People often ask what's needed to open a bank account for foreigners in Thailand. The simple answer is it varies from bank to bank, even different branches of the same bank. Tourist areas such as Pattaya are sometimes more relaxed and even different staff on a different day can make a difference if you're simply asking. Amounts required to open vary by bank and by account type, THB 10k is a typical minimum.

Plenty of exceptions but, common requirements are:

- Passport = must

- Visa = a non-immigrant visa (B for business or working, O for retirement, marriage etc).
Banks often want to see a longer term visa. Increasing regulation such as Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Know Your Customer (KYC), FATCA (inflicted by the Americans) are moving banks towards more stricter/longer visas asked by banks in their requirements
...but some will accept tourist visas and occasionally people have been known to get on just entry to Thailand without visa.

- Work Permit = often asked for if you're working, but if they know you are retired or married to a Thai national they'll usually accept just a non-immigrant visa

Standard Chartered

- require passport + a non-immigrant visa > 3 months

www.sc.com/th/en/expatriate/save.html

Bangkok Bank

- require passport + work permit. Often relax the work permit if you have different status. Also accept the house registration book for permanent residents.
- Their website is generally one of the best, particularly for English speakers finding info

 www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/PersonalBanking/DailyBanking/Accounts/CurrentAccounts/Pages/Default.aspx