straightforward but aren't 4 and 8 basically the same? I'm not sure exactly what I can do to prove permanent residency in Canada, I'm renting a room in a house with utilities included. Is a bank statement with my address enough?

What does 9. mean - they want another copy of my passport photo page? That's fine but I'm not sure why I have to provide that again, do they mean something else? A picture of me holding the photo page of my passport? Sorry if this is a dumb question!

Thank you

Hello, I am going through the form for a non-Immigrant O visa at [link under review]/ and I have come across these questions:
4 . Proof of the permanent residence in the country where the application is submitted
5 . Financial evidence (A copy of pension statement or a copy of 1-month bank statement showing your income from pension, or 3-month bank statement of at least 10,000 GBP)
6 . Health Insurance issued by insurer with outpatient benefit of not less than 40,000 THB and inpatient benefit of not less than 400,000 THB.
7 . Applicant is required to upload his/her passport pages which contain all travel records for the past 12 months (1 year) since the last international trip.
8 . Applicant must apply for e-Visa via specific Embassy/Consulate conforming with his/her consular jurisdiction and residency. Applicant is required to upload document that can verify his/her current residency.
9 . Please upload your picture holding the photo and information page of the passport.

5,6 and 7 seem relatively straightforward but aren't 4 and 8 basically the same? I'm not sure exactly what I can do to prove permanent residency in Canada, I'm renting a room in a house with utilities included. Is a bank statement with my address enough?

What does 9. mean - they want another copy of my passport photo page? That's fine but I'm not sure why I have to provide that again, do they mean something else? A picture of me holding the photo page of my passport? Sorry if this is a dumb question!

Thank you
-@rbakker

Hello

Are you doing the 90 day non-Immigrant O visa?

I'm looking at the Thai E-visa website and don't see the choice

under "Purpose of Visit". It does have a section Non-immigrant visa

but most things listed are for study, medical or work related.

It does have a choice for greater than 60 days to stay with friends

but that's not really what I'm doing

Had you ran across this? What did you choose?

Thank you

Hello, I am going through the form for a non-Immigrant O visa at [link under review]/ and I have come across these questions:
4 . Proof of the permanent residence in the country where the application is submitted
5 . Financial evidence (A copy of pension statement or a copy of 1-month bank statement showing your income from pension, or 3-month bank statement of at least 10,000 GBP)
6 . Health Insurance issued by insurer with outpatient benefit of not less than 40,000 THB and inpatient benefit of not less than 400,000 THB.
7 . Applicant is required to upload his/her passport pages which contain all travel records for the past 12 months (1 year) since the last international trip.
8 . Applicant must apply for e-Visa via specific Embassy/Consulate conforming with his/her consular jurisdiction and residency. Applicant is required to upload document that can verify his/her current residency.
9 . Please upload your picture holding the photo and information page of the passport.

5,6 and 7 seem relatively straightforward but aren't 4 and 8 basically the same? I'm not sure exactly what I can do to prove permanent residency in Canada, I'm renting a room in a house with utilities included. Is a bank statement with my address enough?

What does 9. mean - they want another copy of my passport photo page? That's fine but I'm not sure why I have to provide that again, do they mean something else? A picture of me holding the photo page of my passport? Sorry if this is a dumb question!

Thank you
-@rbakker
Hello
Are you doing the 90 day non-Immigrant O visa?
I'm looking at the Thai E-visa website and don't see the choice
under "Purpose of Visit". It does have a section Non-immigrant visa
but most things listed are for study, medical or work related.
It does have a choice for greater than 60 days to stay with friends
but that's not really what I'm doing

Had you ran across this? What did you choose?

Thank you
-@scbrock

Log in and you can see the 90 days Non-immigrant O based on retirement.

Hello, I am going through the form for a non-Immigrant O visa at [link under review]/ and I have come across these questions:
4 . Proof of the permanent residence in the country where the application is submitted
5 . Financial evidence (A copy of pension statement or a copy of 1-month bank statement showing your income from pension, or 3-month bank statement of at least 10,000 GBP)
6 . Health Insurance issued by insurer with outpatient benefit of not less than 40,000 THB and inpatient benefit of not less than 400,000 THB.
7 . Applicant is required to upload his/her passport pages which contain all travel records for the past 12 months (1 year) since the last international trip.
8 . Applicant must apply for e-Visa via specific Embassy/Consulate conforming with his/her consular jurisdiction and residency. Applicant is required to upload document that can verify his/her current residency.
9 . Please upload your picture holding the photo and information page of the passport.

5,6 and 7 seem relatively straightforward but aren't 4 and 8 basically the same? I'm not sure exactly what I can do to prove permanent residency in Canada, I'm renting a room in a house with utilities included. Is a bank statement with my address enough?

What does 9. mean - they want another copy of my passport photo page? That's fine but I'm not sure why I have to provide that again, do they mean something else? A picture of me holding the photo page of my passport? Sorry if this is a dumb question!

Thank you
-@rbakker

Yes,4 and 8 seems to be the same. You're a Canadian citizen living in Canada,there must be an authority,federal or provincial where everybody are registered?

7 means copies from your passport while 9 means a selfie showing you and your passport.

@Leeds forever!

I guess this is the correct one it says ...

Retirement (Pensioner aged 50 or above with a state pension who wish to

stay in Thailand for no longer than 90 days)

The state pension is what threw me. It sounded like someone that retired

from a gov job. It must just mean someone with a pension that is gov

funded such as soc security or what not.

Thank you

@Leeds forever!
I guess this is the correct one it says ...
Retirement (Pensioner aged 50 or above with a state pension who wish to
stay in Thailand for no longer than 90 days)

The state pension is what threw me. It sounded like someone that retired
from a gov job. It must just mean someone with a pension that is gov
funded such as soc security or what not.

Thank you
-@scbrock

It's either state pension or a certain amount of money in a bank account back home for the last 3 months. The age of 50 is a Thai thing and has nothing to do with the minimum age in western countries.

LeedsForever wrote:

"Yes,4 and 8 seems to be the same. You're a Canadian citizen living in Canada,there must be an authority,federal or provincial where everybody are registered?

7 means copies from your passport while 9 means a selfie showing you and your passport."

There's no central registry of where people live in Canada, you usually have to prove it (within Canada) with a bank statement, tax return etc. I'll collect as much of that as I can and submit it, hopefully it will be enough.

As for 9, thank you for confirming! I've never seen such a requirement before but I can understand why they ask for that (people trafficking etc).

Thanks again, LeedsForever

As for this one:

6 . Health Insurance issued by insurer with outpatient benefit of not less than 40,000 THB and inpatient benefit of not less than 400,000 THB.

I assume I have to buy one that just covers my 90-day stay in Thailand (as per the Non-Immigrant O visa that I am applying for). Am I right in also assuming that it has to be a Thai insurance company? In any case, can someone recommend an insurer I can contact for this?

Thank you

As for this one:
6 . Health Insurance issued by insurer with outpatient benefit of not less than 40,000 THB and inpatient benefit of not less than 400,000 THB.
I assume I have to buy one that just covers my 90-day stay in Thailand (as per the Non-Immigrant O visa that I am applying for). Am I right in also assuming that it has to be a Thai insurance company? In any case, can someone recommend an insurer I can contact for this?

Thank you
-@rbakker

Go to Mr Prakan insurances website and pick the cheapest option that meets inpatient and outpatient requirements for 3 months. I found one from Tune Protect for ฿ 6,897.

https://misterprakan.com/en/pass/thailand-pass?lg=en

Read carefully so you don't pick wrong option. Start date is the day of arrival in Thailand. This is very important.

Thank you!

Hi there!!

I wrote this on my website to help people.... hampton-bridge.com/a-comprehensive-guide-to-expat-savings/

International Banking

As an expat, managing your money across borders can be a daunting task. International banking, however, provides an effective way to augment your expat savings and forms a major foundation of financial planning. There are three major categories of banks to consider:

Global Banks

Banks like HSBC and Citibank operate internationally and can help you manage your finances smoothly across borders. Keep in mind that when using big mega banks, you are just a very small fish in a very big pond.

Digital Banks

With the rise of technology, digital banks like Wise (Previously Trasferwise) or Currenxie have grown popular amongst the savvy expat community. Wise is one of the fastest-growing online banks offering some of the cheapest rates and speed of transfer available. Banking and transfer fees form a crucial part of your financial planning and day-to-day living.

Local Banks

Depending on your destination, a local bank will offer significant benefits and better integration with the local economy. Ask on forums which banks are the best suited to foreigners, this is a very common question. I use Krungsri but their online app is a bit glitchy so for business we use SCB and K-Bank, they work much better and I will move over.

****

Personally I do not see Wise as banking but much more as a service provider in international currency transfers. I doubt if they offer direct debit and services the like that your local bank does.

Cloud bankers like N26, Bunq etc offer these services

Also I think you should add UOB (pretty big in Thailand) to your international bankers

Check what Wise says about themselves (as part of your link)

Wise is a global technology company building the best way to move money around the world.

Hi there!!
I wrote this on my website to help people.... hampton-bridge.com/a-comprehensive-guide-to-expat-savings/

International Banking

As an expat, managing your money across borders can be a daunting task. International banking, however, provides an effective way to augment your expat savings and forms a major foundation of financial planning. There are three major categories of banks to consider:

Global Banks

Banks like HSBC and Citibank operate internationally and can help you manage your finances smoothly across borders. Keep in mind that when using big mega banks, you are just a very small fish in a very big pond.

Digital Banks

With the rise of technology, digital banks like Wise (Previously Trasferwise) or Currenxie have grown popular amongst the savvy expat community. Wise is one of the fastest-growing online banks offering some of the cheapest rates and speed of transfer available. Banking and transfer fees form a crucial part of your financial planning and day-to-day living.

Local Banks

Depending on your destination, a local bank will offer significant benefits and better integration with the local economy. Ask on forums which banks are the best suited to foreigners, this is a very common question. I use Krungsri but their online app is a bit glitchy so for business we use SCB and K-Bank, they work much better and I will move over.

****
-@WFrisby87

The topic is "Visa and how to open a bank account."

FYI, Wise is not a bank. It's a financial institution with permission to move money between banks internationally.