Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing Bank Accounts in Thailand, specifically Bank Account opening for foreigners here in Thailand. This can be a source of consternation for a lot of folks, especially new folks, folks coming in for the first time. 

I thought of making this video after reading a recent article from the Pattaya Mail, that is pattayamail.com, the article is titled: What will 2023 hold for Pattaya tourism? Quoting directly: "Many Russian arrivals in particular are dominated by the need to open Thai Bank Accounts and are sometimes frustrated by difficulties in doing so." Yeah I can definitely say that Russian arrivals are not the only ones that have issues with this. A lot of foreign nationals have problems getting a Bank Account opened up for a variety of different reasons. Different banks have different rules related to so-called "know your customer". There are also issues associated with folks coming in simply as tourists; some banks take the position that "hey we are not really interested in opening a Bank Account for somebody who is here as a tourist, it's for folks that are primarily living in Thailand." That can be a major issue. Some banks, just internal policies are difficult to overcome when it comes to trying to get a Bank Account opened in Thailand. So these are a number of things that will be kind of frustrating especially for the new arrival here in Thailand. 

Now meanwhile, sometimes the only remedy might be issues associated with visas for example getting over into Non-Immigrant status of some kind, for example Business Visa status especially with a Work Permit, never an issue opening a Bank Account once someone has a Work Permit. Retirees can sometimes find themselves in a bit of a catch-22 insofar as they need a Bank Account in order to get a Retirement Visa or a Retirement Visa conversion, and they can't get a bank account until they have the Retirement Visa so that can lead to kind of a feedback loop. 

Long story short it's going to be very dependent on the bank. There may be assistance which can be provided by folks that have dealt with a bank on a regular basis. That being said, again some banks are just difficult to deal with when it comes to opening a Bank Account here in Thailand.