Sterling bank a/c for UK national NOT resident

[Paul Drawmer]

Can anyone recommend a bank account for holding UK sterling where the holder holds a UK passport, but isn't resident in UK please?

Pref. one that doesn't overcharge for using sterling/euros/TKL/US$

[egomeister]

Not strictly a bank account but could they use Wise/Revlout in their own country to hold the GBP balance?

[Paul Drawmer]

Thanks for that, I'm sending my son the details - might work for him.

[Mezger]

Paul Drawmer said:

Thanks for that, I'm sending my son the details - might work for him.

I'm an expat, kept our UK account, bank has our overseas address.

[Paul Drawmer]

My son who has lived in Istanbul for 10 years, somehow didn't keep in touch with his bank, so his old account is frozen pending etc. He can recover it, but they won't let him start a new account without residency proof.

[Michael_B]

I left the UK to Switzerland in 1999, and have retained a Barclays current account, mostly for sterling cash withdrawals when visiting England, relatives to put in birthday money for the children and direct debits for a few insurance policies. Over the years they have proved to be utterly incompetent, and unable to execute the simplest of tasks, e.g. sending an original statement to my home address, as required by a UK pensions company for cashing in a policy, despite contact by phone, letter, Facebook, Twitter, etc., stating that it was a "security" matter. I still get a new debit card at the same address every few years, but a paper statement was a step too far.

I tried to open accounts with First Direct and HSBC, the only high street UK banks willing to entertain a non-resident at the time. But both of these attempts foundered after HSBC's customer service in Bangalore were incapable of confirming receipt of notarised copies of my passport (cost me £80 plus the registered post), and after numerous phone calls I just gave up in utter frustration. First Direct finally refused to accept my Swiss address (a house I have owned for over 20 years) as confirmed, and also refused to open an account based at my French residence (owned since 2013), because I am not tax-resident there.

I still have the Barclays account for one DD of £6/month for an endowment policy that Mrs B refuses to cash in. In the end I opened a sterling account with UBS in Geneva two years ago, which despite costing £100/year, is great value compared to the shower of st that is the UK banking sector for anyone who dares not to live in the UK.

So all I can say, is "bon courage!"

Edited by Michael_B on Friday 14th April 20:03