# UK Bank



## deefitz (Apr 19, 2014)

Can anyone shed any light on how they maintain a UK bank account?

We're moving over in September and will open a Spanish bank account as soon as possible. Our UK accounts will hold our savings and receive our monthly pensions and we will arrange to transfer money to Spain as required.

But, technically, how do you maintain a UK bank account without a UK address? We have sold our UK house so we don't have a permanent UK address any longer.

We mentioned it to one of the managers at the bank who was somewhat vague and suggested we give them a "correspondence address". Two days later we received a form from the bank asking us to declare which countries we are tax resident in. As we haven't even left the UK yet we declared the UK only and sent it back to them!

So the question is, if you have no UK address, how do you (can you?) legally keep a UK account?


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

My U.K. banks are quite happy to accommodate me with my Canary Island address.


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## deefitz (Apr 19, 2014)

Thank you. We're just going to have to contact them when we move next month and tell them where we are at that time. How they respond is beyond our control really.

I just hope they don't expect us to close the accounts, withdraw everything and move it to Spain as we could return to the UK if things don't work out there.


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

deefitz said:


> Can anyone shed any light on how they maintain a UK bank account?
> 
> We're moving over in September and will open a Spanish bank account as soon as possible. Our UK accounts will hold our savings and receive our monthly pensions and we will arrange to transfer money to Spain as required.
> 
> ...


We have lived in Spain for over seven years and still have the Nationwide account that we operated in the UK for many years before our move. We do all our banking online but our statements and correspondence are sent by the bank to our Spanish address. We do nearly all of our purchasing in Spain using our Nationwide Visa credit card which makes no foreign transaction charges and gives an excellent exchange rate. We used to be able to withdraw cash free of charge from Spanish bank machines using our Nationwide debit card but this is now expensive so we avoid using it. We transfer cash from the UK to our Spanish bank through Transferwise, paying with our Nationwide debit card. Excellent exchange rate and fast.


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## deefitz (Apr 19, 2014)

So a UK bank is happy to send out new debit cards when they reach expiry dates?

I assume any UK _credit_ cards will certainly not be replaced (I have one with my bank).


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

deefitz said:


> So a UK bank is happy to send out new debit cards when they reach expiry dates?
> 
> I assume any UK _credit_ cards will certainly not be replaced (I have one with my bank).


I kept my Tesco credit card when I left the UK ten years ago. My billing address for this card is in Spain. I get new cards sent as needed.
When I left the UK I closed my accounts and opened offshore euro and sterling accounts. My UK income is paid into the sterling account. I have debit and credit cards for each account. I don't have a UK address.
I also have a Spanish bank account but only keep as much needed to cover utility bills. There have been tales of people having sums taken from their Spanish accounts for fines they never incurred.


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

deefitz said:


> So a UK bank is happy to send out new debit cards when they reach expiry dates?
> 
> I assume any UK _credit_ cards will certainly not be replaced (I have one with my bank).


Nationwide is totally happy about customers living in Spain and replacing debit and credit cards is not a problem. We also kept a UK Barclays account for a couple of years when we first moved here and they also were happy with the fact that we had only a Spanish address and also renewed credit and debit cards. The only problem that I have heard about is trying to open a new UK bank account or obtain new credit cards AFTER you have left the UK.


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## deefitz (Apr 19, 2014)

mrypg9 said:


> I kept my Tesco credit card when I left the UK ten years ago. My billing address for this card is in Spain. I get new cards sent as needed.
> When I left the UK I closed my accounts and opened offshore euro and sterling accounts. My UK income is paid into the sterling account. I have debit and credit cards for each account. I don't have a UK address.
> I also have a Spanish bank account but only keep as much needed to cover utility bills. There have been tales of people having sums taken from their Spanish accounts for fines they never incurred.


Thank you. We will look into amending our billing address on the credit card and wait until it's due for renewal to see if a new card is issued.

Must admit to knowing nothing about "offshore euro and sterling accounts" and wouldn't have the foggiest about where to begin looking into the prospect!

We had heard horror stories and intended to keeping the Spanish account as low as possible at all times.


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

The Skipper said:


> Nationwide is totally happy about customers living in Spain and replacing debit and credit cards is not a problem. We also kept a UK Barclays account for a couple of years when we first moved here and they also were happy with the fact that we had only a Spanish address and also renewed credit and debit cards. The only problem that I have heard about is trying to open a new UK bank account or obtain new credit cards AFTER you have left the UK.


Nationwide and Barclays are not, however, happy to pay savings interest gross for when you declare it on your tax return. 
New debit cards are sent to Spain with no problem


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

extranjero said:


> Nationwide and Barclays are not, however, happy to pay savings interest gross for when you declare it on your tax return.
> New debit cards are sent to Spain with no problem


Yes, that is right. I wrote to both Nationwide and Barclays and asked them to stop deducting tax as I am a fiscal resident of Spain and they both replied with almost identical letters saying that I would need to open international accounts if I wanted interest paid gross. Couldn´t be bothered for the sake of a fiver a year!


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## DunWorkin (Sep 2, 2010)

We have lived in Spain for 11 years and have no address in the UK. 

We have kept our Lloyds account together with debit cards and credit cards using our Spanish address. We do all our banking online.

At one point I tried to open another UK account but was unable to. I was told by all the major banks that you can keep an existing account but cannot open a new one.


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## deefitz (Apr 19, 2014)

DunWorkin said:


> We have lived in Spain for 11 years and have no address in the UK.
> 
> We have kept our Lloyds account together with debit cards and credit cards using our Spanish address. We do all our banking online.
> 
> *At one point I tried to open another UK account but was unable to. I was told by all the major banks that you can keep an existing account but cannot open a new one.*


That's the plain English, no nonsense answer I was hoping to see here. Thank you.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

I have kept my First direct current and savings account, and they send all my correspondence and replacement debit cards to my Spanish address (I no longer have a UK one). They also pay interest gross (subject to supplying the right form from HMRC).

I also have a Tesco credit card who, likewise, send correspondence and replacement cards to Spain.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

deefitz said:


> That's the plain English, no nonsense answer I was hoping to see here. Thank you.


Hmmmm.

In your first post you asked how to maintain an existing account.

Had you asked about opening new accounts, then you may have got the answer sooner.


Some banks allow you to hold a UK account as a non-resident and some don't! 

Being with the right bank in the first place is the key.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

We've always kept Halifax UK account open because we have occupational pensions paid into it. There is no UK address attached - they send replacement cards and correspondence to us here in Spain.

I opened an online saver account with them and asked them not to tax the interest, because I would declare it in Spain. However they said they could not do that and I would have to apply to HRMC for a refund, using form R43. I sent it off in May and got an acknowledgement last week to say they were looking into it!

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...t-by-an-individual-not-resident-in-the-uk-r43


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

It took me a while to find a bank that would allow me to open a tax free account whilst being non-resident, but Clydesdale did allow me to open one, and they allowed me to declare status as non-resident and hence do not tax my interest.

Not sure if they still do this, but might be worth checking.


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## Simon22 (May 22, 2015)

deefitz said:


> Thank you. We're just going to have to contact them when we move next month and tell them where we are at that time. How they respond is beyond our control really.
> 
> I just hope they don't expect us to close the accounts, withdraw everything and move it to Spain as we could return to the UK if things don't work out there.


We have just changed address and phone numbers with ours and it required a real letter but that was all. Done now, and it was that simple.


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## deefitz (Apr 19, 2014)

snikpoh said:


> Hmmmm.
> 
> In your first post you asked how to maintain an existing account.
> 
> ...


Your answer seems to be searching for something to criticise in my posts. Not sure why because my first post very clearly says I was concerned about an existing account. You may recall I mentioned speaking to a rather vague and unhelpful manager and subsequently receiving a tax residency declaration form.

My concern/question was always how to maintain an account in the UK (I didn't ask how to open one) and I said I hoped I didn't have to close my accounts.

Simple when you read it properly - or as I meant anyway


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Not quite;



> DunWorkin said:
> 
> 
> > We have lived in Spain for 11 years and have no address in the UK.
> ...


You seem to be thanking @DunWorkin for telling you that you can't open an account in UK as a non-resident.

Never mind, you got the correct answer in the end


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## deefitz (Apr 19, 2014)

Ah yes I see what you mean. No, it was the second sentence, "you can keep an existing account" that I wanted to hear. Thank you for all the replies and help anyway


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