Which UK banks allow you to have a bank account with a Thailand address?

[itsari]

2 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

It's maddening but it's not so mad if you consider that UK onshore banks do not offer accounts for non-UK residents, that's their problem with it. 

 

The banks don't care if a customer is unable to receive his pension if that customer doesn't comply with their requirements to maintain an account.

 

A UK account is not needed to receive a UK pension.

correct , but those wanting to hide what country they live in to benefit from any increases in there pension will find life difficult .

[VocalNeal]

48 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Do you get a UK sort code and account number? annual fee?

Standard Bank IOM. The account was opened from here. Sort code don't know but it is considered a UK bank. Fees yes but I don't know the amount. I suspect that can be discovered online.

They will courier an ATM card and a widget for internet banking. 

Lots of paperwork and phone calls. Not easy but possible.

Edited June 2, 2022 by VocalNeal

[Liverpool Lou]

2 hours ago, DrJoy said:

My friend opened an account with the Bank of India, London Branch.

They do allow remote account opening, so its possible to open from Thailand.

"When you open an account with us, we need to obtain sufficient proof of your identity and address to enable us to satisfy our legal obligations and protect you, the public and us against fraud and misuse of the banking system.

We are required under our customer due diligence obligations to satisfy ourselves as to the identity of prospective customers and obtain specific documents in compliance with these requirements. This may require you to personally attend one of our branches* and complete the formalities requested by us at that time. The various customer due diligence documents required to be produced at the time of opening the account will be advised to you separately".

 

*For "may need to personally attend", read "will need to personally attend", almost guaranteed!

Edited June 2, 2022 by Liverpool Lou

[Chris.B]

5 hours ago, The Fugitive said:

Wow! Thanks for the warning. I'm in same position. Have you looked at virtual cards and Google Pay etc.? I can't set up Google Pay because you need a debit card to begin with and I only have a UK credit card. There has to be an easier way!

You can get a virtual debit card with Wise.

 

[Neeranam]

2 minutes ago, Chris.B said:

You can get a virtual debit card with Wise.

 

Revolut is a card I've recently got, highly recommend.

[JimmyJ]

2 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

I'm not sure that had anything to do with you having a Thai address.  About 5 years ago I received a letter from Natwest simply stating that they were closing my account with a month's notice - no explanation or reason.  The letter also said the decision was final and they would not discuss it with me.

 

I had always conducted my account properly, never gone overdrawn and always had enough money in the account to cover direct debits etc.  There was absolutely no reason for the closure.  I went into my local branch who were as surprised as I was and called head office for an explanation - they were treated in the same way as I was.

 

A Google search revealed that unexplained account closures by Natwest are quite common with lots of reports of the same thing happening.  I contacted the banking ombudsman but was advised they were powerless to demand a reason from Natwest.

"A Google search revealed that unexplained account closures by Natwest are quite common with lots of reports of the same thing happening."

 

People doing a search for their own bank doing "unexplained account closures" - including not releasing the funds indefinitely - will in many cases be surprised.

There is a lot of that.

 

[scubascuba3]

21 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Revolut is a card I've recently got, highly recommend.

I binned my Revolut card, it was good years ago then they declared baht an unstable currency along with ruble, they add in a charge which is hidden, most people aren't aware

[Neeranam]

20 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

I binned my Revolut card, it was good years ago then they declared baht an unstable currency along with ruble, they add in a charge which is hidden, most people aren't aware

I find it useful for withdrawing from my Poker client, and changing into Bitcoin. I did notice the charge was rather high, but convenient.

 

[Robin]

In UK at the moment, so I called into my local Santander Branch and met a real human who actually knew what she was talking about and was will to give me time.

She confirmed that Nat West and some other UK banks no longer allow overseas addresses for account holders, possibly due to UK leaving EU, and that many expats living in Spain are suffering from this.

She also confirmed that Santander will accept an address in Thailand, but...

To open an account with Santander you have to be a UK Resident. 

I then went on to Santander web-site and opened an a current account.  Actual requirement is that I had to be a UK tax payer, which I am as I pay tax on income from rented property.  Filled in the form on-line and an account was instantly opened, using my UK address.  I have account number etc.  Now waiting to get more info and on-line banking, ATM card, etc. before I start transferring money to that account. I'll keep the Forum updated .

Also confirmed that to change to my Thai address, I needed to fill in form and bring copy to branch.

Suggested that falsely claiming to be UK resident would not not work as bank checks that I am on UK electoral roll and have a registered address.

General warning to all UK expats with banks in UK.  If you give them your Thai address they might close your account.  Nat West did not give a reason for their behaviour despite numerous complaints from me.

Many banks offer 'International Accounts' base in Channel Islands or such, but no idea how easy to open one of these.

Santander international have a minimum deposit limit on their International Account which might be a problem for some.

Moral seems to be, that if you have a UK bank account with UK address, do not change to your Thai address unless you really need to do so

[phutoie2]

3 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Yes, DWP will pay to Thai banks, as it does for me.   Don't know about private pensions as private companies can make their own rules but I see no reason why not, banking is international these days.

 

 

Yes DWP will pay my state pension due this August into my Bangkok Bank account via Citi Bank. Still pondering if to take the 13 week option or every month. My military pension has been paid into my BKB account, via Citi Bank for many years.  Though this is strictly not a private pension (government service pension) which you pay UK income tax on if above your pers allowance. 

 

Q. Didn't CIti Bank sell off the Bangkok retail Branch to UOB, Singapore some months back....

 

[herfiehandbag]

3 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Which provider do you use for your Thai phone?  Rates for calls to landline numbers in the UK with Dtac and True are B1/2.50 per minute.

DTAC prepaid - now (over 5 days of trying) up to 80 Baht.

[The Hammer2021]

On 6/1/2022 at 6:03 PM, warrima said:

Halifax allow you to use a thai phone number for text/call verifications which so far has allowed me to carry on fine. I note when i log in they constantly ask me to update my address details.

 

My ulsterbank (natwest) account has been totally restricted to just viewing online balances. When i log in there's a banner on the top asking me to visit my nearest branch and confirm my address details. I called the online support number once and asked if i could use a foreign address (if i was on temporary assignment abroad for example) and they said the account would be suspended until i returned. 

I have hated Natwest since 71 - dreadful

[The Hammer2021]

1 hour ago, Robin said:

In UK at the moment, so I called into my local Santander Branch and met a real human who actually knew what she was talking about and was will to give me time.

She confirmed that Nat West and some other UK banks no longer allow overseas addresses for account holders, possibly due to UK leaving EU, and that many expats living in Spain are suffering from this.

She also confirmed that Santander will accept an address in Thailand, but...

To open an account with Santander you have to be a UK Resident. 

I then went on to Santander web-site and opened an a current account.  Actual requirement is that I had to be a UK tax payer, which I am as I pay tax on income from rented property.  Filled in the form on-line and an account was instantly opened, using my UK address.  I have account number etc.  Now waiting to get more info and on-line banking, ATM card, etc. before I start transferring money to that account. I'll keep the Forum updated .

Also confirmed that to change to my Thai address, I needed to fill in form and bring copy to branch.

Suggested that falsely claiming to be UK resident would not not work as bank checks that I am on UK electoral roll and have a registered address.

General warning to all UK expats with banks in UK.  If you give them your Thai address they might close your account.  Nat West did not give a reason for their behaviour despite numerous complaints from me.

Many banks offer 'International Accounts' base in Channel Islands or such, but no idea how easy to open one of these.

Santander international have a minimum deposit limit on their International Account which might be a problem for some.

Moral seems to be, that if you have a UK bank account with UK address, do not change to your Thai address unless you really need to do so

All round good info and your  conclusion is correct.

[topt]

9 minutes ago, herfiehandbag said:

DTAC prepaid - now (over 5 days of trying) up to 80 Baht.

Yes I have never known pre paid charges for international to be that cheap. AIS charge at least 1 baht per minute for local calls on my sim and never found less than 5baht for International but that was some years ago.

I have used Skype Out for last 8 years here.

[The Fugitive]

3 hours ago, Chris.B said:

You can get a virtual debit card with Wise.

 

Good info thanks. Bangkok Bank do them too apparently.

[Chris.B]

3 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Revolut is a card I've recently got, highly recommend.

Why do you highly recommend it?

 

[KhaoYai]

Good luck to anyone needing to call their UK bank these days - cheap rates or not.  I've had need to call my bank twice in the last 3 or 4 months and each time I've been in a queue for over 40 minutes.

 

As with most UK companies the recordings usually start with "We are experiencing high call volumes at the moment".  I suspect that its not high call volumes, more like low staff volumes. They've all been cutting staff like crazy over the past few years.  Customers needing assistance are seen as an nuisances.  Oddly, sales calls are answered pretty quickly ????.

 

I usually press whichever button is linked to sales  - it usually works, its quite often the same person that answers all types of calls - they just priorities sales calls.

Edited June 2, 2022 by KhaoYai

[The Fugitive]

11 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

Good luck to anyone needing to call their UK bank these days - cheap rates or not.  I've had need to call my bank twice in the last 3 or 4 months and each time I've been in a queue for over 40 minutes.

 

As with most UK companies the recordings usually start with "We are experiencing high call volumes at the moment".  I suspect that its not high call volumes, more like low staff volumes. They've all been cutting staff like crazy over the past few years.  Customers needing assistance are seen as an nuisances.  Oddly, sales calls are answered pretty quickly ????.

 

I usually press whichever button is linked to sales  - it usually works, its quite often the same person that answers all types of calls - they just priorities sales calls.

Solid advice thanks! I hate having to ring call centres. Especially if you could accomplish what you want to do on-line or via Email but they don't allow it. Having to pay for the call is simply 'rubbing it in'.

[Excel]

1 minute ago, The Fugitive said:

Solid advice thanks! I hate having to ring call centres. Especially if you could accomplish what you want to do on-line or via Email but they don't allow it. Having to pay for the call is simply 'rubbing it in'.

And the wait to have your call answered is also frustrating.  The world is full of total morons obviously, let me explain why.    Almost everywhere these days when you call a call centre you are met with the reply "sorry for the delay but we are experiencing an unprecedented number of enquiries". 

Now who would have thought that by closing countless branches where you could ask a human, together with online facilities where there are no humans to pick up your call initially, that a call centre would thus be faced with a lot of people telephoning in. Amazing that, who would have thought it ?

[The Fugitive]

30 minutes ago, Excel said:

And the wait to have your call answered is also frustrating.  The world is full of total morons obviously, let me explain why.    Almost everywhere these days when you call a call centre you are met with the reply "sorry for the delay but we are experiencing an unprecedented number of enquiries". 

Now who would have thought that by closing countless branches where you could ask a human, together with online facilities where there are no humans to pick up your call initially, that a call centre would thus be faced with a lot of people telephoning in. Amazing that, who would have thought it ?

Your comments take me back to pre Internet (and call centre) days. The office I worked in dealt with correspondence, telephone calls and personal visits. Nobody wanted to answer the 'phone because you knew you were in for an ear bashing and would be left with some complicated chain of failures to investigate, correct and write letters apologising for. Whatever solution you proposed your Manager would disagree with and you would end up arguing. Once the customer had your name you wouldn't ever hear the last of it. Personal visits were even worse. Female staff were in the vast majority but most found reasons not to talk to aggrieved persons face to face, claiming claustrophobia of interview rooms, fears for personal safety, the customer is a well known 'nutter', not my job etc.   

Edited June 3, 2022 by The Fugitive

[Al BB]

19 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

So private and govt pensions can be paid direct to Thai bank account?

Yes. I have 2 Private Pensions and a State Pension come direct to my Thai Bank Acc.

(2 via Deutsche Bank, and the State Pension via Citibank).

[potless]

19 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

I'm not sure that had anything to do with you having a Thai address.  About 5 years ago I received a letter from Natwest simply stating that they were closing my account with a month's notice - no explanation or reason.  The letter also said the decision was final and they would not discuss it with me.

 

I had always conducted my account properly, never gone overdrawn and always had enough money in the account to cover direct debits etc.  There was absolutely no reason for the closure.  I went into my local branch who were as surprised as I was and called head office for an explanation - they were treated in the same way as I was.

 

A Google search revealed that unexplained account closures by Natwest are quite common with lots of reports of the same thing happening.  I contacted the banking ombudsman but was advised they were powerless to demand a reason from Natwest.

100% true. Other banks guilty of the same thing, closing or freezing accounts without explanation. I have been reading these stories on Thisismoney.co.uk for a few years now. Guilty as charged but you are not privy to the charges. Lunacy. More lunacy from Barclaycard who were reducing credit limits or closing accounts last year. Spring last year I get a text from Bcard telling me to ignore the previous text message. I hadnt received one. I get back to the UK in summer and read a letter saying that the decision to close my account (news to me) had been reversed but my limit was to be reduced from 3k to 1k. If I wanted to reinstate my 3k limit I had to text them the special code that came with the letter but had to do it before a certain date. I was too late for that so I rang the call centre and a helpful lady said she would contact the relevant department on my behalf and I would receive a reply in a few days. Text message reply a few days later. Request denied, try  again in 4 months time.

[The Fugitive]

3 minutes ago, potless said:

100% true. Other banks guilty of the same thing, closing or freezing accounts without explanation. I have been reading these stories on Thisismoney.co.uk for a few years now. Guilty as charged but you are not privy to the charges. Lunacy. More lunacy from Barclaycard who were reducing credit limits or closing accounts last year. Spring last year I get a text from Bcard telling me to ignore the previous text message. I hadnt received one. I get back to the UK in summer and read a letter saying that the decision to close my account (news to me) had been reversed but my limit was to be reduced from 3k to 1k. If I wanted to reinstate my 3k limit I had to text them the special code that came with the letter but had to do it before a certain date. I was too late for that so I rang the call centre and a helpful lady said she would contact the relevant department on my behalf and I would receive a reply in a few days. Text message reply a few days later. Request denied, try  again in 4 months time.

Aggro for the sake of it!

[potless]

1 hour ago, Excel said:

And the wait to have your call answered is also frustrating.  The world is full of total morons obviously, let me explain why.    Almost everywhere these days when you call a call centre you are met with the reply "sorry for the delay but we are experiencing an unprecedented number of enquiries". 

Now who would have thought that by closing countless branches where you could ask a human, together with online facilities where there are no humans to pick up your call initially, that a call centre would thus be faced with a lot of people telephoning in. Amazing that, who would have thought it ?

Agreed. What you will also get is an automated voice telling you all the wonderful things you can do online and that is the ultimate goal.

Edited June 3, 2022 by potless

[potless]

2 minutes ago, The Fugitive said:

Aggro for the sake of it!

The sheer scale of their actions made me wonder why. the only thing I could think of was that they had a major security breach and had hit the panic button.

[The Fugitive]

8 minutes ago, potless said:

The sheer scale of their actions made me wonder why. the only thing I could think of was that they had a major security breach and had hit the panic button.

Possibly some new 'bright spark' wanted to make a name for themselves by saving cash. Identify frequent (or infrequent) credit card users. Consider the number and size of transactions. Do the customers pay off in full each month so we don't make any money from them in interest? The only time in decades of credit card use I ever paid interest was in Thailand before I had a Thai bank account when using my card for 'cash advances' from ATM's. Got me worried now!

[potless]

17 minutes ago, The Fugitive said:

Possibly some new 'bright spark' wanted to make a name for themselves by saving cash. Identify frequent (or infrequent) credit card users. Consider the number and size of transactions. Do the customers pay off in full each month so we don't make any money from them in interest? The only time in decades of credit card use I ever paid interest was in Thailand before I had a Thai bank account when using my card for 'cash advances' from ATM's. Got me worried now!

I just did a search "barclaycard closing accounts Thisismoney.co.uk" some reasons cited were "responsible lending concerns" and also people living abroad, likely due to Brexit. Sorry cant provide the link but the article is easily found. article dated 21st May 2021. I use my Bcard when in the UK from time to time just to show activity and pay the balance in full by direct debit. They may not receive interest from me but they charge the retailer a commission I believe. I dont think there is anything for you to worry about.

[Liverpool Lou]

16 hours ago, herfiehandbag said:

DTAC prepaid - now (over 5 days of trying) up to 80 Baht.

Make sure that you're using the "discount" code for international calls.

[Liverpool Lou]

17 hours ago, phutoie2 said:

Q. Didn't CIti Bank sell off the Bangkok retail Branch to UOB, Singapore some months back....

It did.

[scubascuba3]

2 hours ago, The Fugitive said:

Solid advice thanks! I hate having to ring call centres. Especially if you could accomplish what you want to do on-line or via Email but they don't allow it. Having to pay for the call is simply 'rubbing it in'.

Recently banks have switched security where previously an sms OTP was sufficient, now they want to do an automated call, for Coventry it costs me £1 to login and £1 to make a transfer, backward bank that one. Halifax did the same thing initially to set up app but don't do it anymore