Integrity Legal - Law Firm in Bangkok | Bangkok Lawyer | Legal Services Thailand Back to
Integrity Legal

Legal Services & Resources 

Up to date legal information pertaining to Thai, American, & International Law.

Contact us: +66 2-266 3698

info@integrity-legal.com

ResourcesCorporate and Tax AdvisoryThailand Corporate LawIs a Work Permit Required In Order to Open a Bank Account in Thailand?

Is a Work Permit Required In Order to Open a Bank Account in Thailand?

Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing Thai Work Permits specifically in the context of Thai Banking. 

A question that comes up rather frequently, especially in a personal capacity, people just kind of ask "hey, do I need a Work Permit to get a bank account? What is the deal with that?" Well the answer is probably. I would say that is a "hard" probably, but it is not a legal requirement. Generally speaking, banks are going to set their own policies with regard to whom they take on as a customer and whom they allow to open a bank account within their facilities. Oftentimes foreigners, especially those who don't have a Retirement Visa, retirees are specifically precluded from being able to get a Work Permit in Thailand and for that reason banks don't require a Work Permit from one holding a Retirement Visa because they can't have a work permit; they are precluded from being able to have that document.

What about folks that are either under the retirement age or that are on some other type of Visa? Is a Work Permit required? We often see this in the context of folks that are here in Thailand on a Thai Marriage Visa that don't necessarily have a Work Permit but they are on an O Marriage Visa by dint of the fact they have a Thai spouse. Long story short, again it depends on the bank, its internal policy. Different banks have different regulations with respect to whom they will allow to open an account and the documentation they want to see for those account holders. So I would say it is pretty difficult to get a bank account in Thailand without a Work Permit; not impossible, probably depends on the bank. 

For those who are having issues with this, it might not be a terrible idea to contact a legal professional in order to get some insight and guidance into how best to undertake banking here in the Kingdom of Thailand.