speedy1

First, my apology for asking about banking, as it has been asked a lot before. I did extensive search in this forum and got useful info but re banking does not apply to me.

I am from Egypt living in Doha. As many said in this forum, SH#T happen and it can happen fast. I don’t want to be screwed. What I am looking for is a secure bank where I can deposit money and have access to it from anywhere outside the country in case I have to exit overnight (this happened to many people in Kuwait, Iraq, Yemen and Libya).

Any advice is highly appreciated. Note that I am not US or EU citizen.

Thanks
Saber

mentalist

Please explain to the British community why an Egyptian might need to exit overnight, unless of course he was a criminal.

EastWest

In 1991 thousands of Palestinian and Jordanians forced to flee Kuwait.

OleJanx

That's because they backed the wrong side.

Pulaski

Union National Bank has a branch in Doha but is headquartered in Abu Dhabi.

Standard Chartered Bank has a branch in Doha and branches in many countries in the Middle East and Asia, but is headquartered in London.

If you need something even bigger try HSBC headquartered on London, or Citibank headquartered in New York; both have a branch in Doha.

EastWest

Actually the vast majority of those expelled are innocent people and have nothing to do with politics. It was their leaders who supported the wrong side of the game. This is very common in Arab world.

A colleague used to work in Yemen with one of UN organizations. He told me a few years back they were suddenly evacuated overnight by UN due to violence that erupted there. They had no chance even to pack their bags.

OleJanx

Not being able to pack a bag seems more a sign of the UN's inccompetence. I too have worked with people who worked for the UN. For the most part they were underwelmed,

primularossa

Maybe you can just periodically transfer your saving to a bank account of yours out of Qatar and leave in the Qatar bank the minimum necessary for your needs. If your bank account abroad gives you a VISA credit card or similar, you might use this money also from Qatar in case you need it for any emergency.

speedy1

In case any political tension between Egypt and any other country happen, I and all Egyptian will be kicked away

speedy1

Thanks

If I open up an account with HSBC in Doha, can I have access to my money from out of Qatar anyway?

Pulaski

You should check with HSBC, but as a global bank with branches in many countries and with on-line access I believe you should have access to your account where ever there is an HSBC branch or you have an internet connection. If you have a debit card you should also be able to use that anywhere around the world that accepts debit cards.

You should ask about the fees and charges for access and transfers outside of Qatar.

primularossa

That's a good question, as I have heard that if you leave Qatar quitting residence you have to transfer all the money before quitting the residence.
So it depends why do you leave and if your residence is still active at the moment you leave.

In normal conditions we have used the Qatari credit card out of qatar, for normal expenses: hotel, hire of a car, shops.

I would check with the bank HSBC before opening the account, and have what they say written on paper. Again, we have chosen not to keep our savings here and keep on our Qatari bank account what we need for the living only.

Bad Leg

I believe that with most Qatari banks you can transfer 100,000 QAR a day electronically from anywhere in the world. And it will take the bank a few days or so to know whether your RP has been cancelled. Only real problem with having a Qatari bank account abroad is that you need to maintain a Qatari phone number because they send you a text message with your secret PIN number to complete an online transfer. Without this you are screwed.

speedy1

I contacted HSBC bank in Doha. After a long story with customer services the result is I can open up account with them as long as I am a resident in Qatar. If I leave Qatar then my account will go.

Any suggestion?

primularossa

What do you mean with "will go"? and what with "leave Qatar"? Does it mean that they will cancel the account at the very first moment you exit the country, and will keep the money? or that they will cancel the account - and keep the money - as soon as your residence permit expires?

did you talk to them about the case that you fear, i.e to be forced to leave the country all in a sudden?