Keeping UK Bank Account- but no uk address

[mommysboy]

I am from the UK. We have to sell the family house (my mum owns it). Whilst living in Thailand I use it to as a banking address.  I thought it wasn't possible to keep a UK bank account if there is no UK address.  But having phoned Lloyds customer services I was advised that I can just register it at my Thai address ewhen the house sale goes through.

 

This sounded too good to be true.  So I clarified and the lady was quite adamant that it could be done. She said that while a UK address is needed to open an account, it is not necessary to maintain it.

 

Still sounds to good to be true, so I thought I would canvass opinion.

[robertthebruce]

 

My UK Bank, has never queried my address and I have been away for years....

 

online banking,......and I have always stipulated no correspondence...

 

woeks for me...

[vogie]

I bank with HSBC and don't have an UK address, they have no problem sending mail to my Thai address.

[mommysboy]

Reassuring. Sounds good. But I won't have a UK address at all.

[mommysboy]

45 minutes ago, robertthebruce said:

 

My UK Bank, has never queried my address and I have been away for years....

 

online banking,......and I have always stipulated no correspondence...

 

woeks for me...

That's great. And long may it work.  But in effect you are registered at the old address I guess.  That's not quite the same.

[Andrew Dwyer]

Interested to see how this works out for you, I've been out of the uk for 21 years and always used my fathers address for my NatWest account.

My Dad is 87 and not gonna live forever so I've been wondering what I should do when the inevitable happens ( god forbid).

My idea was just to change my address to my daughters but if I can use a Thai address even better .

 

[mommysboy]

I won't be doing it until the house sale goes through (we've had an offer).  Will report back.  But the advisor was quite clear.  I have just checked on google.  The 'know your customer' stipulation does not say anything about maintaining a UK address.  Some backs apply this criteria.  I think it also depends on how long you have had the account and what you are doing with it.  In my case it's 38 years and counting.

[SheungWan]

One option you may wish to try while you still have the UK address is to start up a UK post box from a private service. Just check with your bank that they are OK with this. Assuming they are, you can have any correspondence forwarded to you at your Thai address or pay for a scanning and forwarding service. It is one way to maintain a limited UK address.

[macahoom]

Not Lloyds, but this may give you a bit more confidence to believe what customer services have told you:

 

In 2015, I wrote to Nationwide and asked them if I would be able to retain my account and change my UK address to a Thailand one.
This is the reply I got:
"Yeah of course you can. If you could let us know your new address, I will be more than happy to get this changed for you.
While having a registered overseas address, you would not be able to open any new accounts, but you can still keep your current accounts with us."

 

Shortly after receiving this reply, I did an online change of address with no problems.
 

[meatboy]

we still had a property in the uk.when moveing perminantly to thailand.we sold the house,proceeds went into our uk.bank,as was my pensions,spoke with the bank regarding our acc.no problem at all,what they said its up to the bank,so if you have had a good relationship with them it will be fine.i still have banking on line as our pensions are paid into it.so i suppose its no different to thai banks as long as the account is used then you will be ok.

[regedit]

Shouldn't be a problem. Santander also allow you to change to oversea address once account is opened and will mail statements and replacement cards to Thailand.

[trd]

Same with my bank, Nationwide. You can have a foreign address, but you won't be able to invest in UK bonds, ISAS etc after changing to an overseas address.

[Oxx]

One slight inconvenience will be that the bank probably won't send any debit or credit cards to your Thai address.  You'll need to pick them up in person at a bank branch.

[CharlieH]

There are plenty of "expat services" that will give you a UK address and forward anything that you wish.

 

 

[scubascuba3]

27 minutes ago, trd said:

Same with my bank, Nationwide. You can have a foreign address, but you won't be able to invest in UK bonds, ISAS etc after changing to an overseas address.

How about existing ISAs?

[trd]

How about existing ISAs?

You can continue to benefit from existing UK derived investments such as ISA after changing to a foreign address, but you won't be able to top up after that.

 

[trd]

One slight inconvenience will be that the bank probably won't send any debit or credit cards to your Thai address.  You'll need to pick them up in person at a bank branch.

My bank does. I think most do if you have an overseas address.

[Moonlover]

1 hour ago, Oxx said:

One slight inconvenience will be that the bank probably won't send any debit or credit cards to your Thai address.  You'll need to pick them up in person at a bank branch.

They do, at least Nationwide do. I've just recently received my new credit card. What they do do, is block your account whilst the card is in transit as a security measure.

 

OP, I have had address' in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and now Thailand. It has never been an issue.

[topt]

2 hours ago, trd said:

My bank does. I think most do if you have an overseas address.

Lloyds definitely do not. I had a meeting with the manager of my local branch 3 years ago and no problem if I wanted to change the address but they will not send cards to Thailand - some countries yes but not Thailand.

[topt]

3 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

How about existing ISAs?

 

2 hours ago, trd said:

You can continue to benefit from existing UK derived investments such as ISA after changing to a foreign address, but you won't be able to top up after that.

 

It is not so much the address but whether you are tax resident in the UK - which I guess normally amounts to the same thing.

You can however continue to contribute to a SIPP for 5 years after becoming non resident and still get the tax relief on the contributions up to a maximum figure if you have no UK earnings - was pay 2,880 and topped up to 3,600 with the tax relief.

[mommysboy]

4 hours ago, Oxx said:

One slight inconvenience will be that the bank probably won't send any debit or credit cards to your Thai address.  You'll need to pick them up in person at a bank branch.

Yes. I had to go cardless for a few years until a recent visit to UK.

[mommysboy]

41 minutes ago, topt said:

Lloyds definitely do not. I had a meeting with the manager of my local branch 3 years ago and no problem if I wanted to change the address but they will not send cards to Thailand - some countries yes but not Thailand.

Yes I can confirm Lloyds will not send cards to Thailand.  To access money I set up online banking and make international payments to my Thai Bank Account.

 

I needed to add my Thai mobile number to profile which allowed me to confirm a code to set up payments. 

[rak sa_ngop]

With Natwest the debit card (Visa) and credit card (Mastercard) are actually issued by different companies.

With the debit card you can only send to a UK address. But with the credit card you have the choice of UK address or pick up at nominated UK branch.

Apart from that having a Thai address is not a problem.

[dabhand]

I have Lloyds Bank Credit cards (Duo Avios) - MC+Amex. The cards were sent to Thailand by courier direct from Lloyds (cost £7.81 charged to my c/c) as sending by mail was not an option.

 

I also have accounts with Nationwide UK / Barclays Jersey and cards (debit / credit) are sent by mail to Thailand. So no real problem with cards per my experience, unlike some posters.

 

All are updated with my Thai address but were opened when I had a UK address. The address change was no problem.

 

[crazyfalang]

I have a Barclays Account in UK and i gave them my Address in Thailand. Never had a problem with the Bank...

[Formaleins]

18 hours ago, mommysboy said:

I am from the UK. We have to sell the family house (my mum owns it). Whilst living in Thailand I use it to as a banking address.  I thought it wasn't possible to keep a UK bank account if there is no UK address.  But having phoned Lloyds customer services I was advised that I can just register it at my Thai address ewhen the house sale goes through.

 

This sounded too good to be true.  So I clarified and the lady was quite adamant that it could be done. She said that while a UK address is needed to open an account, it is not necessary to maintain it.

 

Still sounds to good to be true, so I thought I would canvass opinion.

As far as I know "Legally" you need to be resident or normally resident to hold a UK bank account, however, HSBC couldn't care less!

 

They phoned me a couple of years ago and took all my Thai details as primary address etc. but still keep my mothers UK address on file - I guess it covers their greedy asses in regards to the law. They don't care as long as they get your cash, bunch of crooks anyway the lot of them.

[crazyfalang]

I have no UK address but i still do online banking for the past 4 years. who cares where you live it's your money they are being paid to look after.. 

[trd]

As far as I know "Legally" you need to be resident or normally resident to hold a UK bank account, however, HSBC couldn't care less!
 
They phoned me a couple of years ago and took all my Thai details as primary address etc. but still keep my mothers UK address on file - I guess it covers their greedy asses in regards to the law. They don't care as long as they get your cash, bunch of crooks anyway the lot of them.

You have to be a UK resident initially to open a UK account but you don't have to give it up if you subsequently move overseas.

[Tocher]

17 hours ago, mommysboy said:

I won't be doing it until the house sale goes through (we've had an offer).  Will report back.  But the advisor was quite clear.  I have just checked on google.  The 'know your customer' stipulation does not say anything about maintaining a UK address.  Some backs apply this criteria.  I think it also depends on how long you have had the account and what you are doing with it.  In my case it's 38 years and counting.

 

The 'know your customer' regulation may come back to bite you in the future.

 

I am still with the RBS and have had no problem with having a Thai address until two years ago when they threatened to close my accounts with them,  despite the fact that they paid my RBS pension in to one of them.

 

I eventually satisfied their requirement by providing paper copies of my Thai credit card statement showing my Thai address and they called off the dogs.

 

As another poster pointed out they will not send credit/debit cards here.

 

If you have any official bill showing your Thai address that should get them off your back in the future.

17 hours ago, mommysboy said:

I won't be doing it until the house sale goes through (we've had an offer).  Will report back.  But the advisor was quite clear.  I have just checked on google.  The 'know your customer' stipulation does not say anything about maintaining a UK address.  Some backs apply this criteria.  I think it also depends on how long you have had the account and what you are doing with it.  In my case it's 38 years and counting.

 

[mommysboy]

4 minutes ago, Formaleins said:

As far as I know "Legally" you need to be resident or normally resident to hold a UK bank account, however, HSBC couldn't care less!

 

They phoned me a couple of years ago and took all my Thai details as primary address etc. but still keep my mothers UK address on file - I guess it covers their greedy asses in regards to the law. They don't care as long as they get your cash, bunch of crooks anyway the lot of them.

That's what I thought.  Yet it appears that while you have to be resident to open a UK bank account, there is no such requirement once it is open. That's not to say individual banks won't make it a requirement.