Cannot open a bank account

If you are on a VISA EXEMPT entry(30 days for US citizen) as opposed to a tourist visa then you might have a problem. If you are on a TOURIST VISA(60 days +) then keep asking around the banks as some will open a savings account on that visa class.

Is it a "30 day visa exempt on arrival by air " you have ?

If so, that NOT a "real" Visa, and many BankŽs say no to that.

It can all so be because of the new law/rules from Usa about all Banks (all so outside USA) have to give information about Americans account, a lot of paper work, that many Thai banks say they donŽt want to deal with.

As i am not sure about put link here. i hope it is okay to Quote from one page about it. if not, please delete it admin.




The U.S. Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, which requires businesses to report all assets held by Americans, aims to recoup the hundreds of billions the U.S. says it loses each year from tax evasion. But it's also leading global banks big and small to dump U.S. customers rather than wrestle with the complicated law.
"U.S. citizens living abroad are really having a hard time with their banks," said Gerard Laures, a partner in the financial services tax division at KPMG.

Proper compliance -- which means reporting everything from basic savings accounts, pension funds, investments, and more -- could easily cost institutions millions each year, he estimated. And penalties are severe; businesses face a 30% tax on U.S.-sourced income if they fail to comply.

"Many banks have taken the decision to tell U.S. customers to go away," Laures said.