Dear all..............i'm making the big step and moving to a remote farming village in deep Issan next month. My question is......... i'm currently in the UK now and trying to open an offshore bank account with Bank of Scotland. The bank is saying to me that they require a utlility bill in my name with my thai address. The place i'm moving to is a remote village and it's all in my wife's name.

Any ideas please how to get over this or are there other banks that are not so demanding

thanks

Try Nationwide bank. I talked to them and they only needed a certified copy of the passport and proof of address. I got the proof of address from my employer, just ask your boss, (assuming you have one), to write a letter saying where you will live. Or alternatively use your parents address.

Good luck with the move. I hope you enjoy village life as much as me.

Nidge.

Dear all..............i'm making the big step and moving to a remote farming village in deep Issan next month. My question is.........

Congratulations.

Why don't you try... real offshore ?

With a bank which doesn't act like a subsidiary of the UK government ?

If you think about it : they ask you to proove that you left UK... They consider you like a fugitive, a suspect.

Tell them the F word.

And go Asia.

Singapore, not far away from BKK.

OCBC, DBS... all those banks will be very happy to open accounts for you (if you have some good cash)... where you can put your money far away from the inquisition of british and european authorities.

And, it's highly ironic, because they will ask you to provide a proof of address... by telling you that an address + bank account in Europe are good references ! For them a customer who lives in Europe, with a bank account in Europe is much more secure than a customer who lives in an exotic country.

So you see, the logic is inverted.

You can get a letter from a solicitor in Thailand confirming your addresss here.

Also at some time you'll likely have to get a letter from Immigration confirming your a resident (for a driving licence for example). A certified translation of that may be acceptable.

Or you go to your Embassy in Bangkok and get the letter of residence from them.

Check with the RBS first on what is acceptable.

You are in the UK now. Can you provide proof of your UK address (driving license + utility bill)? If so open one on that basis and change the address a couple of weeks later once you receive the bumf and any cards. You might find it better to change a mailing address in the UK, say to a relative, and have them either hold the stuff for you or forward it by courier. Mail from Europe/USA has a habit of going missing in Thailand and even if this doesn't happen in Issan the stuff's got to pass through Bangkok. Also I don't know of a bank that will mail any card to Thailand so this route might be best unless you intend regular return visits.

You are in the UK now. Can you provide proof of your UK address (driving license + utility bill)? If so open one on that basis and change the address a couple of weeks later once you receive the bumf and any cards. You might find it better to change a mailing address in the UK, say to a relative, and have them either hold the stuff for you or forward it by courier. Mail from Europe/USA has a habit of going missing in Thailand and even if this doesn't happen in Issan the stuff's got to pass through Bangkok. Also I don't know of a bank that will mail any card to Thailand so this route might be best unless you intend regular return visits.

If you use a UK address they will deduct tax ... and difficult to get this changed.

Try to get some proof of Thai address.

Some Thai banks have non passbook savings accounts where they send a monthly statement by post.

Open one of these accounts and this will give you a proof of address.

Naka.

thanks for all the input.....................i think i will take the chance and get a letter from a solicitor in Thailand confirming addresss when i come over in January.