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Current accounts for UK citizens who live outside UK

Does any UK bank or building society offer a current account to UK citizens who are resident outside the UK? 
I realise the likes of HSBC, Lloyds, etc do, but only if you can guarantee to invest a minimum of at least £50k, which is impractical for me.

Comments

  • PRAISETHESUN
    PRAISETHESUN Posts: 4,502 Forumite
    Sixth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Citizenship isn't really an important factor here, it's all about residency (ie. do you live in the UK or not). The usual answer is
    people can often continue to manage existing accounts when they move abroad, but are unlikely to be allowed to open new ones. Do you specifically need a UK-based account, or just one denominated in GBP?
  • wmb194
    wmb194 Posts: 4,281 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 23 July 2024 at 2:34PM
    Frodosdad said:
    Does any UK bank or building society offer a current account to UK citizens who are resident outside the UK? 
    I realise the likes of HSBC, Lloyds, etc do, but only if you can guarantee to invest a minimum of at least £50k, which is impractical for me.
    Yes but it depends on where you are resident. Not a bank but it offers bank-like services: have you tried Wise?
  • eDicky
    eDicky Posts: 6,835 Forumite
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    There may be a solution to your actual requirements, if you outline what they are, such as UK Direct Debit facilities etc.
    Evolution, not revolution
  • friolento
    friolento Posts: 1,888 Forumite
    1,000 Posts First Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic
    wmb194 said:
    Frodosdad said:
    Does any UK bank or building society offer a current account to UK citizens who are resident outside the UK? 
    I realise the likes of HSBC, Lloyds, etc do, but only if you can guarantee to invest a minimum of at least £50k, which is impractical for me.
    Yes but it depends on where you are resident. Not a bank but it offers bank-like services: have you tried Wise?
    Wise is not a bank or Building Society, meaning they do not offer FSCS protection. This may or may not be an issue - I regularly use Wise to xfer money between countries but I don’t keep any funds for any length of time with them.


  • friolento
    friolento Posts: 1,888 Forumite
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    HSBC offer a free of charge basic current account for people not residing in the UK. Whether they accept your application you can find out by applying https://www.hsbc.co.uk/current-accounts/compare/bank-account/
  • wmb194
    wmb194 Posts: 4,281 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    friolento said:
    wmb194 said:
    Frodosdad said:
    Does any UK bank or building society offer a current account to UK citizens who are resident outside the UK? 
    I realise the likes of HSBC, Lloyds, etc do, but only if you can guarantee to invest a minimum of at least £50k, which is impractical for me.
    Yes but it depends on where you are resident. Not a bank but it offers bank-like services: have you tried Wise?
    Wise is not a bank or Building Society, meaning they do not offer FSCS protection. This may or may not be an issue - I regularly use Wise to xfer money between countries but I don’t keep any funds for any length of time with them.


    Yes, I realise, and that's why I wrote that it isn't a bank but if the OP is desperate for a UK account number and sort code it might work.
  • gt94sss2
    gt94sss2 Posts: 5,952 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Frodosdad said:
    Does any UK bank or building society offer a current account to UK citizens who are resident outside the UK? 
    I realise the likes of HSBC, Lloyds, etc do, but only if you can guarantee to invest a minimum of at least £50k, which is impractical for me.
    HSBC does - depending on the country you live in - including options with no £50k requirement.

    https://www.hsbc.co.uk/international/apply-for-a-uk-account/

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