Do you use a UK mailbox service to maintain a UK address?

[KittenKong]

Thanks, this is very helpful. When was the last time you opened a UK bank account?

About 18 months ago.

[Minpin]

Depends on your reason for maintaining an address in the UK I guess.

Regarding using student accomodation or a relatives address unless you are on the electoral role at that address it is meaningless. Thats what officaldom in the UK are using now

Try a trival motoring offence with an address 20 years old on your licence and not registered to vote at that address. Even car hire companys have access to the database. Try getting a UK credit card on a virtual address. I did it was impossible. first thing they checked was if I was registered to vote at that address

Not having the correct address on your driving licence can cost you a £1000 fine.

Off topic little bit

Wife driving, Thai, I am only passenger. Plod asked me for ID with address and preferabley photo. Showed UK driving licence and he went to his car came back and said your not registered at that address. Explained I live in Thailand only here on holiday etc. Informed me that if I had been driving the licence could be classed as "false". Plods words not mine. Said I should be driving on my Thai licence with international driving permit if a visitor.

All this hassle for wife doing 79 in 70 mph area.

An enterprising car hire firm would not except my licence due to not being on the voters roll at that address. Never happened before. Accepted wife driving only. This is all in January this year.

Would like to hear how a poster opened a bank account

[KittenKong]

However, I believe that most banks will not renew Debit or Credit cards unless you have a UK address and they will not send them overseas.

NatWest have been sending my debit and credit cards to overseas addresses for decades. These days I do get them to send everything to a UK address though as I expect to be moving about quite a lot over the next few years and remembering to update mailing addresses can be a pain.

[KittenKong]

Ye gods there is some awful tax advice on here.

Nobody can choose to be resident or non-resident, these are decided on the facts. In order to clarify the previously confusing situation HMRC introduced a Statutory residence Test on 6th April, 2013 which lays down rules to determine whether or not you are UK resident.

Yes and no. Whilst the rules may determine whether you are actually resident or not, until you invoke the rules by informing HMRC that you are no longer resident you will always be considered as resident and HMRC will not object. So that choice is indeed yours.

I'm not sure in what situation anyone would be better off tax-wise by being considered as UK resident when they are actually non-resident, but it can be done.

[dottie]

HSBC in UK have been sending my cards and printed statements to me here for nearly 10 years. They have my family's address in UK and my address in Thailand; my Thai address is logged as my "temporary" address and the UK address as my "permanent" one. Not had any problems with HSBC so far. They seem quite happy with this arrangement.

[elliottm]

"I'm not sure in what situation anyone would be better off tax-wise by being considered as UK resident when they are actually non-resident, but it can be done".

I'm a non-tax payer & have no overseas income, so it remains more straight forward for me as a UK tax resident to maintain tax free UK savings accounts (it is possible to clain tax free savings while living overseas but it introduces additional layer for application).

[KittenKong]

"I'm not sure in what situation anyone would be better off tax-wise by being considered as UK resident when they are actually non-resident, but it can be done".

I'm a non-tax payer & have no overseas income, so it remains more straight forward for me as a UK tax resident to maintain tax free UK savings accounts (it is possible to clain tax free savings while living overseas but it introduces additional layer for application).

I can see that this is more convenient in your particular situation, but in theory remaining tax resident doesn't actually make you better off tax-wise. It does give you access to many more gross interest savings vehicles of course (form R85), though perhaps not in full legality if that includes contributing to ISAs.

Some people might be tempted to do this to keep their pension index-linked when they are actually living in Thailand (or elsewhere). At some point I expect that the NI will start correlating pensioners entering and leaving the country in order to clamp down on this. The information is already available to them.

[ggold]

I have lived in Thailand for a few years now, I don't have a UK based address and find no problems with this. I still pay UK tax, which is unavoidable if you have any sort of income derived in the UK.

I do not feel disadvantaged by not having a UK address. The only real advantage of having a UK based address is exactly for the reasons you stated are not your reasons for keeping a UK address! OK so I don't earn a lot of interest on savings in the UK (better rates here in Thailand) But if interest rates move up then maybe I will organise a UK address. Also when I am of pensionable age I will do this, unless the government change the system and increases the pension by the rate of inflation for Thai ex-pats. Having contributed for this I don't intend loosing out regardless of what the government policy is!

I should say that if you don't have a UK address tell the tax man especially if you still pay taxes. Or you will find your tax withheld at source. I'm not sure about virtual address's I think if it is anything like a PO box then maybe not such a good idea. Banks especially don't like PO Box address.

But ultimately once you stop paying UK taxes Why would you need a UK address? If you are getting a private pension and your state pension and it takes you over the tax threshold you would actually be better off being non resident, and move your private pension off shore.

I don't believe in giving the tax man any more than I have to.

[ggold]

"I'm not sure in what situation anyone would be better off tax-wise by being considered as UK resident when they are actually non-resident, but it can be done".

I'm a non-tax payer & have no overseas income, so it remains more straight forward for me as a UK tax resident to maintain tax free UK savings accounts (it is possible to clain tax free savings while living overseas but it introduces additional layer for application).

that's interesting, I tried opening a higher rate savings account with my UK bank (on-line) but can't because I don't have a UK based address. So what savings accounts can I open as a non resident and how would I claim a tax refund on those savings as an ex-pat?

All I know is if its earned in the UK it is taxed in the UK.

[Minpin]

Reading the two posters that replied that they had UK banks it appears they could be several years since they opened them.

I had a UK bank account until 4 years ago. They informed me that due to low activity and no salary going in (i used to just top it up from Thailand) they were closing it and cancelling my credit cards. I still have AMEX issued in UK everything address to me in Thailand.

[AbeSurd]

Depends on your reason for maintaining an address in the UK I guess.

Regarding using student accomodation or a relatives address unless you are on the electoral role at that address it is meaningless. Thats what officaldom in the UK are using now

Try a trival motoring offence with an address 20 years old on your licence and not registered to vote at that address. Even car hire companys have access to the database. Try getting a UK credit card on a virtual address. I did it was impossible. first thing they checked was if I was registered to vote at that address

Not having the correct address on your driving licence can cost you a £1000 fine.

Off topic little bit

Wife driving, Thai, I am only passenger. Plod asked me for ID with address and preferabley photo. Showed UK driving licence and he went to his car came back and said your not registered at that address. Explained I live in Thailand only here on holiday etc. Informed me that if I had been driving the licence could be classed as "false". Plods words not mine. Said I should be driving on my Thai licence with international driving permit if a visitor.

All this hassle for wife doing 79 in 70 mph area.

An enterprising car hire firm would not except my licence due to not being on the voters roll at that address. Never happened before. Accepted wife driving only. This is all in January this year.

Would like to hear how a poster opened a bank account

That's a very interesting story, thanks. So did your wife have an international driving permit in addition to her Thai driving licence?

The DVLA website says "If you’re moving abroad, you can’t register your new address on your British driving licence". If it's also the case that if I move abroad I can no longer drive in the UK using my UK licence it would sure be helpful if they said so here on the website ... but they don't!...

https://www.gov.uk/change-address-driving-licence

So when the policeman said you're not "registered" at that address, do the Brits reading this thread assume the policeman meant "you're not on the electoral roll at that address"?

[diggledunc]

Depends on your reason for maintaining an address in the UK I guess.

Regarding using student accomodation or a relatives address unless you are on the electoral role at that address it is meaningless. Thats what officaldom in the UK are using now

Try a trival motoring offence with an address 20 years old on your licence and not registered to vote at that address. Even car hire companys have access to the database. Try getting a UK credit card on a virtual address. I did it was impossible. first thing they checked was if I was registered to vote at that address

Not having the correct address on your driving licence can cost you a £1000 fine.

Off topic little bit

Wife driving, Thai, I am only passenger. Plod asked me for ID with address and preferabley photo. Showed UK driving licence and he went to his car came back and said your not registered at that address. Explained I live in Thailand only here on holiday etc. Informed me that if I had been driving the licence could be classed as "false". Plods words not mine. Said I should be driving on my Thai licence with international driving permit if a visitor.

All this hassle for wife doing 79 in 70 mph area.

An enterprising car hire firm would not except my licence due to not being on the voters roll at that address. Never happened before. Accepted wife driving only. This is all in January this year.

Would like to hear how a poster opened a bank account

Yes I am in the same position as you and knew no address in UK and my licence was no good. BUT I also found out it is no good in LOS either, obviously it is not valid but also only tourists can drive on their home national licence here.

I got a Thai licence and IDP from Mo Chit. Some companies rules make it I can't hire in UK even with my Thai licence. Which company did you hire from? Did your wife have to prove a Thai address.

[kingalfred]

All you leeches who just want you use the UK as a safety net no contributing anymore while you play around in Thailand will be found out.no health care ,no permanent address, the Uk will be on to you and I will help them

[phitsanulokjohn]

Although a bit younger,i do pretty much the same thing as you, though occasionally pop home to see my family and do a bit of work there cabbing.I always submit a yearly tax return(never nothing to pay) and that keeps me where i want to be in the UK system,and like you that suits me for the time being.

However, with regard to having a P.O box or equivalent as a permanent address, i'm not sure this will cut the mustard with the tax or banking authorities as sometimes they need to check you are on the electoral roll etc etc.Big Bro likes to know where you are.

I would suggest trying to find a friend or someone that's not on benefits,inform who you have to, and have all your correspondence sent there.

[Tim]

I have usedn MBE for about 10 years , had a problem last year when renewing my driving license there new software checks the internet, they sent back my cheque telephoned spoke to a very nice lady who explained there systems tips them off if it is a mailbox address. Spent a long time trying to find a mailbox company that address wasn't advertised on the internet failed and used a relatives address as advised to do by DVLC. But no problems beyond this.

[nglodnig]

They may TELL YOU they only do it for two years but I know someone who has been doing it for many many years - typical efficient post office, they don't check. His reason was he wanted to keep all his old credit cards but I told ALL my issuing companies I had moved and EVERY one just changed my address to the new one (in Europe not TH) - no problem at all. Sometimes the post room didn't recognise their letters were going international and I waited months for some to arrive - but in the main it works fine.

Alternatively you can simply redirect mail from any UK address to a post office box or international redirection.

The last time I enquired with Royal Mail they would only redirect mail for a maximum of two years. So unfortunately I think redirection is only a temporary solution.

[nglodnig]

However, I believe that most banks will not renew Debit or Credit cards unless you have a UK address and they will not send them overseas.

NatWest have been sending my debit and credit cards to overseas addresses for decades. These days I do get them to send everything to a UK address though as I expect to be moving about quite a lot over the next few years and remembering to update mailing addresses can be a pain.

Ditto barclays - I don't know about TH but Europe is fine - we're all Europeans now!

[KittenKong]

I still pay UK tax, which is unavoidable if you have any sort of income derived in the UK.

Not so. Income from shares, gilts and cash deposits can be entirely tax-free for non-residents. They can escape CGT also.

Salary, pensions, rental payments and such sorts of income are taxable in the UK even for non-residents, of course.

[bkk_mike]

Doesn't the Tax department pick up on the fact that you reside overseas?

Immigration and Tax Dept's not liked?

I'm an Aussie so don't know.

Our systems are linked.

Australians lose their tax allowances when they live abroad and have Australian income, so it pays the Australian government to check if you're living abroad.

Brits don't so the tax office gets no benefit out of checking for themselves. (Pensions might check once you reach pension age.)

As for UK income being taxed in the UK - it depends how the income is generated...

i.e. If it's rental income from property, you pay tax in the UK, but if you've got a company that's invoicing to another company for work you're doing outside the UK, you can invoice through an offshore company if you're not resident in the UK. You'd still end up paying the VAT usually, but could get your own money out untaxed.

[ableguy]

I use a family a relatives address simply to maintain my UK credit card which I pay on line, driving license and the odd bank statement well retired and Don't pay taxes.

[ableguy]

I still pay UK tax, which is unavoidable if you have any sort of income derived in the UK.

Not so. Income from shares, gilts and cash deposits can be entirely tax-free for non-residents. They can escape CGT also.

Salary, pensions, rental payments and such sorts of income are taxable in the UK even for non-residents, of course.

[ableguy]

Doesn't the Tax department pick up on the fact that you reside overseas?

Immigration and Tax Dept's not liked?

I'm an Aussie so don't know.

Our systems are linked.

I haven't heard of this happening in the UK - if you say you live in the UK.

The UK taxman is happy if you say you are resident in the UK because he gets to claim on your money. So even if the systems are linked, I imagine he ignores the fact that you look on the system as if you live overseas.

Now, if the opposite applied and I was claiming to be live overseas, things might be very different - and he might take a lot more interest in my movements.

taxman knows I live here, you can earn

9'800 pounds before you pay tax I am retired and no income from work But if you have UK pensions that amount to more than said amount tax will be 20per cent .

[ggold]

I use a family a relatives address simply to maintain my UK credit card which I pay on line, driving license and the odd bank statement well retired and Don't pay taxes.

My UK credit cards are with Thai addresses. I had no problems from the card companies, they send new cards before the old one expires to me here. I don't even have a direct debit set up for the cards.

[Postmaster]

Why has no one mentioned the good old UK Royal Mail Box Address offered by Royal Mail Letters, part of the Post Office service. They get the mail in the first place from the sender. It is far safer if they handle it throughout - no third party company for profit handling your mail -surely far better, less to lose surely handling by other parties ! It is reliable and is kept until its collected so long as the fee is paid annually www.royalmail.com One downside is that it has to be collected eventually and if a relative is collecting it why can their address not be used in the first place. However, with a financial sweetner, even relatives become interested particularly if you leave prepaid large postage-paid addressed envelopes to your address in Thailand. This would be my preferred method with an instruction to discard all mailshot and advertising material before they send it on to you.

Hope this has been helpful.

[Minpin]

Depends on your reason for maintaining an address in the UK I guess.

Regarding using student accomodation or a relatives address unless you are on the electoral role at that address it is meaningless. Thats what officaldom in the UK are using now

Try a trival motoring offence with an address 20 years old on your licence and not registered to vote at that address. Even car hire companys have access to the database. Try getting a UK credit card on a virtual address. I did it was impossible. first thing they checked was if I was registered to vote at that address

Not having the correct address on your driving licence can cost you a £1000 fine.

Off topic little bit

Wife driving, Thai, I am only passenger. Plod asked me for ID with address and preferabley photo. Showed UK driving licence and he went to his car came back and said your not registered at that address. Explained I live in Thailand only here on holiday etc. Informed me that if I had been driving the licence could be classed as "false". Plods words not mine. Said I should be driving on my Thai licence with international driving permit if a visitor.

All this hassle for wife doing 79 in 70 mph area.

An enterprising car hire firm would not except my licence due to not being on the voters roll at that address. Never happened before. Accepted wife driving only. This is all in January this year.

Would like to hear how a poster opened a bank account

That's a very interesting story, thanks. So did your wife have an international driving permit in addition to her Thai driving licence?

The DVLA website says "If you’re moving abroad, you can’t register your new address on your British driving licence". If it's also the case that if I move abroad I can no longer drive in the UK using my UK licence it would sure be helpful if they said so here on the website ... but they don't!...

https://www.gov.uk/change-address-driving-licence

So when the policeman said you're not "registered" at that address, do the Brits reading this thread assume the policeman meant "you're not on the electoral roll at that address"?

Yes wife has Thai IDP.

Thanks for that I will look into putting Thai address on UK licence.

Regarding policemans checking name and addess I assumed it was the electoral roll only because thats what the car hire company used. Maybe they use a different system. But he knew I did not live there.

Big Brother is alive and well and living in the UK

[Minpin]

From DVLA Swansea to change addess on UK photo licence

You’ll need to:

• have your driving licence (both parts if it’s a photocard licence)
• be a resident of Great Britain
• provide addresses of where you’ve lived for the last 3 years
• have a valid UK passport or other form of identity
• have your National Insurance number if known
• not be disqualified from driving

If you need to change your name at the same time, you’ll have to apply by post.

If you’re moving abroad, you can’t register your new address on your British driving licence. Contact the driving licence authority in your new country of residence.

[Minpin]

Yes I am in the same position as you and knew no address in UK and my licence was no good. BUT I also found out it is no good in LOS either, obviously it is not valid but also only tourists can drive on their home national licence here.

I got a Thai licence and IDP from Mo Chit. Some companies rules make it I can't hire in UK even with my Thai licence. Which company did you hire from? Did your wife have to prove a Thai address.

Sorry missed your post.

Its a long boring story. Every year I hire as number 1 driver, wife as number 2, as the wife does not drink so thats why she is on the rental agreement. It is a slight increase on the insurance 10 pounds a week I think.

This year as explained they would not accept me at all, even as second driver.

Even though everything was done on the internet we had to redo everything with all wifes details including using her credit card. Accepted IDP with licence plus all personel details. Probably checked address against credit card.

Now the hard bit. Car was rented via the internet on Alamo. The office at the airport is Alamo, European, National, Enterprise. Form we filled in was Enterprise.

[KittenKong]

This year as explained they would not accept me at all, even as second driver.

Even though everything was done on the internet we had to redo everything with all wifes details including using her credit card. Accepted IDP with licence plus all personel details. Probably checked address against credit card.

Now the hard bit. Car was rented via the internet on Alamo. The office at the airport is Alamo, European, National, Enterprise. Form we filled in was Enterprise.

These are all just marketing sections of the same company. I also rent with them every year at LHR. They accept my Thai driving licence without an IDP or any address check, and they also accept my European driving licence without an IDP or any address check. Address checks would not be possible for the foreign licences anyway as the CC I used is billed to a UK address.

Previously they have also accepted my UK licence but this year when I presented all three they picked the Thai one. I got the impression that the UK one would have been accepted if I had no alternative to offer.

[diggledunc]

Yes I am in the same position as you and knew no address in UK and my licence was no good. BUT I also found out it is no good in LOS either, obviously it is not valid but also only tourists can drive on their home national licence here.

I got a Thai licence and IDP from Mo Chit. Some companies rules make it I can't hire in UK even with my Thai licence. Which company did you hire from? Did your wife have to prove a Thai address.

Sorry missed your post.

Its a long boring story. Every year I hire as number 1 driver, wife as number 2, as the wife does not drink so thats why she is on the rental agreement. It is a slight increase on the insurance 10 pounds a week I think.

This year as explained they would not accept me at all, even as second driver.

Even though everything was done on the internet we had to redo everything with all wifes details including using her credit card. Accepted IDP with licence plus all personel details. Probably checked address against credit card.

Now the hard bit. Car was rented via the internet on Alamo. The office at the airport is Alamo, European, National, Enterprise. Form we filled in was Enterprise.

Thanks for reply. Interestingly I emailed 8 companies re Thai licence and Enterprise even after a check follow up email said they wouldn't accept it. I would prefer Enterprise as I used to use them and always had good service especially delivery and pick up. I will not now cross them off my list.

[Thormaturge]

Ye gods there is some awful tax advice on here.

Nobody can choose to be resident or non-resident, these are decided on the facts. In order to clarify the previously confusing situation HMRC introduced a Statutory residence Test on 6th April, 2013 which lays down rules to determine whether or not you are UK resident.

Yes and no. Whilst the rules may determine whether you are actually resident or not, until you invoke the rules by informing HMRC that you are no longer resident you will always be considered as resident and HMRC will not object. So that choice is indeed yours.

I'm not sure in what situation anyone would be better off tax-wise by being considered as UK resident when they are actually non-resident, but it can be done.

Absolute RUBBISH

Your residency is a matter of fact whether you inform HMRC or not. For example, if a person remains outside the UK for a complete tax year and does not enter the UK at all they are non-resident. There is no legal mechanism to claim otherwise and if that person tries to obtain a tax advantage by claiming otherwise then they are defrauding HMRC. The legislation is Schedule 45 of the Finance Act 2013:

http://npl.ly.gov.tw/pdf/8369.pdf

Here is a cut and past from that schedule:

"This Part of this Schedule sets out the rules for determining for the purposes of relevant tax whether individuals are resident or not resident in the UK."

Further down Schedule 45:

"The basic rule

3 An individual (“P”) is resident in the UK for a tax year (“year X”) if—

(a) the automatic residence test is met for that year, or

( the sufficient ties test is met for that year.

4 If neither of those tests is met for that year, P is not resident in the UK for that

year."

....nothing about "invoking" the rules. They are the law and apply whether you tell HMRC or not. If, after applying these rules, you have a UK tax liability then under Schedule 7, Taxes Management Act 1970 you have a legal obligation to notify HMRC.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1970/9/section/7/enacted