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.
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.
Philip ************
K bank
Adrian *******
ORIGINAL POSTER
Thank you for all the feedback, have just opened account with OA visa and lease agreement at Bangkok Bank.
Steven ********
Bangkok bank
John *******
Yes best bank is John's bank send you details soon I will look after you no worries 🤣🤣🤣
I have Kasik and SCB. The scanner works better with SCB.
Rakesh *********
Bank of Bajoria
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.
"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)
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 :-)
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.
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) -- 🙂
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
Rob **********
Krungthai.
Jean-Francois ***********
I have both kasikorn and bangkok bank
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
HSBC don't offer private banking accounts IN Thailand.
Reply to
Dave *********
Reply
Kul ********
Krungsri
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.
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.
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!