HSBC in UK don't like me living in Thailand?

[Baerboxer]

2 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

Ditto on all the above.

I've been with HSBC since they were still called the Midland Bank. Still have a UK address, but the main one is here, and they know that.

 

Me too. I still have the same current account that I originally opened in 1977!

[KittenKong]

2 hours ago, clive dunstan said:

Clydesdale/Yorkshire bank do not require you to live in uk to open account according to their account opening requirements

 

That's completely correct.

[maxcorrigan]

4 hours ago, GuiseppeD said:

It's so easy to get a credit card by applying online.  As long as you have a reasonable credit rating it's no problem and a UK address to have it sent to, of course.

 

You could apply for a Halifax Clarity Card [no charges on foreign purchases and the excellent Mastercard exchange rate] and obviously don't have to be a Halifax customer and have it sent over in the mail by a relative if push come to shove.

 

Just an idea.

 

 

Halifax Bank will not send any cards to Thailand, apparently they have an embargo on LOS, when i suggested someone receiving my card and sending it on to me in Thailand they informed me that when i tried to activate it from Thailand, by phone it would be blocked, my clarity card i had to let run out and my debit card i had to renew when i was last in the UK,

Nationwide on the other hand had no such problem sent the renewed debit card by post activated from here in Thailand up and running!

[nasanews]

I don't like HSBC banks, some kind of Chinese British banking version.

 

Why would they ask for proof of a residence !!

Edited June 7, 2017 by nasanews
ADDED

[peleid]

Before I moved to Thailand I opened a new Bank account with HSBC, I explained to them that I was moving to Thailand, but wanted my pension paid into my UK Bank, also my income from a rented property, they could not have been and still are more than helpful

[bazza73]

12 hours ago, BEVUP said:

I'm just shocked , My origin is Aus & having to deal with Visa cards

I may have to join that bank as i was trying to get a credit card sent to me on the other side of Auss after ringing them for the third time to verify that the address was what they seen on their screen BUT to no evail 

That was a Visa card & after they had sent 3 cards all left unactivated not even a reply from them so much for fraud

So now i have a credit account only online because i had to join another bank due to the fact they also stuffed up my savings account that was on the same card after they told me it will be ok it's only your credit account that was compromised 

Typical Auss complete idiots 

 

For some reason, you have to maintain a residential address in Australia. Simple enough for me, I just use my son's.

One of the less intelligent features of Australian banking is sending an SMS to one's mobile for some transactions, for verification purposes. Hello. I've told you I'm in Thailand. Australian SMS's don't come to Thai SIM cards. What part of the word Thailand don't you understand?

[GuiseppeD]

55 minutes ago, maxcorrigan said:

Halifax Bank will not send any cards to Thailand, apparently they have an embargo on LOS, when i suggested someone receiving my card and sending it on to me in Thailand they informed me that when i tried to activate it from Thailand, by phone it would be blocked, my clarity card i had to let run out and my debit card i had to renew when i was last in the UK,

Nationwide on the other hand had no such problem sent the renewed debit card by post activated from here in Thailand up and running!

Come on.  Read my post rather skimming it.

 

In the first instance you're giving far too much information to Halifax.  Slow down and think about it.  Your 'trusted' relative receives the card and activates it for you then forwards it in the post to LOS.  

 

Why make things difficult?

 

Edited June 7, 2017 by GuiseppeD

[maxcorrigan]

1 minute ago, GuiseppeD said:

Come on.  Read my post rather skimming it.  

I did not skim your post, i was just merely adding my own true experience with the Halifax, whilst living in Thailand in other words adding some more info to your suggestion, which it seems you did not like!

[GuiseppeD]

4 minutes ago, maxcorrigan said:

I did not skim your post, i was just merely adding my own true experience with the Halifax, whilst living in Thailand in other words adding some more info to your suggestion, which it seems you did not like!

I'm trying to help you, max.  I don't really care otherwise.

 

It was all there in the original post.  Do not inform Halifax of your intentions and have the card sent to a UK address.  Try a VPN if that helps.  Jeez.

[maxcorrigan]

Just now, GuiseppeD said:

I'm trying to help you, max.  I don't really care otherwise.

 

It was all there in the original post.  Do not inform Halifax of your intentions and have the card sent to a UK address.  Try a VPN if that helps.  Jeez.

I am sorry you are getting exasperated jeez, the Halifax has no problem with you giving them your Thai address as regards living in Thailand, the problem occurs when you try to renew your expired cards here, if you use another address you are basically committing fraud!

The Nationwide is a far better bet as regards renewing cards, that is all i was trying to point out to you with your suggestion, I still get my pensions paid into the Halifax all correspondents sent here, if the opener has a UK address then no problem go along with your suggestion! 

[GuiseppeD]

1 minute ago, maxcorrigan said:

I am sorry you are getting exasperated jeez, the Halifax has no problem with you giving them your Thai address as regards living in Thailand, the problem occurs when you try to renew your expired cards here, if you use another address you are basically committing fraud!

The Nationwide is a far better bet as regards renewing cards, that is all i was trying to point out to you with your suggestion, I still get my pensions paid into the Halifax all correspondents sent here, if the opener has a UK address then no problem go along with your suggestion! 

No problem, max.  Maybe get more creative in your endeavours.  

 

Where there's a will there's a way.  Nothing defeats me and I'd have this lot wrapped round my finger.

[maxcorrigan]

1 minute ago, GuiseppeD said:

No problem, max.  Maybe get more creative in your endeavours.  

 

Where there's a will there's a way.  Nothing defeats me and I'd have this lot wrapped round my finger.

This is turning into a saga and we're not helping the opener one bit, since you want the last word there you go, you got it! Amen

[GuiseppeD]

6 minutes ago, maxcorrigan said:

This is turning into a saga and we're not helping the opener one bit, since you want the last word there you go, you got it! Amen

It's most definitely on topic, max.  If you haven't a clue then up to you.  

 

Others may find my posts most helpful.

[Moonlover]

I'm a Brit and have held a current account (that's a checking account if you're from across the pond) with the Nationwide for about 30 years. During that time I've lived in 3 different countries, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and now Thailand.

 

I have always kept them informed of my current whereabouts and have never had any issues whatsoever. There has never been any problems about sending me replacement debit or credit cards.

 

Personally I think that keeping your account(s) active, especially your credit card so that you create the much valued credit rating and keeping your bank informed of your current address, no matter where it is, is best way of avoiding any problems with your banker.

[CRUNCHER]

My own experience - I have been with HSBC UK for over 50 years, since they were the Midland Bank,  I have not lived in UK since 1975.  Since then they have had and used my overseas address where ever that happened to be.

Edited June 7, 2017 by CRUNCHER

[Jaggg88]

12 hours ago, elliss said:

    UK residential address, 

 payment of poll tax / community  tax ? , maybe worth  paying  it.   

   Big  Brother , has  IT toys , only a matter of time , before they close this  loop hole .

It isn't a loop hole to maintain a UK bank account even if you choose to travel the world. However, if you choose to be an ex pat tax exile then that could be a different matter. Now if a student is going on a back packing holiday for a year or more does he/she have to close their UK bank account? of course not. You do need to prove you're a UK resident to open a new account, which is now standard anti money laundering practise but if you're just staying or travelling around then that is no reason for them to close your bank account even if you don't currently have a UK address - as far as the bank is concerned you are just on an extended holiday. I asked my bank, First Direct (part of HSBC group), if it was a problem that I will be working in SE Asia for 3 years and would not be maintaining a home in the UK and they were perfectly happy for me to have a temporary address in Asia for correspondence. You might think you live in Thailand but you actually only have a temporary visa. 

[jojothai]

3 hours ago, maxcorrigan said:

Halifax Bank will not send any cards to Thailand, apparently they have an embargo on LOS, when i suggested someone receiving my card and sending it on to me in Thailand they informed me that when i tried to activate it from Thailand, by phone it would be blocked, my clarity card i had to let run out and my debit card i had to renew when i was last in the UK,

Nationwide on the other hand had no such problem sent the renewed debit card by post activated from here in Thailand up and running!

My comments below may not deal with the OPs original post but may be informative in relation to some of the posts I have seen.

 

I moved to Thailand in 1999 and fairly quickly changed my UK bank address to Thailand. However, over the years correspondence and cards frequently did not arrive. And I also had problems with other accounts/institutions in UK wanting evidence of a UK address. Some regularly request updates. Even more nowadays.

I bank with Natwest and they were very clear in telling me that Thailand is considered too risky for sending cards and they do not want to do so, but it was my risk  and I would not be able to claim against them if any problems occurred.

They advised me to change to a UK address if I could, or only get cards sent to a UK address that I could advise.to them.

Initially i gave them a sisters address , then I did change back to a UK address,  using family,

I don't recall that they made anything mandatory about  it.

 

Point is that you should not expect all banks to accept a Thai address for sending cards,

If they do send them, be aware that they may not arrive and it could be at your risk. Check with the bank.

Prudent to suggest that you get any cards sent to a UK address you can trust (if you have one!).

 

A second point is that It has benefited me very much to have the bank account / credit card using a UK address.

Having the UK bank address has made it far easier for me to confirm identity&address to many institutions in Uk and offshore for the  last 10 to 15 years as the money laundering excuse took over from common sense.

Most forms of evidence want ID as passport or driving license, AND proof of address. They tend to accept bank  correspondence / statements as evidence of address.

I cannot send my passport but it is relatively easy to send my Uk driving license. 

Then if I do so, i need another document as proof of UK address. If you are non resident and have no utility bills, it is likely that you have nothing to provide a UK address, unless you have  a bank account / credit card with a UK address.

To maintain your UK driving license current and renew, you must have a UK address. NB: The photocard has to be renewed every ten years max (validity of photo).

 

In my experience, it may be wise  to try hard to maintain a UK address as long as you can.

 

 

 

 

[VBF]

8 hours ago, ResandePohm said:

OP you are panicking over nothing. They need to know where you are because of the money laundering laws and whether they need to tax your bank interest

 

UK banks no longer withhold tax from interest payments. All interest has been paid Gross since the beginning of Tax Year 2016-2017

see point No 1 in this article http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/savings/2016/04/all-savings-now-to-be-paid-tax-free dated 6 Apr 2016 & Updated 19 Apr 2016

 

That applies whether you live in UK or not - the onus is on you to complete a tax return showing interest received.

Edited June 7, 2017 by VBF

[KittenKong]

4 hours ago, maxcorrigan said:

the Halifax has no problem with you giving them your Thai address as regards living in Thailand, the problem occurs when you try to renew your expired cards here, if you use another address you are basically committing fraud!

 

I wonder if it can really be described as fraud if no financial or other advantage is being gained by the deception? I doubt it.

 

Living in Thailand and declaring yourself to be UK resident in order to get automatic pension increases is clearly fraud. But lying about your address in order to get a card activated or deposit money with a bank would not appear to be doing anyone any harm at all. I'm honest and would not lie to increase my pension but if doing the latter is fraud then I do it all the time.

[KittenKong]

2 hours ago, VBF said:

That applies whether you live in UK or not - the onus is on you to complete a tax return showing interest received.

 

True, but all UK banks do also forward details of all interest paid to HMRC.

[VBF]

5 minutes ago, KittenKong said:

 

I wonder if it can really be described as fraud if no financial or other advantage is being gained by the deception? I doubt it.

 

Living in Thailand and declaring yourself to be UK resident in order to get automatic pension increases is clearly fraud. But lying about your address in order to get a card activated or deposit money with a bank would not appear to be doing anyone any harm at all. I'm honest and would not lie to increase my pension but if doing the latter is fraud then I do it all the time.

According to this,  http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/35/pdfs/ukpga_20060035_en.pdf  there are lots of different ways of committing fraud, but it is only fraud if the perpetrator intends
(i) to make a gain for himself or another, or
(ii) to cause loss to another or to expose another to a risk of loss.
 

That seems to be the constant throughout the document, So KK you appear to be correct in both your assertions. 

[Bangkok Barry]

22 hours ago, vogie said:

Sure, why not, I bank with the HSBC in the UK, they have all my details of my address in Thailand etc. All credit cards get sent to my Thai address, bank statements would be sent here too, but I prefer to get electronic mail.

Same with me with HSBC. Barclays told me a couple of years ago they would stop my Visa card. As I have my HSBC atm/debit card that didn't bother me too much. Some time after their deadline for me giving them a UK address, which I didn't, they sent me a letter about new rules so I contacted them and told them they had said my card would be cancelled. They knew nothing about and I still use it.

[jacko45k]

I have simply retained a UK address. I recently transferred it to my sister's place.

No issue whatsoever.

[keithcresswell]

I have an account with First Direct (part of HSBC) they know I live in Thailand and I have just received my renewed debit card in the post here.

[sandyf]

I also bank with HSBC and a couple of years ago got an email asking me to come to the branch and discuss the account. I said I was out of the country and they said to make an appointment when I returned to the UK which I did a few months later.

They wanted to query why I had changed my address to a commercial enterprise. I explained that I spent a great deal of time abroad and was using a mail forwarder to improve postal service when out of the country and generally they were quite happy with that.

There was a discussion over my circumstances and I said that I mainly lived in Thailand. They said that it was not bank policy to service accounts for people that were not habitually resident in the UK but it was at the bank's discretion and they would allow the account to continue. They asked for my address in Thailand and details of my Thai bank account. As far as cards were concerned they said that they would not be prepared to send them to Thailand or to the mail forwarder, I would have to have them sent to a UK residential address or collect at branch.

I should point out that I have my pension paid into the account and may have been an influencing factor in the decision.  I have been back to the branch a few times since without any problem

Good luck.

[mduras01]

On 6/7/2017 at 4:58 PM, possum1931 said:

Many expats spend some time every year in the UK, say six months, and six months here in Thailand, are any banks

going to care if you are logging in from Thailand for around half the year, or even  three months of the year in the UK?

Hard to say--I know the US KYC guidelines are ridiculous and cause troubles. My US bank closed my account because of it. I had to open a new account with an international bank.

[alfieconn]

On 6/7/2017 at 6:13 PM, Baerboxer said:

 

Correct sir. I do the same. You presumably complete a tax return each year and then pay any tax due? 

 

Regardless of where you live, you are still subject to tax arising from earnings in the UK - house rental, investment income etc. But you are also still entitled to the full personal allowance.

 

There are some discussions about more changes to the UK tax reporting system which will require quarterly returns as well as the annual one. Lovely!

 

 

 

Wasn't there talk in the UK some time ago about removing the Personal Allowance for ex pat's ?

Edited June 9, 2017 by alfieconn

[jojothai]

40 minutes ago, alfieconn said:

 

Wasn't there talk in the UK some time ago about removing the Personal Allowance for ex pat's ?

Yes there was not long ago, and I don't think that it is off the agenda.

Considering all the other changes that came in fairly quickly for taxing non-residents concerning property rental and capital gains,

it could be something that comes in quicker that any of us would like.

[The Dark Lord]

On 07/06/2017 at 6:08 PM, vogie said:

I pay my tax every year, so should have no concerns from the taxman. I have a house I rent out, so technically it is not my house for living in, please correct me if I'm wrong?

Me too but once the £ recovers I am out of the country for good. Too much prying and increasing dishonesty in my opinion and experience

[alfieconn]

3 hours ago, jojothai said:

Yes there was not long ago, and I don't think that it is off the agenda.

Considering all the other changes that came in fairly quickly for taxing non-residents concerning property rental and capital gains,

it could be something that comes in quicker that any of us would like.

Certainly not quicker than if Corbyn got in !