Hello everyone,

I need to pick your brains again please.
I've just been to my local branch of HSBC to ask about opening an account in OZ but have been told that as I'm not an existing customer this will be very difficult as other UK banks often wont agree to provide necesary paperwork.
Their advisor told me it's so easy to open an account in the first 6 weeks of arrival that we should do it then but I'm not too keen on the idea of arriving in Oz while the bulk of our money is still in UK.
Would be grateful for your comments on how you managed this or plan to do it.

Thanks,

Michaela

apply on line at www.hsbc.com.au
They'll email you links for forms to fill out to prove your ID.
Call into your local HSBC with the forms and your ID.
Send this away and they'll get back with your account details.
Deposit $2000 in the account to activate it. Cards will be sent to your address.

We used the following for ID: Passports, Driving Licenses and Marriage Certificate.

Really easy to do.

Most Australian banks have offices in London and you can easily open an account after providing the identification checks - usually a certified photocopy of a passport and a utility bill will suffice. I've had good service with the Commonwealth Bank but others have not. See my thread Commonwealth Bank, London whither? for further details.

Good luck

OzTennis

Thanks,

Can I still do this if I'm not a current customer in UK?
Guy on phone told me that I'd need to provide a letter of introduction from current UK bank signed by someone on their international panel! He said we could ask for this but prob. wouldn't get it ! Helpful!

Michaela

Hello again,

the guy you spoke to obviously doesn't know what he's on about.
I opened ours online and then you download the form for a signature and get the id check done at the local branch. You can speak to the International business centre and they are really helpful.

Got our ATM cards the other day.

Let me know if you want any more info/help

Claire

Thanks All,

Claire, It was a guy from the international business centre that I spoke to! Think I'll ignore that and try the online route though. I seem to get better advice on here than at any official source at the moment.
How long did it take to sort out from start to finish? We dont go till feb, not sure whether I'm timing things right?

Michaela

You don't need to get a letter of introduction from your bank. We're with the Halifax here and our local branch said Head office would have to provide the letter as they aren't permitted to use Halifax Headed note paper. We couldn't be bothered waiting so went with the ID detailed in my post above and this was enough. Things will be clearer once you get the 100 point ID check form HSBC provide.
Burnsy

Help

I have the forms and letter from my bank .. but local HSBC are hopeless..

Say the bank letter has to be from the international branch of my bank not just the branh office (it took 3 weeks to get a letter from the branch and I don't have much time left..)

Also I am struggling with the forms

I have 2 - one for an on-line account and one for a deposit account... the on-line accoutn one seems to need someone who has know you 12 months to authorise your signature

Also .. some of the questions related to job / address etc.. do I complete as now .. or when I get to Aus ?


I am thinking it will be easier to wait until we get there ..

However How do you get your money out of the UK once you've left ....

Do I get a bankers draft to meself to take with me ?

hi Michaela,

It took 4 weeks and that was only because I forgot to send in the form with our signatures on.

Fifi - the people who signed the 100 point ID check for us didn't know us from Adam. They didn't know what they doing so rang the International Business Centre and got advice step by step whilst we were there.

We did an electronic transfer of the $2000 from our UK account to our Oz one and that cost us a tenner. The rest of the currency will be transferred by Halewood free of charge in January.

Claire