# Redirection of UK mail?



## DawnColin (Jul 12, 2018)

Morning all,

Hubby and I will be moving to Javea in November (house sale process permitting) :fingerscrossed:and are trying to get our heads round changing address and redirecting our UK mail, so any advice would be appreciated please .

We won't be buying a property until we have moved out to Javea so will either stay with friends temporarily close by or rent for a short period (or a combination of both) while we look for a place. 

That being the case should we just redirect our UK mail to a friend or family member in the UK and get them to send it on to us? This will give us 3 months to get sorted and we will update all our UK records to a new permanent Spanish address at that time. However, this would effectively leave us registered at our outgoing UK address which we will not own? Or are there other more practical and simpler options?

I am sure it is pretty simple but for some reason we are struggling to get it straight in our minds 

Thanks in advance.


----------



## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

DawnColin said:


> Morning all,
> 
> Hubby and I will be moving to Javea in November (house sale process permitting) :fingerscrossed:and are trying to get our heads round changing address and redirecting our UK mail, so any advice would be appreciated please .
> 
> ...


You can always redirect your post via Royal Mail, simply pop into your local Post Office in the UK
and fill in the Royal Mail redirection form.
Always worked for me when I moved house in the UK and there might even be an option to
redirect it abroad, to an address outside the UK although there's likely to be a higher
charge for such an option.


----------



## DawnColin (Jul 12, 2018)

Thank you, that was what I was proposing to do as an interim measure and to either forward to another UK address (friend or family) or if permitted a temporary Spanish address or Spanish postal box. 

I was interested to know if anyone else had done this and if there was any downside/issue to leaving us registered at our old address for that period of time and if there was any another option that would work.


----------



## davexf (Jan 26, 2009)

Hola 

Back in 2003, a two year redirect of Royal Mail cost me about a pound a week and was well worth it. I suggest you redirect to a mail box owned by one of the mail box companies in the area. There is a charge to have a post box in a mail box company but it gives a peace of mind. 

Davexf


----------



## DawnColin (Jul 12, 2018)

It has certainly increased in price! I checked this morning and for 3 months to an address in the EU is £144.99 per person! It must be one of the only things that would get cheaper after BREXIT as its only £120.99 for non EU?


----------



## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

DawnColin said:


> Thank you, that was what I was proposing to do as an interim measure and to either forward to another UK address (friend or family) or if permitted a temporary Spanish address or Spanish postal box.
> 
> I was interested to know if anyone else had done this and if there was any downside/issue to leaving us registered at our old address for that period of time and if there was any another option that would work.


Frankly I have redirected my post after moving house a couple of times and see
no downside in doing this; as it tends to be better than being beholden on the
new owner of your old house, to forward it onto your new address himself.

Which in most cases tends to be if the new owner can be bothered to do this
and of course I doubt that any new owner would dip into his own pocket to 
forward your mail to Spain.

If there's any downside to the Royal Mail redirection service its, that it only
lasts a year although you can renew it for another year but in such instances
2 years is the maximum time it's allowed.

I suggest you pop down the Post Office for any other questions you have on the
Royal Mail redirection service, as I've found the Post Office counters staff most
knowledgeable on such subjects.


----------



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Is it really necessary in these days of electronic communication? We just informed everyone we wanted to hear from of our new address, and assumed the rest would be junk mail.


----------



## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

Alcalaina said:


> Is it really necessary in these days of electronic communication? We just informed everyone we wanted to hear from of our new address, and assumed the rest would be junk mail.


Of course that will be the cheapest option to inform all your friends, relatives, banks and other organisations of your new
address in good time.
Also there's nothing to stop you having your friends ( or relatives ? ) address in Spain as your new address, so long
as they forward such post onto you in good time, while your temporarily renting and before you settle down
in a permanent address in Spain.
Using the C/O care of.


----------



## DawnColin (Jul 12, 2018)

Good point, slightly off topic does anyone know if you can retain a UK bank account (|Barclays in our case) attached to a Spanish address?


----------



## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

DawnColin said:


> Good point, slightly off topic does anyone know if you can retain a UK bank account (|Barclays in our case) attached to a Spanish address?


Not sure about Barclays specifically, but I certainly kept both my UK current and savings accounts with First Direct and my UK credit card from another provider, and they are both happy to send statements and other correspondence to my Spanish address.

It's important to keep at least your UK current account if you can, as once you are no longer resident in the UK it can be difficult to open another one if you need to. My largest pension provider, for instance, will only make payments into a UK account and so will my SIPP provider


----------



## DawnColin (Jul 12, 2018)

Thank you, that would certainly be our intention and preference and if Barclays do not want to assist us then we would look to move our money to a provider that can support that. Hubby has a pension that is paid in so it would be much easier.


----------



## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

DawnColin said:


> It has certainly increased in price! I checked this morning and for 3 months to an address in the EU is £144.99 per person! It must be one of the only things that would get cheaper after BREXIT as its only £120.99 for non EU?




that's whats known as - for rich people only prices....


----------



## DawnColin (Jul 12, 2018)

I actually got the price wrong. It is per 'last name' so as we are married it will only be £144.99 not double that - bargain!!!


----------



## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

DawnColin said:


> I actually got the price wrong. It is per 'last name' so as we are married it will only be £144.99 not double that - bargain!!!


haha treat yourself, for cost of a very good phone you can get uk post for a year


----------



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

DawnColin said:


> Good point, slightly off topic does anyone know if you can retain a UK bank account (|Barclays in our case) attached to a Spanish address?


Yes you can, but once you've moved here you can't open a new UK account with a Spanish address.

Since UK accounts are usually commission-free, best not to close any UK accounts.


----------



## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

Alcalaina said:


> Yes you can, but once you've moved here you can't open a new UK account with a Spanish address.
> 
> Since UK accounts are usually commission-free, best not to close any UK accounts.


sorry newbie here, do Spanish banks all charge a fee? how much is it?

Uk seems nice and kind doesn't it...free banks and free healthcare, until remember the weather awful and roads clogged...


----------



## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

andyviola said:


> sorry newbie here, do Spanish banks all charge a fee? how much is it?
> 
> Uk seems nice and kind doesn't it...free banks and free healthcare, until remember the weather awful and roads clogged...


They charge fees (quite high ones) for non-resident accounts. Once you are legally resident you can change the account to a resident one, and practically all the banks have accounts which are free of charges if you have a salary or pension (or sometimes just a minimum monthly amount transferred in) paid in to the account. I have a Sabadell Expansion account which has no charges as long as €700 per month is paid in. Their credit card only remains free if a certain level of spending is met, so I don't have one, just a debit card which is free, and continue to use my UK credit card when I need to.


----------



## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

Lynn R said:


> They charge fees (quite high ones) for non-resident accounts. Once you are legally resident you can change the account to a resident one, and practically all the banks have accounts which are free of charges if you have a salary or pension (or sometimes just a minimum monthly amount transferred in) paid in to the account. I have a Sabadell Expansion account which has no charges as long as €700 per month is paid in. Their credit card only remains free if a certain level of spending is met, so I don't have one, just a debit card which is free, and continue to use my UK credit card when I need to.


mmm so its not looking good for early retirees relying on (hopefully quite large) savings and small private pension? though guess can drip feed "income" from savings to get to 700...


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Alcalaina said:


> Yes you can, but once you've moved here you can't open a new UK account with a Spanish address.
> 
> Since UK accounts are usually commission-free, best not to close any UK accounts.


You can open a non-resident account in the UK now I believe - the EU made them do it.

Whether that will still be possible after Brexit is anyone's guess.


----------



## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

andyviola said:


> mmm so its not looking good for early retirees relying on (hopefully quite large) savings and small private pension? though guess can drip feed "income" from savings to get to 700...


I've heard it said that some people pay in €700, draw it out again then pay the same €700 in again the following month. Not sure I could be bothered myself, but apparently it's possible.


----------



## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

Lynn R said:


> I've heard it said that some people pay in €700, draw it out again then pay the same €700 in again the following month. Not sure I could be bothered myself, but apparently it's possible.


I am beginning for feel the terror of panic at the complicated-ness of Spain 

then again I wont be doing owt all day.....


----------



## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

andyviola said:


> I am beginning for feel the terror of panic at the complicated-ness of Spain
> 
> then again I wont be doing owt all day.....


Well for goodness sake, make sure you pay your household bills by direct debit. If you have to pay them at the bank they have very restricted hours when you are allowed to pay them (something like 8.30 to 10.30 am on certain days of the week only) - although some banks do now have in-branch machines where you can pay without queueing at the desk. Queues in bank branches to do anything are horrendous and I try to visit mine as little as possible (I used to bank with Banco Popular and they were even worse). If you don't use direct debits you will definitely not find yourself doing nowt all day!

Some people steer clear of direct debits as they fear money being taken out of their accounts in error, but one good thing about Spanish banks is that if this happens (and it's happened to me just once in nearly 12 years) provided you notify your bank within 10 working days they will credit the money back to you without you having to get into any disputes with the supplier.


----------



## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

andyviola said:


> sorry newbie here, do Spanish banks all charge a fee? how much is it?
> 
> Uk seems nice and kind doesn't it...free banks and free healthcare, until remember the weather awful and roads clogged...


Look at Spanish online accounts - not accounts that have a web portal but accounts that do NOT have branches. (Santander OpenBank for example). A;; such accounts seem to be completely free for both residents and non-residents.

Be aware that a non-resident account requires a nonresident certificate every 2 years. You can either do it yourself or the bank can do it for you at a price.


----------



## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

snikpoh said:


> Look at Spanish online accounts - not accounts that have a web portal but accounts that do NOT have branches. (Santander OpenBank for example). A;; such accounts seem to be completely free for both residents and non-residents.
> 
> Be aware that a non-resident account requires a nonresident certificate every 2 years. You can either do it yourself or the bank can do it for you at a price.


One thing that would put me off using a bank without branches is possibly not being able to access services like signing and putting their official stamp on the forms which my husband and I get sent practically every year from pension providers, in order to prove we are still alive. Our branch of Banco Sabadell does this free of charge, whereas getting a local notary or worse still, a lawyer to do it incurred a charge.


----------



## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

Lynn R said:


> Well for goodness sake, make sure you pay your household bills by direct debit. If you have to pay them at the bank they have very restricted hours when you are allowed to pay them (something like 8.30 to 10.30 am on certain days of the week only) - although some banks do now have in-branch machines where you can pay without queueing at the desk. Queues in bank branches to do anything are horrendous and I try to visit mine as little as possible (I used to bank with Banco Popular and they were even worse). If you don't use direct debits you will definitely not find yourself doing nowt all day!
> 
> Some people steer clear of direct debits as they fear money being taken out of their accounts in error, but one good thing about Spanish banks is that if this happens (and it's happened to me just once in nearly 12 years) provided you notify your bank within 10 working days they will credit the money back to you without you having to get into any disputes with the supplier.


ah yes thanks! I do everything online if I can ...even my current uk gas company does it all online  I have visited a branch in UK about once a year lol


----------



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

andyviola said:


> I am beginning for feel the terror of panic at the complicated-ness of Spain
> 
> then again I wont be doing owt all day.....


You've no idea how accurate that is ...

It sometimes takes me half an hour to post a letter, if there's a queue in the post office (which doesn't sell stamps). I look on it as a language-learning activity, listening to people's conversations. I've even waited behind older people who can't read or write who bring in their correspondence so the person behind the counter can read it to them. 

It takes as long as it takes, which sums up Spanish bureaucracy in a nutshell.


----------



## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

DawnColin said:


> Good point, slightly off topic does anyone know if you can retain a UK bank account (|Barclays in our case) attached to a Spanish address?


Best you ask Barclay's themselves, as I only know the state of play with 3 British Banks,
namely HSBC, who have absolutely no problems with you retaining your UK
current account ( inc Debit & Credit cards ) when you move to Spain.
Particularly as it dovetails nicely with their adverts of purveying an international
banking presence with those customers who regard the world as their oyster.
Nationwide's another one where you can merrily use your Nationwide accounts
while living abroad and you can carry on using their Debit and Credit cards 
as well.

I know for sure that Barclaycard have no issues with your new home address in
Spain.

The other extreme is Halifax Bank or HBOS where at the slightest whiff of you
moving permanently abroad; will close your Halifax current account and 
refer you to their parent company; Lloyds Banking Group to see whether 
they can provide you with an alternative Lloyds Bank current account to
use ( while you still count as a permanent resident in the UK - but will
tolerate a non UK home address come the day you move abroad )

Obviously it's good if not dead essential, to keep a fully functioning British
bank account, in order to receive your company pensions and the British
state pension in later life, also retaining British bank accounts are useful for
those people and organisations who insist on sending you a British bank
cheque, rather than doing you a favour in Spain and paying via a bank
transfer.
It's a trip to the UK to cash the cheque but ho hum !!


----------



## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

Alcalaina said:


> You've no idea how accurate that is ...
> 
> It sometimes takes me half an hour to post a letter, if there's a queue in the post office (which doesn't sell stamps). I look on it as a language-learning activity, listening to people's conversations. I've even waited behind older people who can't read or write who bring in their correspondence so the person behind the counter can read it to them.
> 
> It takes as long as it takes, which sums up Spanish bureaucracy in a nutshell.


:amen: I heard that the most popular word is mañana

PS so concept of a post-box has, well, "missed" Spain?


----------



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Williams2 said:


> The other extreme is Halifax Bank or HBOS where at the slightest whiff of you
> moving permanently abroad; will close your Halifax current account and
> refer you to their parent company; Lloyds Banking Group to see whether
> they can provide you with an alternative Lloyds Bank current account to
> ...


Not so. I still have my Halifax account; my occupational pension is paid into it. Never had any problem changing to the Spanish address, and they continue to send my cards here. I even opened an online savings account a couple of years ago.

I also have a Lloyds account, no payments in our out, just used as a back-up. Again no problem.


----------



## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

andyviola said:


> :amen: I heard that the most popular word is mañana
> 
> PS so concept of a post-box has, well, "missed" Spain?


Not at all, we have post boxes (they are yellow here). And if you want to buy a stamp without queuing at the post office, you can do it at any tobacconist's shop (estanco)- but nowhere else (supermarkets, for instances, don't sell them, nor do they sell common medicines like paracetamol or ibuprofen, you need a farmacia for those, nor cigarettes - back to the estanco for those). At the one we use the lady weighs the envelopes and even sticks the stamps on for us.


----------



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

andyviola said:


> :amen: I heard that the most popular word is mañana
> 
> PS so concept of a post-box has, well, "missed" Spain?


We have postboxes, but the only place you can get a stamp, in our town at least, is the tobacconist (estanco). So you have to weigh the package at home and try and buy the equivalent value of stamps. 

It's not so much a case of "mañana", but the whole concept of time is different in southern Europe. There has even been academic research on it! 
https://www.communicaid.com/cross-c...ectively-across-cultures-perceptions-of-time/
Spain is sequential (they do one thing at a time), UK is synchronic (they multi-task). Takes some getting used to, but you have to understand it if you want to avoid getting frustrated and impatient.


----------



## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

Alcalaina said:


> Not so. I still have my Halifax account; my occupational pension is paid into it. Never had any problem changing to the Spanish address, and they continue to send my cards here. I even opened an online savings account a couple of years ago.
> 
> I also have a Lloyds account, no payments in our out, just used as a back-up. Again no problem.



Well that's what I was told by their Manager at the Halifax branch in Tamworth, Staffordshire in April - that
they will not accept a non UK address, although she did say she would relent on the issue, if I could
provide a UK address ( as a go between ) even knowing that I have a permanent address in Spain !!


----------



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Williams2 said:


> Well that's what I was told by their Manager at the Halifax branch in Tamworth, Staffordshire in April - that
> they will not accept a non UK address, although she did say she would relent on the issue, if I could
> provide a UK address ( as a go between ) even knowing that I have a permanent address in Spain !!


I didn't even have to provide a UK address. That was ten years ago though, maybe their policy has changed.


----------



## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

Lynn R said:


> Not at all, we have post boxes (they are yellow here). And if you want to buy a stamp without queuing at the post office, you can do it at any tobacconist's shop (estanco)- but nowhere else (supermarkets, for instances, don't sell them, nor do they sell common medicines like paracetamol or ibuprofen, you need a farmacia for those, nor cigarettes - back to the estanco for those). At the one we use the lady weighs the envelopes and even sticks the stamps on for us.


phew! fingers crossed Catalonia don't want to be "different" from outside with respect to stamps too


----------



## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

Alcalaina said:


> I didn't even have to provide a UK address. That was ten years ago though, maybe their policy has changed.


Yes policies can change, I know that as a Kingfisher Pensioner, I've been entitled to
the B&Q Staff discount card and received it last year in Spain ( no problem )

Then some 'jobs worth' within the B&Q heirarchy said that anyone living abroad will
not get a B&Q Staff discount card anymore, as from the 1st January this year.
But hang on a minute, I still have a house in the UK and of course it's handy for
me to avail myself of the B&Q Staff Discount card for doing those necessary renovations
or improvements to the house in the UK.

The answer to my problem was to provide them with a UK address ( my property in the UK )
suffice to say my B&Q Staff discount card was soon restored.

Finally there had been talk of including Brico Depot in Spain on the B&Q Pensioner Staff
discount card list ( being part of the UK Kingfisher Group ) but I suppose the chances of
that happening might be scuppered thanks to Brexit !!


----------



## DawnColin (Jul 12, 2018)

Williams2 said:


> Best you ask Barclay's themselves, as I only know the state of play with 3 British Banks,
> namely HSBC, who have absolutely no problems with you retaining your UK
> current account ( inc Debit & Credit cards ) when you move to Spain.
> Particularly as it dovetails nicely with their adverts of purveying an international
> ...


Thank you, I have now checked with Barclays and they will allow you to change your address to a Spanish one and retain your accounts, which is a relief . Hubby has a small personal pension paid into it and as you say its pretty essential for future (long way off luckily :clap2 state pensions. That's one more question answered of the 35 on my 'Moving to Spain Q&A spreadsheet'


----------



## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

DawnColin said:


> That's one more question answered of the 35 on my 'Moving to Spain Q&A spreadsheet'


35 Dawn? You're a born optimist :clap2::clap2:


----------



## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

DawnColin said:


> Thank you, I have now checked with Barclays and they will allow you to change your address to a Spanish one and retain your accounts, which is a relief . Hubby has a small personal pension paid into it and as you say its pretty essential for future (long way off luckily :clap2 state pensions. That's one more question answered of the 35 on my 'Moving to Spain Q&A spreadsheet'


What a result !! if I were you, I would try to retain as many of your UK bank accounts and debit & credit cards
as possible.

Even though your pensions maybe some way off, there's still those people and organisations who
insist on paying you by cheque. :rant:

Plus the fact you can always use them rather than your Spanish bank account and cards when
visiting friends and family in the UK.


----------



## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

Williams2 said:


> W
> Even though your pensions maybe some way off, there's still those people and organisations who
> insist on paying you by cheque. :rant:.


 dont be so hard on 98 year old grandma paying a birthday present


----------



## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Williams2 said:


> Well that's what I was told by their Manager at the Halifax branch in Tamworth, Staffordshire in April - that
> they will not accept a non UK address, although she did say she would relent on the issue, if I could
> provide a UK address ( as a go between ) even knowing that I have a permanent address in Spain !!


I have always had a UK Halifax account and they regularly send statements etc. to me here in Spain. I don't have a UK address. I suspect the person you spoke to was mistaken.

I also have other accounts - Barclays, Barclaycard, Nationwide etc. all are OK with me living in Spain


----------



## DawnColin (Jul 12, 2018)

andyviola said:


> 35 Dawn? You're a born optimist :clap2::clap2:


Well I just counted up again and its up to 50 now!! :juggle::cheer2: but happily I have lots of boxes filled in and am feeling optimistic and just very slightly organised.


----------



## andyviola (Aug 11, 2018)

DawnColin said:


> Well I just counted up again and its up to 50 now!! :juggle::cheer2: but happily I have lots of boxes filled in and am feeling optimistic and just very slightly organised.


nice pom poms


----------



## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

snikpoh said:


> I have always had a UK Halifax account and they regularly send statements etc. to me here in Spain. I don't have a UK address. I suspect the person you spoke to was mistaken.
> 
> I also have other accounts - Barclays, Barclaycard, Nationwide etc. all are OK with me living in Spain


As I said before - this was what I was told at Halifax's Tamworth branch and by a manager to boot,
as I was taking care of my elderly mothers affairs this year.

Whether its a new rule or the main motivation behind it is cost cutting, as seemed to be the
case with my discount card, I cannot say.
As I've never banked with the Halifax.


----------

