Asking for a family member who (rapidly) needs an international bank account at a Thai address. 

He has Thai utility bills, Thai license, etc to prove things address for KYC but doesnt want a domestic Thai account as he will need to move a chunk of foreign currency. 

I am aware some Brit expats had UK banks (or building societies) and have kept them even after formally moving to Thailand. I just dont know which UK high street current accounts (not offshore channel islands etc) support that. Asking at Lloyds they said no, overseas tax residency and they will close the account. 

Wise allow a GBP multicurrency account with sort code and account number

30 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

I am aware some Brit expats had UK banks (or building societies) and have kept them even after formally moving to Thailand. I just dont know which UK high street current accounts (not offshore channel islands etc) support that.

No UK bank will open a new account for non-residents.  Those you refer to will have retained a UK address on the bank's records and I doubt if any of them that need to keep the account open would dare tell the bank that they actually live in Thailand.

39 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

doesnt want a domestic Thai account as he will need to move a chunk of foreign currency

What does that mean?  A normal Thai account can receive funds from abroad or alternatively can offer a foreign currency account if needed.

6 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

No UK bank will open a new account for non-residents.  Those you refer to will have retained a UK address on the bank's records and I doubt if any of them that need to keep the account open would dare tell the bank that they actually live in Thailand.

you dont think that they have not told the pension  service as well do you?????

43 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

He has Thai utility bills, Thai license, etc to prove things address for KYC but doesnt want a domestic Thai account as he will need to move a chunk of foreign currency. 

Has he thought about Singapore, nearer than the UK if he's living in Thailand.

My bank did a recent check  on me and asked me if I was UK tax resident. I lied and said yes. Hope it doesn't come beck to bite me on the a***.

Have not lived there for almost seven years now. I do use a UK address for the account though.

 

I think you will find it very difficult to open a UK account nowadays without several documents proving you live there. e.g. Utility Bills, Council Tax bill, UK driving licence.

5 minutes ago, phetphet said:

My bank did a recent check  on me and asked me if I was UK tax resident. I lied and said yes. Hope it doesn't come beck to bite me on the a***.

Have not lived there for almost seven years now. I do use a UK address for the account though.

 

I think you will find it very difficult to open a UK account nowadays without several documents proving you live there. e.g. Utility Bills, Council Tax bill, UK driving licence.

 

 

hang on to that UK bank account for as long as possible. Once gone, you won't get one back.

 

 

I doubt that they were interrogating you - just updating records; Nat West did it recently.

 

I doubt that the bank staff would know the difference between residency, domicile and certainly not tax status. Remember, you receive any income in the UK it is taxable - therefore you always likely to be "tax resident".

 

 

Paint your own picture of your life and hold that picture for when you get questioned like........I am a UK resident but I am in a position where I am spending a fair amount of time in Asia.... etc, etc

39 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Wise allow a GBP multicurrency account with sort code and account number

But no ATM card in Thailand and he wants a bank account; a Wise account isn't a bank account.

Edited September 7, 20223 yr by Liverpool Lou

17 minutes ago, ivor bigun said:

25 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

No UK bank will open a new account for non-residents.  Those you refer to will have retained a UK address on the bank's records and I doubt if any of them that need to keep the account open would dare tell the bank that they actually live in Thailand.

Expand  

you dont think that they have not told the pension  service as well do you?

I've no idea but what's "the pension service" got to do with the OP's question or  my comment? 

1 minute ago, Liverpool Lou said:

I've no idea but what's "the pension service" got to do with the OP's question or  my comment? 

They may live in Thailand where your pension is frozen on the day you get it ,but if they keep a UK address and bank ,perhaps they get the yearly uprises ,get it?

9 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

But no ATM card in Thailand.

I believe Wise have a card that can be used anywhere. No idea as to fees attached to that though.

 

https://wise.com/gb/card/

"Spend abroad with the real exchange rate. No markups, no sneaky transaction fees".

2 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

8 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

But no ATM card in Thailand.

I believe Wise have a card that can be used anywhere. No idea as to fees attached to that though.

According to their website, an ATM card is not currently available for my Thailand location, neither were they when I opened my Wise account originally.

Edited September 7, 20223 yr by Liverpool Lou

5 minutes ago, ivor bigun said:

9 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

I've no idea but what's "the pension service" got to do with the OP's question or  my comment? 

They may live in Thailand where your pension is frozen on the day you get it ,but if they keep a UK address and bank ,perhaps they get the yearly uprises ,get it?

Nothing to do with the OP's question or my comment.  Get that?

International Banking Products & Solutions | Standard Bank

 

59 minutes ago, Upnotover said:

What does that mean?  A normal Thai account can receive funds from abroad or alternatively can offer a foreign currency account if needed.

Foreign currency accounts take a slice on arrival and leaving.. this will have multi 100k USD moved so no desire for a domestic account taking 0.5% in and 0.5% out. 

 

57 minutes ago, ivor bigun said:

you dont think that they have not told the pension  service as well do you?????

hes barely 40.. pensions not a concern.. HMRC is. 

 

55 minutes ago, Stocky said:

Has he thought about Singapore, nearer than the UK if he's living in Thailand.

Yes considering an HSBC there but they also take a CLIE (commission in lieu of exchange) on large money movements even when they dont exchange them. 
 

55 minutes ago, phetphet said:

I think you will find it very difficult to open a UK account nowadays without several documents proving you live there. e.g. Utility Bills, Council Tax bill, UK driving licence.

Thats all easy.. Its breaking the UK ties that is the issue.. 

 

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

Wise allow a GBP multicurrency account with sort code and account number

Not suitable for KYC which is the need here. 

 

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

No UK bank will open a new account for non-residents.  Those you refer to will have retained a UK address on the bank's records and I doubt if any of them that need to keep the account open would dare tell the bank that they actually live in Thailand.

Apparently nationwide building society do.. Just spoke with an advisor on the phone who said that they will register overseas residency and tax base and maintain an established current account to a non UK address that he can get in 5 minutes walking through the door. 

32 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

International Banking Products & Solutions | Standard Bank

 

good option.. Thank you.. 
 

15 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

non UK address that he can get in 5 minutes walking through the door. 

Walking through a door in which country if he has "non UK address"?

2 hours ago, LivinLOS said:

He has Thai utility bills, Thai license, etc to prove things address for KYC but doesnt want a domestic Thai account as he will need to move a chunk of foreign currency. 

Apologies, I think I misunderstood and have consequently edited my reply 

 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Edited September 7, 20223 yr by Eloquent pilgrim

Would be interesting to know why the account is needed, sounds a bit murky

20 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

 

Apparently nationwide building society do.. Just spoke with an advisor on the phone who said that they will register overseas residency and tax base and maintain an established current account to a non UK address that he can get in 5 minutes walking through the door. 

That is for existing accounts .

For a new account , the person would have to be living in the U.K (I asked yesterday in a Nationwide branch) 

10 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

Yes considering an HSBC there but they also take a CLIE (commission in lieu of exchange) on large money movements even when they dont exchange them. 

He's going to have problems with that wherever he goes. I bank with HSBC Singapore and use Wise to transfer money out. Transfer to Wise Singapore is a local transfer so no CLIE and no bank charges. But you can't move USD to Wise Singapore, you need to move from the MultiCurrency Account into your SGD account first, at the bank exchange rate. 

12 minutes ago, DezLez said:

Walking through a door in which country if he has "non UK address"?

In the uk.. He walks in opens the account.. Gets net banking etc set up.. Then they will change both his tax residence and postal address for the account after opening to his thai address.. 

 

https://www.nationwide.co.uk/help/your-details/registering-foreign-address-online/

 

Solved (for this specific need). 

9 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

That is for existing accounts .

For a new account , the person would have to be living in the U.K (I asked yesterday in a Nationwide branch) 

Like I keep saying.. Theres no issue there.. In fact the opposite.. 

 

14 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Would be interesting to know why the account is needed, sounds a bit murky

Hes going to generate a significant taxable event and needs to ensure his Thai residency is firmed up, his UK exit status is correct (he filed it years ago but days per year is not perfect, we maintain a Irish address also that has no passport control between them) and he can pass KYC for a non UK and non Thai financial institution. 
 

This is all about ensuring everything is perfect, in advance and in correct sequence, for undisputable capital gains protection. 

1 hour ago, hotandsticky said:

 

I doubt that the bank staff would know the difference between residency, domicile and certainly not tax status. Remember, you receive any income in the UK it is taxable - therefore you always likely to be "tax resident".

This isn't quite right in terminology.

 

You are not "tax resident" in the UK just because you have income arising in the UK that is taxable. All income arising in the UK, even for people of other citizenships who have never set foot in the UK is taxable.

 

This doesn't mean they are "tax resident", which has quite a specific meaning and set of tax obligations.

Edited September 7, 20223 yr by partington

22 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

Hes going to generate a significant taxable event and needs to ensure his Thai residency is firmed up, his UK exit status is correct (he filed it years ago but days per year is not perfect, we maintain a Irish address also that has no passport control between them) and he can pass KYC for a non UK and non Thai financial institution. 
 

This is all about ensuring everything is perfect, in advance and in correct sequence, for undisputable capital gains protection. 

He doesn't want to use a thai bank account so he doesn't get taxed in Thailand?

20 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

He doesn't want to use a thai bank account so he doesn't get taxed in Thailand?

Well yes he doesnt want to remit any amount of this size into Thailand, it would technically be 'income gained and remitted into the kingdom in the year it was received' and also have questions raised about getting it back out again (with a FETF but still) finally who would want to use a Thai account and pay the in and out % they cream off the top for no reason. Thai onshore is a dead end. 

 

We will work to a proper multi currency expat account based to Thailand and may not take the capital gains windfall until then but we may need to rapidly solve the KYC issues before sale of the assets. If so the above nationwide solves this urgently. 

 

Its all about tieing up lose ends which had been left untidy and having the right addresses on file. 

2 hours ago, phetphet said:

I think you will find it very difficult to open a UK account nowadays without several documents proving you live there. e.g. Utility Bills, Council Tax bill, UK driving licence.

When my Thai wife came to live with me in England in 20 years ago, my UK High Street bank wouldn't allow me to open a joint account with her unless she could provide Utility Bills in her name and of course no bank account = no utility bill, catch 22.

So it's not something new.

Just now, foreverlomsak said:

When my Thai wife came to live with me in England in 20 years ago, my UK High Street bank wouldn't allow me to open a joint account with her unless she could provide Utility Bills in her name and of course no bank account = no utility bill, catch 22.

So it's not something new.

Strange with none of those things I got accounts in Lloyds, Santander, Monzo, Starling, etc etc when I fist started visiting again in the summers.. All those registered to a commercial non residential address.