Swiss bank account

ravenk

Hi,
First some background on me :-)
I'm moving to Switzerland in September for 3 years and will be working for a Swiss company and paid in chf (Swiss Francs).
In the UK I have two bank accounts.
One with HSBC and the other with Santander (123 Account).

What I would like is a UK bank , that allows me to have a CHF current account, where I can have my salary paid into and direct debits for rent etc and a bank card for ATM withdrawals in chf.

Already have a Halifax clarity card set up and ready.
This will allow me to spend in CH and pay in the UK.

The other option is to open a bank account in CH, but that will require a permit , ID etc etc ....so it would be a lot easier to get an account set up in the UK prior ....as above ....

Can anyone help ?
I did look at the HSBC Private Bank in CH ...but i need $3,000,000 to open one !!!!

Hazzanet

https://www.postfinance.ch/en/priv/prod/acc/chf/offer.html

ravenk

Thanks for the link.
But that is a Swiss bank offering accounts.

I'm looking for a bank based in the uk that can offer me a chf account.
If that is possible ?

DunPin

Is there a particular reason you want to have a UK CHF account as if you really are moving then getting a permit (which is required if you're working, self-employed or retired) and ID should be no issue, Credit Suisse will open an account prior to your official arrival so long as you do register to live in Switzerland within 6 months.

Eonel

I am a UK citizen and lived in Switzerland for a while - although this was a few years ago. I kept my UK accounts and registered them to my parents address. I setup a CHF current account in Switzerland with a Swiss bank, but as a foreign national could not get a credit card.

Broadly I kept GBP and CHF transaction to their respective accounts, moving money between accounts in lump and by international transfer if/when needed. Occasionally using the GBP credit card in Switzerland when situations arose.

I don't think you will find a UK bank account that offers what you need to effectively run a CHF account in Switzerland - it will be too cumbersome. The most practical thing will be to apply for an account with a Swiss bank when you get there- or as DunPin says, apply in advance.

Hazzanet

ravenk wrote: »

I'm looking for a bank based in the uk that can offer me a chf account.
If that is possible ?

Not if you want to pay Direct Debits/Bills and SOs through the Swiss internal systems. You'll need a Swiss bank account in Switzerland.

RobTang

ravenk wrote: »

The other option is to open a bank account in CH, but that will require a permit , ID etc etc ....so it would be a lot easier to get an account set up in the UK prior ....as above ....

I don't think so actually, you can pretty much get your permit and bank acc same day, you just need to wait for the cards really but you can receive salary pretty much immediately.

Plus all the uk banks offshore accounts are based in the channel islands so you generally cant just pop into a branch anyway.

Not to mention we don't really have free atm withdrawals from other banks so you will get hit everytime you take money out.