Thai bank account and paying by scan (PromptPay QR)

The first time you buy a coconut in Thailand and the vendor turns a laminated QR code towards you, you realise you’re the only person in the queue holding cash. Your cousin has already paid, by scanning, in about two seconds, and is showing the screen to the vendor like a boarding pass.

This page explains how that works, what you need to join in, and the slip culture that comes with it. Last checked 19 October 2026. Banks set their own document lists, so confirm with the branch.

How does paying by scan work?

It runs on PromptPay, the Bank of Thailand’s instant-payment system, launched in 2016. People link their bank account to a citizen ID number or a mobile phone number, and money sent to that number lands in the account. Thai QR payments, the codes on every stall, run on the same system, so any Thai banking app can pay any shop’s code (Bank of Thailand).

In practice: open your banking app, tap scan, point it at the code, type the amount (or check the pre-filled one), confirm. Done.

It’s not a niche thing. In a speech in September 2026, the Bank of Thailand’s governor said PromptPay handled 2.51 billion transactions in July 2026 alone, free of charge.

What do you need to open an account?

If you have a Thai ID card, that’s the main document. Bring it, a Thai phone number for the app, and, because branches can ask, your house registration details (see our tabien baan guide). If you don’t have a Thai ID card yet, the order of papers is in moving to Thailand as a luk khrueng.

If you’re opening as a foreigner, expect more. Kasikornbank’s savings page, for example, lists a passport, a non-immigrant visa, an ID from your home country and documents showing why you’re in Thailand (a work permit or a school certificate). It says it doesn’t open savings accounts for tourist visas or other travel-type visas, naming visa on arrival, visa-free entry and the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV), and that it may ask for more documents. Other banks have their own lists, and branches differ. Ask first; it saves a second trip. The visa side is in staying longer in Thailand.

At the counter, three lines from the app’s Living in Thailand moment do most of the work: ขอเปิดบัญชี (khor pert ban-chii), “I’d like to open an account”, then ต้องใช้เอกสารอะไรบ้าง (torng chai ek-ga-saan a-rai baang), “what documents do I need?”. The clerk may answer with ขอดูพาสปอร์ตหน่อยค่ะ, “may I see your passport?”. And if you hold two:

ถือสองสัญชาติ

thue sorng san-chaat

ถือสองสัญชาติครับ

thue sorng san-chaat khrap

ถือสองสัญชาติค่ะ

thue sorng san-chaat kha

Who is speaking?

ครับ said by a manค่ะ said by a woman

Draft: waiting for a native speaker’s review.

Why banks are careful. Thailand has tightened up on scam money and “mule” accounts. Since a 2023 Bank of Thailand measure, mobile-banking transfers over 50,000 baht need a biometric check such as a face scan, and banks allow one device per mobile-banking user. Since January 2025, banks must refuse new accounts for people judged high-risk. Extra questions at the branch are part of that, not about you.

What’s the slip culture?

Every transfer produces an e-slip: an image with the amount, both names, the time and a QR code. In Thailand the slip is the receipt. You show it to the vendor, send it to the landlord, post it in the family LINE group when you’ve paid your share of Yai’s birthday dinner, and screenshot it for the friend who covered the taxi. “Send slip” is a sentence you’ll hear a lot.

Because slips matter, fake slips exist. SCB’s advice (August 2022): scan the QR code on the slip with a slip-check feature; if the name or time doesn’t match, or the code won’t verify, treat it as possibly fake. Don’t post your slips publicly, since they show your name and account details. If you’re selling something (that rice cooker before you move back), check the money is in your account, not just the slip in your chat.

Can you pay by QR without a Thai account?

Sometimes. The Bank of Thailand’s cross-border page (data as of May 2026) lists payment links in both directions with Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Laos, and inbound links for some apps from Korea and China. If your bank is in Europe, the US or Australia, it isn’t on that list, so bring a card and some cash until you have a Thai account. For money going the other way, see sending money home to Thailand.

Practise the bank counter first

The Living in Thailand moment in Reply Thai has “I’d like to open an account”, “what documents do I need?” and “I have dual nationality”, practised as replies, so you’re not reading off your phone at the counter.

Reply Thai for iPhone: coming soonEmail me at launch

Thai words on this page are a draft until a native speaker has reviewed them. Last checked 19 October 2026; confirm document lists with your bank.