MatureMan

Hello

If I sold my uk house, banked the proceeds of sale, and traveled for, say, 10 years, would I run into problems not having a residential address ????

anyone know ??

my thoughts are to travel to parts of asia and south america.

thanks for your time

bakedbean

Hi, where do you mean exactly? You mean you want to leave money in a bank in the UK? Obviously you'll need an address somewhere for the bank. A relative maybe? If travelling and not going back, would need internet banking I guess. You can always advise them of an address abroad if you stay anywhere for any length of time.

bakedbean

Just noticed you joined Dec 2006 and this is your first post Can't rush into these things I guess.

MatureMan

OK ... thanks for replying bakedbean ... banking I can sort out by opening an account to deposit the money into using my old address and then updating it as soon as possible where ever I am in the world, and, as you say, using internet banking and atms to get cash ... but what about the various customs I would need to pass thru ... ie, suppose I visited 5 countries in 2yrs using my old address on my passport, would some wise guy at the customs somewhere be saying hang on a minute, you haven't been back to uk in last 2 yrs - where exactly do you live ???? and refuse me entry cos I was of no fixed abode ... I dunno if maybe someone in britishexpats might have experience so thought Id ask . . . .

bakedbean

I'm not sure what you're getting at to be honest. There is no address in UK passports.

Every country you visit, you will need to make sure that you have the correct visa for that country. Some will be easy.... visa on arrival... eg Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand (assuming you have a UK passport) they will just let you in for whatever is the maximum length of time allowed. You will need to check for each country. Those countries that require you to fill in an arrival card (Singapore, Thailand) you will need to fill in the address of where you are staying. You can put a hotel address, doesn't have to be residential.

I think for Malaysia it is 3 months, visa on arrival, if flying in. Someone correct me if I am wrong. I have a 10 year retirement visa so not too sure.

Some countries eg Thailand have different allowances depending if you arrive by air or overland. Lots of research for you to do.

nonthaburi

of more concern to the immigration authorities would be where you are staying in the country you're entering , and if you have the necessary funds to stay there .

a lot of entry cards ask you for an address you will be at on the form. but any made up hotel will do a lot of the time or just the name of a city.

kimilseung

No you do not need an address. UK passports do not have an address. Occasionally you might be asked for an address for some official purpose, you can put down your last address or a relatives address, or make one up as it will not be checked (doing normal traveller stuff) If it is for a visa, you give your local address. If it is to enter a country, you make up the name of a hotel in the country, or give the hotel if you know where you are going.

I was in Asia for 7 years, (one year only was on a work visa, rest was tourist visas)
There are lots of people travelling for years at a time, not that usual, but not uncommon for customs and immigration.

Another thing that is occasionally asked is occupation. I just put down 'worker', none of the clerks really care what you put as long as something is put that is not clearly nonsense.

nonthaburi

and if you're from Wales don't put Welsh down as your nationality . One time crossing from Victoria Point Burma into Thailand I was held up for ages when a guy did just that and I had to explain to the immigration man that as far as passports went the guy was British .

mikelincs

I would also ensure that you can change the bank address simply using internet banking, some banks, Halifax for one, require a whole load of documents to change the address, including your passport, others you can just do it on line, HSBC comes to mind there.

nonthaburi

on the subject of banks it might be worth mentioning that if you aren't using an account the bank may shut it down . I'm with Barclays in the UK and when I was there in August I did some stuff with my account . The woman told me that every so often they do look at your account activity and if after so long inactive ( i.e. they're not making money off you ) , they may close it and send you a check for the balance . This was after I changed it from a paying account to a free account !!

Her advice was to put the ATM card in a machine once a month to show you're still alive . Don't know if all banks have this policy but worth knowing . I had never thought about it before .

bakedbean

I've got an HSBC account in UK with about tuppence ha'penny in it. Nothing moves and nothing goes in (until I get a pension ) but no sign of it being closed. Have Internet banking and it still shows up. Maybe HSBC isn't so picky.

Paracletus

Isn't it enough just to access your account via the internet to keep it active? Mind, never asked in the bank but would have thought it much the same as using your atm card.

Also, make sure that your bank has a decent internet bank..natwest is pretty useless I found, with very fw options beyond paying bills in the UK...if possible, international money transfer, though not sure how that is in the UK as I've never done it that way around.

bakedbean

Ah... maybe that's it

bakedbean

Hi and welcome to the forum . I see you've copied and pasted Nonthaburi's sentence from 11 months ago. Are you saying you did the same? Or.......?

MonsterP

My advice from learning the hard way (I wish someone had given me some tips at the time) are as follows:-

You have time to prepare, so things you really need to keep going are a UK bank account, and your driving license.

Bank Account - Never close this! Why? Once closed, you can't open another one until you become a UK resident again. Simply using an address is not enough as you'll need to prove your residence with utility bills in your name or other documents. Also, keeping an account open will give you great convenience and access to cash if you should need to go back to the UK for a visit during your long holiday! Plus, you can pay bills etc online.
Still today, the best and easiest online banking I've seen is Intelligent Finance (IF.com). Be aware that you will need a close relative in the UK to change your address to for your bank (don't tell them that you plan to be away), and also a UK mobile number as transactions are now being authorized by SMS one time passwords. If you set up accounts that you will believe you will be transferring to online in the future, this will save you a lot of time and hassle. If you have some regular transactions going on, maybe rental payments etc, into your account, this will avoid the risk of it being closed due to inactivity. Don't change your address with your bank to an overseas address, otherwise they will block your access to your online banking!

Driving License - The photo cards now have a 10 year validity. If you are a non-resident when your photo expires (like mine did), not only can you not renew it if you visit the UK, but also without the photo card being valid, your driving license as a whole will not allow you to drive. If caught by the boys in blue, the fine is £1000 and on top, your insurance will not be valid. This caught me out, I can no longer renew my license to use for UK visits and instead I have to use International Driving Permits, obtained in the country I am living in, which are not so easy to get.
Therefore change your address for your driving license to a UK relatives address before you go on your travels.

As mentioned above, your address is not kept in your passport, and presuming you are a British passport holder, that entitles you to return to the UK at any time you wish.

Enjoy your travels!