Try ing a financial advisor, many will help where they operate the at their ed address.

Do you have family or friends that can help with this?

Worth checking if HSBC can do an for you too. Not sure but they have banks in both countries So just an idea of the top of my head on that one.

 

Sorry to hear your story carl01, not good.
Can your bank that closed the send the funds to your local here?
I opened an investment in Australia 6 years ago and had it up and running in a week and all done online from the Philippines,,,,,, thing is though I used my nephews address in Oz and simply requested all correspondence be done electronically, no problems.

Not sure the UK laws but an in country address is normally required, as Newfie suggested ask a relative or friend. Hope you sort this out carl, good luck.

Cheers, Steve.

 

Nightmare to say the least but think you will struggle without a UK address. HSBC as already mentioned worth trying.

Also try Wise.

 

Thanks for the replies. HSBC have an expat but it's not available in Phils. As for my UK bank (Nationwide), they say it can only be paid to a UK in my name, which I don't have.

 

I would recommend talking to a Financial institution. a good one will be able to set up an for you but will most likely charge a fee and a yearly maintenance one.

if you have money to invest then that helps

 

Caught between a rock and a hard place carl, horrible situation for you and family.
Not sure if you receive a pension but if you do can that be directed to your PH. ?
You don't have any one in the UK that can offer their address to help you? Perhaps a mail forwarder?

Hope you can sort it out.

Cheers, Steve.

 

Could this have been avoided by splitting your time between the two countries ?

For example, each year 2 months in UK and 10 months in PH ?

Or is this simply that you have no valid UK address ?

 

you need a U.K. address

 

A friend had the same problem with Barclays, only option was to fly back the UK to sort it, I think even the online banks you need to open in the UK before you move here.

 

Thanks for the idea but even if I could afford such a trip, I have no payment card any more, so no way to book flights.

 

No need to try HSBC. HSBC Uk is totally separate to HSBC Expat... tried to open an last year with HSBC UK ( I have an apartment in UK for a few months a year ). They put up huge numbers of obstacles, even though Ibe been a HSBC Premier in other countries since 1995. Thankfully it forced me to open a Wise and Monzo and now thats totally trouble free. to open Wise Uk you need to provide a Uk address to where they send the card plus ID and face recog when opening the .But after that its really easy.

 

Thanks, could be useful - do I need to prove residence at that address though?

 

There are many bank s that can be used overseas, the only caveat is they need to be opened before you travel.

 

Good call Newfie, may help other expats prepare for what might come. I think the trick is to have a residential address in the country the s operate from. Also having at least 2 s with different banks in home country.
carl is in a terrible situation and hope that never happens to me or others.
The old saying? "It's my money Ralf" but like everywhere all are streamlining to save money it seems.

Cheers, Steve.

 

100% yes to maintain an address in the home country if possible BUT when I left the UK 20 years ago debanking was unheard of so we never gave a second thought to updating our address to the new overseas one. And, if you maintain the old address the new householder may well return any mail to sender leading to a new set of problems - or worse they may open the mail and get hold of your cards and PIN and hey presto... So, you'd need to use an address of a trusted person but how will you get proof of address when you don't live there? I could have done it using my father's address - same name etc but he ed away 2 years ago so I'd be facing the problem eventually. It's much easier said than done to maintain a fictional address.
For me, the only solution is to have an expat which exist for folk like us but nowadays they have hefty minimum balances. Even then, I note HSBC Expat now doesn't allow folk in the Philippines to open an - 2 weeks back they did.
Wise and the like are also viable options but probably best used as a 'middle-man' to accept transfers and then immediately forward them here, there or wherever. Not really a bank but does the job.

 

What we need is a thread that’s a sticky that can have banks that expats here and some details to help others. A rough guide to help.

 

But they do have a UK sort code available so I wonder if that would suffice?

How Wise differs from a UK bank

Is Wise a UK bank? Find out how it differs from a bank in this handy guide, along with the pros, cons and features of Wise s.

wise.com

its not a bank sadly.

Provided UK banking details are available to him through Wise (with Phil address / details), perhaps still worth asking his former bank?

 

he can ask but as it’s not a regulated U.K. bank they will probably say no. these banks are a pain to deal with.

if it’s pension money he can get free advice from pension wise who may help

 

I think all this depends on the bank/s and the countries laws/legislation. The main thing is a residential address even if you don't live there.
The only mail I get to my nephews house is my debit cards every 4/5 years and my sister simply gives me the numbers and I activate them online and never need the card as all we use them for is booking flights or hotels and all online.
We have local PH debit cards for business here.
I do feel for carl as the difficult road is ahead.

Good luck mate.

Cheers, Steve.

 

Thanks for the replies. HSBC have an expat but it's not available in Phils

It doesn't need to be an expat .

You can open an HSBC Premier in the Philippines, or your home country. Then link them. Whatever hoops they put you through is 100% worth it.

 

Looked at that, seems to be either income 100k or savings 100k

 

I have a Euro with Wise and that is a legit with a Belgium based number. I do deposits and debits with no problems. It's worth a try to sign up with Wise and add then a UK currency because even though Wise is not a bank but they do partner with local banks to maintain your .

 

Looks like there is no way for me to open a UK at all.
So plan B - how easy is it to open an here? I'm waiting for my 13A to be confirmed, so is there any kind of online I could open in the meantime?

 

Initially, I went the 'Wise' online bank route too...using my son's address in the UK. I also opened a Monzo using similar personal details, but never used it.
Later my Wise was changed to Philippines-based...enabling me to use a debit card here. I still have the Wise , but have also opened a BDO here (after having processed my 13A).

Wise is recognised as a bank by the UK government Pension Service (into which they'll pay the pension for expats), so should be good enough for other UK banks to transfer money to. If you don't have an ATM/Debit card for the online bank, you can use their remittance service to send money to you from the ...once it has funds in it.

 

I'd go along to a Philippines bank, we use PNB, and see if they will open a t , if no just use your wife's and convert to a t later on. You can have your state pension paid directly into a Philippines , it my have to be in your name only.

 

I just tried to open a Wise and it went suspiciously smoothly - I've got to the part where you are asked to pay in EUR 20 to get an number + IBAN. After that there is a 'confirm your identity' step, where it will probably go tits up. Has anyone else done this with Wise? What ID do they ask for?

 

"To your identity for a Wise , you'll need to provide a valid, unexpired photo ID such as a port, national ID card, or driver's license, along with a selfie of yourself holding that ID".

 

Sounds like a scam to me carl, walk away. It doesn't cost to open a bank .
No address in the UK is your difficulty so if your pension can be paid into a Philippines bank then go that way.
I opened a bank here 14 years ago with BDO (took the 4th branch to succeed) and all I needed was my port, ACR1 card and an electricity bill in my name and I even took in the paperwork for a 12 month lease on the condo, 2 port pics and had all their requirements with me, 3 times rejected and the 4th time asked to speak to the manager and success.
6/7 years ago tried to move my Manila to where were live and was rejected, had to reapply as all branches are franchised.
Ask your pension provider if you can have your payments sent to a Philippines bank.

Good luck.

Cheers, Steve.

 

Most banks require an opening deposit to open an , surely? I know the s I opened here did. It's not a fee to open the , it's an initial deposit.
I was able to open s here with zero problems BUT I a have a 13a - I reckon it's not so easy without this or another permanent-type visa. Regardless, I think the immediate problem is being able to get his hands on his funds being retained by the UK bank who require a UK bank to transfer the funds to.
But, I agree with your last point - getting any future payments (pensions) paid into a Philippines' bank is the way forward.

 

Agree HK with deposit for many s and from my experiences comes once the is opened to make it operational,,,,,, not online before an can be opened, been there many times both Australia as well as here in PH.
As said it sounds like a scam to me.
Visitor visa holders can open a bank as long as you have the required documentation, though difficult for me in Manila was no problem here in the province with the correct requirements.

Thing for carl is whether his pension fund/s will pay to an overseas bank. I haven't lived in Oz for over 6 years and simply use my nephews address as my residence and never been a problem. For carl with no UK address seems to be the problem. 6 years ago I opened an investment with a bank in Oz while living here in PH. using my port, drivers license and my nephews residential address in Victoria even though my drivers license was from Queensland, 2 states away.
I'm about to renew my port while in PH and simply use the nephews residential address, sure I have to visit the consulate 6 hours away with all my paperwork but saves me a flight back to Australia and and a 4 to 6 week wait while they process the application and I can return to PH.

There are ways to open bank s in your home country but requires a residential address,,,,,,, even if you don't live there.

As said good luck carl.

Cheers, Steve.

 

An initial deposit to open an v an initial deposit to make it operational seems like same thing - either way you need to make the initial deposit or the is useless. I don't think Wise is a scam based on others' experiences.
You're right that those not on a permanent visa can open an but they need to jump through more hoops, including proof of address.
Perhaps OZ banks are less stringent, but any UK bank will need proof of address and if it's not your name on that POA then you're going to have a problem, likely a fatal one (unless you're lucky enough to be able to use a relative's address who shares the same name as you). Let's not forget, Carl is in this position because his UK bank didn't want his business and that's the attitude of many UK banks so he's really up against it opening an there from here - that also explains why so many banks who do are asking for very significant deposits to keep the open - 50k, 75k and even 100k. I'll also throw in the fact that rewind 4 or 5 years ago and none of this was a problem but fast forward to today and it's a different matter.
Agree with the sentiment - hope Carl can resolve this. Wise probably his best option to get his money held by Nationwide and then get an here ASAP to get pensions paid into if possible. Wise may also be an option for that if all else fails.

 

Just to clarify, I still have 10 years until pension day - so near yet so far. In the meantime I work online, the only option here.
I don't think Wise is a scam. It requires an initial deposit of €20, paid from an e-wallet (like Gcash or Paymaya) in my name. Must be worth a try as Nationwide are now saying they will transfer to any in my name, even if it's abroad.
In the longer term, I will try for Security Bank as soon as I get the 13A as my wife holds an there. If the 13A is denied, though, I really am screwed.

 

It re Must be worth a try as Nationwide are now saying they will transfer to any in my name, even if it's abroad.

A win in itself.

 

I recall a few years back I tried to set up a Revolut ( another banking app like wise and Monzo ) and had my daughter in UK go buy a sim and she was able to give me the PIN that was sent.
I then decided not to to go through with Revolut for a totally dfferent reason but, easy enough, if you have someone in UK to get a temporary SIm in UK. Go to any Indian corner store.
No need to ID like here.
Theres also now a lot moew that can be done with GCash these days.. read last week that can send money from HSBC Expat to Gcash

 

Yes Newfie, P 10K balance for a foreigner or t but PH.nationals are a P 2K holding balance.

Living here and from memory carl is working online can easily get his funds paid to a PH. bank , I could only suggest to make sure you follow all the local tax laws, as for the funds locked up in the UK? Who knows given what has been said and seems like no friends there to help out in his situation, as said a rock and a hard place.

Cheers, Steve.

 

Defo need to sort out s in the Philippines ASAP. My other half set one up as soon as I asked her too as it’s so easy to move money over there while I’m in the transitional position.
What I did notice is BDO payments in are instant, BPI took serval hours.
Also BPI had a max limit and were a pain if say you moved 3mil to buy a property, they required lots of info where BDO is happy to accept any amount and easier to deal with. Something to bear in mind if looking to buy a property.

today the exchange rate is pretty good.

 

LOL Newfie as I've never dealt with another bank but if I shift money from Oz to PH. it takes a day or 2 and we know because I get a call from the bank,,,,, "sir did you know that a million pesos was sent to your "? "yes mam I sent that here",,,,,,, then the questions start,,,,,, "What's it for and where did it come from",,,,,,,, after 6/7 years it get's lame, suppose they are simply looking at money laundering or worst case sticky noses.
Yes Oz from one bank to another is instantaneous.
Not game to look at the exchange rate.

Cheers, Steve.

 

This actually is also done by Wise (had it multiple times when I transferred >10k$ to my EU . It seems common bank practice. Sometimes by mail, sometime by phone.
I have at this moment still a working bank in China and the US without residence (but with local address at a friends place). You just need a local mail address (my Dutch ING worked like that for almost 20 years). Most banks charge extra for a foreign owner (which is besides money laundering arguments) a good reason for them to chase you.