Hi,can we open a bank account in oz before we validate our visas,anyone recommend best banks to open accounts with and can it be done online if still in UK,THANKS in advance for any advice,cheers Dave&Claire

I'd recommend ANZ. I've got an Access Advantage account - $5 a month for unlimited free transactions. I opened mine from the UK too. Go to http://www.anz.com/aus/ind/everyday/banking.asp, pick your account and click on Open an Account. Somewhere down the track you have the option of Open in Oz or Open from Overseas .....

The HSBC is a popular choice too.
You'll need to call the International Branch (02 07991 7278) in London to get all the forms. See ABCDiamond's post in this thread...

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=348457

I was looking at Westpac to open an account... you can do it online - but have to go to a branch to finish the paperwork within 30 days of opening the account...

www.westpac.com.au

good luck
Sonic x

Thanks all,how easy is it to transfer money over to account,is there extra charges for that,I have family there could they open an account for me? Cheers Claire

I used HSBC, very helpful and very good on-line account. no charge for EFPOS, no charge for cash withdrawl. Had no problems with them at all.

Hope this helps

Will

We used HSBC to tx our money first time. They did charge about £25 i think. It was HSBC to HSBC but that doesn't make any difference, as they are seperate entities.
I've also used tranzfers, who are good and cheap (£7 charge per transaction), also look at HiFx. It probably depends on how much money and who gives the best rate if it's a big sum.

HIFX aren't interested in transactions less than GBP 5000.

If you want a high street bank then I would probably recommend ANZ. Otherwise ING Direct or Citbank. It is no major drama to open an account when you are out here rather than try to do it from the UK.

Thanks,do you know if my sister in oz can open it for me,cheers Dave

I would think she would have trouble opening any type of account for you. You need to provide identity to open an account which is points based, if you are a new arrival the amount of points required is reduced. I have opened various accounts since arriving 18 months ago and all were up and running the same day. It is fairly painless.

Cheers,I want to transfer money so we have it when we arrive,I assume I can put it in her account then open our own,are Anz good for all types of accounts,Thanks Dave

I would also recommend ANZ (as earlier poster), we have opened up 3 accounts with them, one for me, one for the missus and a joint account for bils etc. All done online and had notification back of account numbers etc
Easy peasy

I could deposit money into my ANZ account before I had shown up at the branch with ID.

If you are transferring a large sum of sterling over compare rates between UK and Aussie banks before hand. You will often get a keener rate over here (in Aus), but it will be you that needs to do the leg work. Often worth it though (I work in Intl banking) had a customer who gained an extra $8000 by comparing rates between Aussie bank and Barclays. Transferred over in GBP and converted once here - some banks will also allow you to open a GBP account and you can then watch the rates as the A$ is rather strong at the moment.

Good Luck