# Options to deposit and access funds from a UAE Manager’s Cheque by a non resident



## jamesq9 (3 mo ago)

Hello,

i am an ex-expat who used to live in and work in Dubai. I now live back home in Australia and need to access my funds in the UAE from my dormant bank account was closed several years ago. These funds were returned to the UAE Central Bank by the bank that I used to bank with. After visiting a bank branch in Abu Dhabi in person several weeks ago to claim my funds, after my identity was validated, I have been informed that a manager’s cheque is now waiting for me to collect however I no longer have a UAE bank account to deposit the cheque into (and I am now back in Australia).

When I enquired with the bank about opening a non-resident account to allow the funds to be deposited into it which would then allow me to electronically transfer my funds to an account in Australia with relative ease, I was told that this would be too complex and time consuming to set up. So now I am faced with the need to travel back to Abu Dhabi from Australia to physically colllect my manager’s cheque in person, bring the cheque with me to Australia, then deposited it into an Australian bank acing and wait an extended period of time (weeks/months) for the cheque to be physically presented and cleared across international borders, subject to fees and currency fluctuations during this period. I have been told that the reason for the need for me to physically collect the cheque is due to anti money laundering laws and policies.

What I want to know from the UAE expat community here in this forum is whether 1. I can set up a new non-resident bank account in my name in the UAE for the purpose of depositing this manager’s cheque and/or 2. Whether I can easily appoint a trusted person in Dubai or Abu Dhabi to be a Power of Attorney to collect the cheque on my behalf and either deposit it into a newly created back account that I arrange to be set up (remotely) or securely courier the cheque to me in Australia.

Any practical advice will be much appreciated! Thanks!

JamesQ


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## psychopomp1 (Aug 5, 2021)

You need to be a resident in UAE to open a bank account, no exceptions. I'm afraid your only option is to travel to UAE, collect the cheque and deposit it into your Australian bank account and then wait however long it takes for it to clear. That's assuming the value of the funds is more than the cost of travelling to UAE from Oz.

Why did you not collect the cheque on your last visit to the UAE?


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## jamesq9 (3 mo ago)

psychopomp1 said:


> You need to be a resident in UAE to open a bank account, no exceptions. I'm afraid your only option is to travel to UAE, collect the cheque and deposit it into your Australian bank account and then wait however long it takes for it to clear. That's assuming the value of the funds is more than the cost of travelling to UAE from Oz.
> 
> Why did you not collect the cheque on your last visit to the UAE?


Thanks very much for your response.

I understand that non-resident bank accounts are available, as described on some bank websites. I have contacted some of these bank to find out more information and am awaiting their responses.

There was a three week wait for the unclaimed funds to be released by the UAE Central Bank and the manager’s cheque to be issued. They did ask me to remain in UAE during this time but it was not possible due to my other travel plans.


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## psychopomp1 (Aug 5, 2021)

No worries. I stand corrected, according to this link it *might* be possible for you to open a non-resident bank account, but it seems you need to provide a uae entry stamp, ie you need to be in the country. And you need to keep a minimum of USD 100,000 balance. I'd be very surprised if they allowed people living remotely to open an account by just email/phone correspondence, otherwise every money launderer on this planet would be licking their lips. 









Opening a Bank Account in the UAE from Overseas


A practical guide on opening a bank account in the UAE from abroad. Discover everything you need to know.




uae-eu.com


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## UKMS (Jan 9, 2017)

As per my answer on Dubai thread ......

A non resident can open a bank account (savings account) here fairly easily, however my understanding is that you need to be here to open it.

My gut feeling is that you might struggle to get them to hand over a cheque to someone else, even if you set up a POA, bearing in mind you may struggle to get a POA setup if you are not here.

As you can probably already sense so much of this is dependent on you being here in which case you may as well collect the cheque in person, perhaps at the same time open a non res savings account to deposit it.

Look at it another way, if they made it easy for someone to collect your cheque and cash it without you knowing, you would be complaining about it 

Edit .... Im pretty sure you dont need $100k to have a savings account but do need to be here to open it (you need an entry stamp / visa). Brief research seems to suggest that Mashreq bank has a savings account for non residents, requires a 3000AED deposit to open and maintain 3000 balance.


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