Bank Account Opening

[JohnKing]

It would be great to have a Bank Account in Thailand.
I have had a property here for three years in Lumpini Place.
I want to open a bank account but do not have Residency!
I visit and stay my apartment two or three months each year when not working. Not one three month block just three or four weeks at a time.
As I obviously have a long time association with Thailand but do not have the long term visas that I would get if I were a pensioner who lives here. Is there any way I can open a bank account? It would be useful to use for buying things and paying regular accounts plus save a fortune or ATM fees.
Thanks for any advice anyone can offer.
Perhaps someone here works in a bank or has wife or girlfriend who works in a bank that can help!

[glalt]

I had a friend who retired here. SCB refused to open an account for him. He wanted that SCB branch because it was close to where he lived. I took him to the Immigration office in Jomtien and told a guy working there the story. He wrote a very short note in Thai on a scrap of paper and told my friend to give it to the bank clerk. I have no idea what the note said but after giving them the note he had a new account and an ATM card within about ten minutes.

[tamada]

I had a friend who retired here. SCB refused to open an account for him. He wanted that SCB branch because it was close to where he lived. I took him to the Immigration office in Jomtien and told a guy working there the story. He wrote a very short note in Thai on a scrap of paper and told my friend to give it to the bank clerk. I have no idea what the note said but after giving them the note he had a new account and an ATM card within about ten minutes.

The note said, "I have a bomb. Now open a bloody account for me now or I'll blow us all to smithereens!"

Thai folk are mortally afraid of becoming smithereens.

[Fatone]

I had similar experience, after trying a couple of banks I mentioned the problem to a lady at immigration, she phoned a friend who worked in a bank and set up an appointment for me, all went smoothly and have had account for 5 years now.

[tamada]

The agent that facilitates the acquisition of annual extensions of stay here in Udon Thani may be able to assist with the opening of a local bank account.

https://g.co/kgs/UBZExv5

[Barney]

I have used the young lady below to renew my passport.
Contact Khun Kru on the number below.
She owns the EDU English language shop in town opposite the main high schools and has a full staff to assist expats with many services. Not an agent.
Besides her language teaching she has expanded now and does bank account openings, yellow books, law services, translation service, visas, passport renewals etc.

Khun Kru Eve
+66 62 447 6868

[JohnKing]

Thank you all for your help.

I will certainly gave the last lady a call who helps with bank account opening.

[tamada]

...in town opposite the main high schools...

That's a bit vague Barney, got the actual street it's on? Plenty of main high schools all over this town.

[JohnKing]

Her phone number is on whatsapp!

I found her and sent message. Waiting reply.

[Barney]

...in town opposite the main high schools...

That's a bit vague Barney, got the actual street it's on? Plenty of main high schools all over this town.

Row of 3 schools including Udon Pit. The shop has 2 superheroes outside the door, I think one is spider man. EDU English is the business.
Hope the telephone number was not vague, JohnKing was able to decipher.

[tamada]

...in town opposite the main high schools...

That's a bit vague Barney, got the actual street it's on? Plenty of main high schools all over this town.

Row of 3 schools including Udon Pit. The shop has 2 superheroes outside the door, I think one is spider man. EDU English is the business.
Hope the telephone number was not vague, JohnKing was able to decipher.

Thanks Barney. Drove down that way earlier and suspected it's in among those shophouses. The superheroes info will make it easier to spot.

[sometimewoodworker]

It would be great to have a Bank Account in Thailand.

FWIW Bangkok bank rules do not stop you getting an account. However the place where people have had the most success without a Thai influential person assisting is the head office in Bangkok.

Personally I have opened several accounts with only a tourist visa or visa exempt, the easiest ones were when a Thai who had a strong relationship with a particular branch came with me.

In other places than the Bangkok HQ it is total an individual branch decision, so you need to keep going to different branches until someone accepts you. Telling the person you speak to that you plan to deposit a few hundred thousand and that you want life insurance from the bank may help

[JohnKing]

Spoke to the girl who Barney suggested,
I get the impression the banks she knows only interested in pensioners who will stay here long term with a pension to collect each month.
Seems you must have a three month visa no matter what you do.
For people who not so old to be a pensioner and work, even if like me you have had a home here for years, unless you go to the trouble to get a three month visa the banks not interested in you.
I have to work. I have a career that takes me all over the world. I can not sit in Thailand for three months. I here only for two to four weeks maybe three of four times a year.
Some years before I can get a pension and a bank account in Thailand.

[Pooclover]

Try HSBC Bank in Bangkok... I am sure you can open an account with them

[sometimewoodworker]

Seems you must have a three month visa no matter what you do.
For people who not so old to be a pensioner and work, even if like me you have had a home here for years, unless you go to the trouble to get a three month visa the banks not interested in you.
I have to work. I have a career that takes me all over the world. I can not sit in Thailand for three months. I here only for two to four weeks maybe three of four times a year.
Some years before I can get a pension and a bank account in Thailand.

Just because you don’t want to stay in Thailand for 3 months doesn’t mean that you can’t get a Non-O visa that permits you to stay for 3 months.

If you really want a Thai bank account and they require that you have a Non-O visa then get the visa, once you have a Thai friend who will introduce you to their bank manager,
get yourself a Non-O visa or a Non-B visa, the ease of getting these depends on you home country (most are now restricted to applying from the home country or country of residence)
Enter Thailand, you will be permitted to stay for 90 days.
Go with your Thai friend/payed helper to the bank, they will then (hopefully) open an account for you.
As soon after opening the account you can fly out of Thailand, it could be as little as 7, 14, 28 days later or as long as you want as long as it isn’t more than 90 days.

The requirement is that you have a Visa that PERMITS you to stay for 90 days. It is not that you MUST stay for that time

[tamada]

Spoke to the girl who Barney suggested,
I get the impression the banks she knows only interested in pensioners who will stay here long term with a pension to collect each month.
Seems you must have a three month visa no matter what you do.
For people who not so old to be a pensioner and work, even if like me you have had a home here for years, unless you go to the trouble to get a three month visa the banks not interested in you.
I have to work. I have a career that takes me all over the world. I can not sit in Thailand for three months. I here only for two to four weeks maybe three of four times a year.
Some years before I can get a pension and a bank account in Thailand.

Part of her business appears to be to provide the same service as the business I suggested in my post, ie. a long-stay visa agent for retirees. As you have discovered, and despite some recent clever marketing by some developers of high-end condominiums in the 'tourist traps' where a long-stay visa is part of the purchase deal, property ownership in Thailand doesn't enable any special immigration status.

As stww suggested, you don't need to stay for the duration of the minimum long-stay visa that the banks will accept. Just obtain the visa, enter the country and apply at the chosen branch. I believe they now issue an eVisa and it's all done online so no need to make an inconvenient trip to an embassy or consulate.

If you're in Udon right now, maybe check with the main branches of the top 4 or 5 banks to see which ones will accept you AFTER you have the correct visa? Then it should be a one-stop exercise the next time when you have the visa. Also note that the bank branches in malls generally aren't a good place to ask.

Also, as offered by stww, having funds to deposit beyond their published minimums may assist the process. This has been my personal experience but that was several years ago and not in Udon Thani.