Bank closing my account as I have no UK address, where to send my savings?

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Open an internet bank account such as 'Smile Bank '  https://www.smile.co.uk/

I haven't had a UK address since 2005.

From your link...

Apply for our Current Account

You must:

• be 18 years of age or older
• be a UK resident

[CharlieH]

Get a UK address for 40 quid a year .

[hotandsticky]

28 minutes ago, indyo said:

you need to open a non resident account

Where?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

29 minutes ago, indyo said:

 

[hotandsticky]

Open a WISE account and transfer money from your UK bank to open it while you still can.

 

Open a Premium Savings Bond account - this is a safe home for funds and easily manageable online 

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, howerde said:

i have read that starling bank and revolut dont ask for an address

Revolut is "not available in your region" - Thailand.

The first requirement from Starling is a UK phone number.

[Liverpool Lou]

45 minutes ago, Doctor Tom said:

50 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

That is incorrect, some people may get away with it but to have a UK bank account the account holder has to be a UK resident. as the OP has just found out.   A UK address that it not the account holder's actual address doesn't necessarily qualify if push comes to shove.

sorry,  but that is not correct. 

All UK banks require applicants for new accounts to be UK residents.  If that is incorrect, please advise which UK banks will open accounts for non-UK residents remotely.

Edited January 12, 2023 by Liverpool Lou

[Stocky]

1 hour ago, anchadian said:

Agree. and Standard Bank are a South African bank.

 

It's Standard Chartered Bank which is a multinational bank headquartered in the UK. It was created as the result of the merger between two British colonial banks, Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China and Standard Bank of South Africa, way back in the 60s.

https://www.sc.com/en/banking/banking-for-individuals/international-banking/

[IvorBiggun2]

20 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

From your link...

Apply for our Current Account

You must:

• be 18 years of age or older
• be a UK resident

All I can say is that I was resident in the UK when I opened my 'Smile' internet account. They know my address is now Thailand and they send notifications to it.

Edited January 12, 2023 by IvorBiggun2

[Liverpool Lou]

27 minutes ago, Gaccha said:

One of the vanishingly  few banks  that will open an account for you is the Bank of India UK. 

You think?  For non-UK residents, remotely? 

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, brewsterbudgen said:

I haven't lived in the UK since 2005, but my accounts are still open and I use them to transfer money to Thailand, for my Premium Bond winnings and pension.  I also have a UK credit card which I pay off (online) from my UK account.  As long as your account is active, it doesn't matter where you live (as long as there's a UK address for the account).

 

1 hour ago, brewsterbudgen said:

I haven't lived in the UK since 2005, but my accounts are still open and I use them to transfer money to Thailand, for my Premium Bond winnings and pension.  I also have a UK credit card which I pay off (online) from my UK account.  As long as your account is active, it doesn't matter where you live (as long as there's a UK address for the account).

What about BritManToo's post about buying a UK postbox, or Kannikap's post about a Wise account?

 

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Option - buy a UK mailing address (ukpostbox.com)

 

 

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Option - buy a UK mailing address (ukpostbox.com)

If my UK bank suddenly told be I would need to get a UK address, would they accept a UK mailing address? I have my doubts about that.

[Woof999]

32 minutes ago, Crossy said:

Barclays pulled my on-shore account about 10 years ago, despite having a UK address, as I "appeared to be non-resident".

They did the same to me about 7 years ago even though I'd specifically asked them about my account standing based on my changing circumstances and had been told there was no issue.

 

Their wording to me just 6 or so months later was "we are focussing on our core 56 international territories". When asking them what those 56 territories were, they wouldn't tell me. I had been with them for more than 40 years (a convert from a very old Woolwich Building Society account).

[NoshowJones]

2 hours ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Open an internet bank account such as 'Smile Bank '  https://www.smile.co.uk/

I haven't had a UK address since 2005.

But any money you have coming in like a UK state pension or private pensions won't be any use to you with Smile Bank

[JAS21]

My wife and I have both a joint current account and a joint savings account with RBS. We also both have debit cards on that current account. We also both have internet banking on those accounts.

 

Only problem we encounter is that RBS have stopped posting replacement cards to Thailand. So when they expire I have to change our address to his and they post the cards there.

 

I then freeze the accounts until we receive the cards from him…then change the address back to here.

[proton]

48 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

Get a UK address for 40 quid a year .

where from? UK post box is more than that

[KannikaP]

29 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

All I can say is that I was resident in the UK when I opened my 'Smile' internet account. They know my address is now Thailand and they send notifications to it.

What 'notifications' do they send? By POST?

Go paperless.

[IvorBiggun2]

5 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

But any money you have coming in like a UK state pension or private pensions won't be any use to you with Smile Bank

Never a problem in over 17 years.

[IvorBiggun2]

3 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

What 'notifications' do they send? By POST?

Yes by post. Notifications of any bank changes that may affect me. My bank statements are available online.

Edited January 12, 2023 by IvorBiggun2

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, Doctor Tom said:

 I have lived and worked in many countries and I have had the same accounts for over 35 years.  It is not necessary to be resident in the UK to have a UK bank account. 

I have had the same bank account in the UK for many years, and still have it after 15 years living in Thailand. I do not have a UK address, my bank knows this, but no one can tell what can happen in the future. I think that Thailand is a far too unstable country to keep a lot of money in.

Edited January 12, 2023 by CharlieH
Derogatory generalisation removed.

[Eff1n2ret]

I have savings accounts with Skipton International in Guernsey BUT I think it was a requirement to have them linked to my UK First Direct account, i.e. withdrawals could only be made into my FD account. I dealt with FD for many years before I moved to Thailand and informed them when I left. I have maintained my account with them and they never raised a problem until about 5 years ago when they declined to roll over an annual savings scheme which I had used for several years - reason, I'm not a UK resident. I've never tried to withdraw money from Skipton but I doubt whether I could, for example, send funds direct from there to Thailand.

[IvorBiggun2]

Dunno if it's of any help but I opened my 'Smile Bank' account into a joint account with my wife about 3-4 years ago. And she has never lived in the UK with me other than a 2 week holiday. 

[mancub]

37 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

All UK banks require applicants for new accounts to be UK residents.  If that is incorrect, please advise which UK banks will open accounts for non-UK residents remotely.

Many people "have" UK bank accounts and credit cards which continue in use under non UK resident status, with address in Thailand

Opening a new account, however, is a different game and a non-starter.

[brewsterbudgen]

34 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

 

What about BritManToo's post about buying a UK postbox, or Kannikap's post about a Wise account?

 

 

 

I'm happy to keep my Lloyds account that I've had since 1977!

[CharlieKo]

2 hours ago, howerde said:

You need to be resident in the UK to have a bank account, some people might use a relatives address, but if the bank know you a non resident, they may want to see some evidence ie council tax bill etc, some might arrange this before they move to Thailand, but the banks are slowly enforcing this requirement(money laundering/scammers etc). you can open international accounts in jersey/guernsey or isle of man, without living there, but there  maybe minimum deposit requirements. i have read that starling bank and revolut dont ask for an address

I use a friends address for my UK bank account. But the bank knows I live in Thailand. Sent me a letter, asking me to provide a Thai Tax number to the bank. They did not close my account once provided.  

[Liverpool Lou]

14 minutes ago, mancub said:

Many people "have" UK bank accounts and credit cards which continue in use under non UK resident status, with address in Thailand

Opening a new account, however, is a different game and a non-starter.

That's exactly what I have posted, they're lucky.  That situation can alter at any time the banks' decide to fully implement their own UK residency regulations.

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, hotandsticky said:

Open a WISE account and transfer money from your UK bank to open it while you still can.

 

Open a Premium Savings Bond account - this is a safe home for funds and easily manageable online 

What do you mean "while you still can"? I have some money in my Wise account. I have added money to it and taken it out with no problem.

Are you saying my money in Wise may not be safe?

[phetphet]

I think the problem opening a new bank account in the UK, even using someone else's address will be the requirement to show a council tax or utility bill with your name on it. They might possibly accept a UK driving licence if it showed the same address. But they might require two forms of proof of address.

 

Those are the problems I encountered when I tried to open a Metro Bank account a few years ago.

 

I already have a UK bank account registered at a UK address, but even they recently contacted me to ask if I was still UK tax domicile.

 

Edited January 12, 2023 by phetphet

[CharlieH]

15 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

What do you mean "while you still can"? I have some money in my Wise account. I have added money to it and taken it out with no problem.

Are you saying my money in Wise may not be safe?

He means whilst he stil lhas the UK account, nothing more.

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, NoshowJones said:

If my UK bank suddenly told be I would need to get a UK address, would they accept a UK mailing address? I have my doubts about that.

If you buy a street address in Poole they won't know it's a mailing address.

Good for HMRC, DWP and banks, costs around 120GBP/year.

[Eff1n2ret]

11 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

Are you saying my money in Wise may not be safe?

Probably is, but they admit themselves that they're not a bank, and do not participate in the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (deposits up to 85k) which is a requirement for UK banks.

Is it safe to keep money in my Wise account? | Wise Help Centre