Expat banking (minor dilemma)

Legacy_user

Not sure if this is the correct forum but seems the closest..

Essentially, I've been offered a contract abroad which is expected to last circa 6-12 months but ive also applied for residency for Canada which should be processed (successfully or not) whilst I'm away.

Not sure what to do as haven't updated my address yet but don't want to left without somekind of UK current account - particularly should my residency app not be successful and I then come back to the UK to live.

It looks like some banks close accounts of those with non-uk addresses.

grumbler

The best is to keep some backup address in UK registered with all banks.
This can be a friend's or a relative's address.

Voyager2002

SPalin wrote: »

It looks like some banks close accounts of those with non-uk addresses.

I have never encountered this... simply tell your bank that your correspondence address will be XXX (in Canada) until you tell them otherwise. Not a problem.

The only issue is that you will not be able to OPEN most UK bank accounts without a UK address.

System

A quick search on here and various expat forums highlighted issues with UK banks closing accounts of people no longer resident in Britain and not sending replacement debit cards.

I guess that using an agreeable relative may work best.

Voyager2002 wrote: »

I have never encountered this... simply tell your bank that your correspondence address will be XXX (in Canada) until you tell them otherwise. Not a problem.

The only issue is that you will not be able to OPEN most UK bank accounts without a UK address.

zerog

Well it seems reasonable that banks don't always want to send debit cards overseas.

MoneySavingNovice

Voyager2002 wrote: »

I have never encountered this... simply tell your bank that your correspondence address will be XXX (in Canada) until you tell them otherwise. Not a problem....

[FONT=&quot]I have fallen victim to this, I did find it a big problem. If you are able see if you can get a friend or relative to agree to letting them use your address. If that not a possibility you will have to tell the banks involved, but let them know one at a time they might ask you to close the accounts involved. Good luck[/FONT]

Westie983

Where I work you can have a bank account if you dont have a UK address but you cant open a new account, so if you already have a UK bank account and move abroad that is fine, just set up correspondence address to a UK relative and change your main address to your current address whether is UK or elsewhere. All correspondence will go to your UK registered address which is a relative...

hope that helps