When you say no current UK passport, do you mean it’s just lapsed and you need to renew it? Just checking you are a UK citizen and can sponsor your wife for her visa.

For the financial side of things then any financial adviser would be the best place to start. You may need one each side of the pond for tax/pension advice.

Good luck.

There's been a lot of useful stuff in various threads in the usa section about taxes and pensions, so in my case i think i have a good idea what to expect on that front, but I'm worried about the basics, if i decide to move back.
Say i want to buy a house with cash. I have read that opening a bank account without first having a uk address might be impossible. If i went into a bank and explained i wanted to open an account and wire a large 6 figure sum to facilitate a house purchase, would they open an account for me? If not, how do i get the cash over to the uk?

Thanks christmasoompa (a super moderator!). I believe I'm still a Brit (moved to the US in '71, and did renew my UK passport once in the 90s so I assume the UK still knows me!).

A financial advisor on each side of the pond sounds easy, but I guarantee you that a US one has no idea about UK financial rules, and vice versa. For example, it seems that one can agree to be taxed by the UK OR by the US for ongoing private US and social security incomes when resident in the UK ... but I'm not sure that's true! e.g., I've also read that if you're a US citizen living anywhere in the world you have US tax liabilities ... so who knows?

There MUST be financial advisors out there who specialize in this stuff ... I just can't find one. I watch "Escape to the Country" episodes featuring Brits returning from the US, and it seems so easy!

Our daughter managed to buy a house in the UK from the USA. We helped her choose the house including a FaceTime video walkthrough where she talked to the seller in person. She paid the initial fees directly using Wise, and even after she moved over and was staying with us while the purchase progressed she continued to use Wise to send money including the complete cost of the house directly from her US bank account. This avoided her having to report her foreign accounts on her IRS return as she never exceeded the $300k limit on foreign bank accounts. (She did file an FBAR). She did open a Wise GBP account with debit card so that on arrival it was easy for her to get cash and to buy stuff with a card until such time as she opened a UK bank account.

You're talking about tax issues and for that you'd be best to find a tax acountant with experience of working with expats / knowledge of the US-UK tax treaty. They may also be able to advise on tax planning items you may need to consider to prepare for moving. Download a copy of the tax treaty and pay close attention to the sections that apply to you (eg Pensions) as that will also help you in your conversations with the tax accountant. And yes, the US is one of the few countries in the world that taxes its citizens and green card holders regardless of where they live in the world.
There are dual-qualified tax advisors who can speak to both the US and the UK regimes but it can be hard to track them down - you might find yourself doing a lot of internet searches and/or posting on forums like this. But if you start with one who understands the treaty and has experience working with expats, that should help with a lot of your current questions.

Don't believe anything you see on these TV programmes. I'm astonished at how many influencers and media personalities talk about moving to another country as if it's just a case of getting on a plane with a suitcase. Visas? Banking? Employment law? Housing? I guess some of them may have dual citizenship, but if so, that's never mentioned.

If it’s tax stuff, then a good accountant is the way to go - but you’ll probably need two if you do have tax obligations in both countries, finding one that knows both inside out is pretty tricky. As said above, you do have to file tax returns wherever you live in the world but you may not have to pay anything in the US. You can’t choose what gets taxed where, if you’re UK resident then most things will be taxed there, but you’ll get a credit for any tax paid when you file the US returns.

And for info on your wife’s visa and sponsoring her, head to the visas part of the forums where you’ll get good info if needed.

Best of luck.

For a list of possible dual qualified tax preparers here is a list you can try. I have not used any of them myself.

Some of the below have been recommended by posters on this site. Some are inexpensive (less than $400), some are expensive ($1,000+).



https://www.greenbacktaxservices.com/

https://britishamericantax.com/

Expatriate Tax Services | US & US Expat Tax Returns | Ingelton Partners

https://www.hrblock.com/expat-tax-pr...caAtw7EALw_wcB

https://www.taxesforexpats.com/

https://www.usglobaltax.co.uk/

https://www.americanuktaxsolutions.com/about-us.html

http://www.americantaxreturns.co.uk/

https://www.frankhirth.com/

Hi duram_lad:

Thanks so much for this list ... it might be just what I need (I'll let you know if they work!)

... I was in Durham (I'm a York lad, so you understand I will probably make a mistake and go with the cheapest ... the Yorkshireman in me)

eee by gum, you're right, lad!

If your British passport expired a long time ago, there's a few more hoops to jump through to renew it compared to a routine renewal. I let mine lapse for about 20 years then renewed it a few years ago. IIRC the process is similar to a first-time application requiring at least a birth certificate for yourself and possibly other supporting documents.

Agreed.

Our son had let his passport expire for over 10 years when he applied to renew in 2016. We applied for his birth certificate so that he go apply as if from scratch. He was living in Houston at the time.