SandyW

My husband, who is a British citizen, has 4 more years in the US Military (total years:20) and after his Military service we would like to "retire"/move to the UK.
I was wondering if this message board has any US veterans that live and work
in the UK, if not maybe somebody else can help me with my questions!
My husband will be in his early 40's and the one thing that worries him is not finding a job because of his age, will UK companies hire people that are in their 40's?
The other question I have is about opening a Bank account in the UK while we are still in the USA, would it be possible to open up an account via the internet or can his parents open up an account for us the next time they fly to the UK (both are British, live in the US but go on a UK holiday twice a year)?
Will the pension he gets from the US Government for his Military service be taxed in the UK.
How can we built up credit?
And my last question, I am from Germany and I was wondering if the UK would accept my German trade/leaving diploma in Reception/Sales?
Sorry about all the question but we want to make sure that our return to the UK will be as smooth and enjoyable as possible.
Thank you so much for all the help!

Greetings,
Sandy

Bob

Well if he's got a brit passport, he should be all set, you should too with a german one.
Getting jobs, it shouldn't be an issue, the retirement age is 65 in the UK unlike 52 over here, but like anywhere, it's a tough market, does depend on the type of work your looking for, but they can't not employ you because of your age, discrimination and all that.
As for banking, I think it's a bit tougher these days, you will need to have proof of residency, so I don't think you could open one up via the internet, maybe an off shore account on the isle of white etc and then transfer account over to the mainland perhaps, don't really know.
Don't have a clue about the pension either.

Welcome to the site btw.

Englishmum

Ooooh, lots of questions!

I can't answer all of them, but I can give some pointers:

1. Can't answer that one, we're not US vets...sorry.

2. What does your husband do - eg. what are his skills/profession in the military? We know quite a few British guys back home in the UK who have found jobs there (albeit they were in IT occupations). Your husband may choose to teach for example at a technical college or in a school (he may need to go to college first though).

3. What you can easily do whilst resident outside the UK is to open an offshore bank account with a British bank in the Channel Isles (Guernsey & Jersey) or the Isle of Man. They are outside the UK Inland Revenue tax jurisdiction but your money is protected if the banks go under by the UK govt. You can choose to have Sterling, Euros and/or US$ current (checking) accounts and savings accounts. You can do this by post...in most cases you just need to send in a notarised photocopy of your passports.

We have an 'Oveseas Club' current account with LloydsTSB which we use when we go to the UK - it's identical to the accounts one would have on the mainland with cheque books, combined ATM/Delta/Visa cards, telephone & internet banking. When you move to the UK your offshore bank will then transfer your account to their mainland/local bank branch of your choosing (in fact you have to transfer your offshore account because once you are resident in the UK you then come under UK tax jurisdiction). I guess you could open any UK offshore bank account and then put in a small sum every month to get a regular pattern going (whether for current or savings accounts...but I think a current account would be a good start as you will need it when you move across the pond).

All the major UK banks and building societies have offshore branches eg. Abbey National, HSBC, Alliance + Leicester...for a list of just some of them look here:

http://www.expatinvestor.com (Go to the drop-down list of advertisers as you will find some of the offshore banks there).

or: http://www.lloydstsb-offshore.com

http://www.lloydstsb-offshore.com/Ex...ling+USD+Euro/

There is a link on how to apply and how to get a copy of your passports notarised by a Notary Public or signed by certain persons (US bank managers, Senior Civil Servant etc.)



4. US pension taxable in the UK? Sorry - I don't know! (See the UK's Inland Revenue website - go to the 'sticky' at the top of this forum as I'm sure it's listed there under UK govt sites).

5. Building up credit. Not sure - but do get copies of your credit rating from Experian, Equifax etc. as they also operate in the UK. I think you normally need to be listed on the voters (electoral) register as the UK credit agencies do check this to see how long and indeed if you are resident at the address you give to them. You can contact your local Town Hall to get on the electoral register. Also check this website for Americans who become expats in the UK to see how they built up credit from scratch (to access some forums though you need to make a contribution for the upkeep of the site):

http://www.americanexpats.co.uk

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php (free site)

6. I don't think there would be too much of a problem as so many EU citizens are working in the UK. Perhaps you could check by sending an e-mail enquiry to one of the UK recruitment agencies such as Manpower.co.uk or http://www.office-angels.com

Now I have a question for you....how on Earth did a British citizen end up being in the US military? I thought his citizenship would have excluded him as I know non-US citizens can't work in certain jobs...I would have thought he might be considered a security risk LOL!

Hope this helps!

IN THE YEAR 2525

retirement age 52 over here?? since when did that come into effect?

Bob

greencard holders can be in the military, they just wouldn't have security clearance....

Bob

I don't have a clue, but that's the official retirement age over here to get ya social pensions and shite....

bromleygirl

As a vet with 20 years service, your husband and you both will be able to access the American bases here in the UK. You will be able to use the Commisary and BX but will need to purchase the VAT coupons in order to do so. You will also be entitled to use the base services, open a bank account on base and use the medical and dental facilities. Also you will be entitled to a P.O. box at the US post office on base. My ex-husband is a USAF vet and we had looked into prior to our divorce.

I don't know where you are planning to settle but East Anglia is nice and you will be able to access the US bases.

It is very hard to open a UK bank account when you first arrive so definitley open an offshore bank account before hand.

Let me know if you need anymore advice

Leky

Firstly, you don't say if he is also an American Citizen? This may make a difference to various options. Also which of the services is he currently serving with? If he is with USAF couldn't he get an assignment in the UK? If he is Army then Maybe Germany. Just saying this as then you would already be in Europe when his retirement rolls around. There are a lot of options for Military retiree's, working as a "contractor" is the main one or as a DOD employee, but a lot of them would depend on his citizenship status. Here is a link ton Taxes that may be helpful, also i'm sure that your retirement services folk may be able to give you some assistance.
http://www.ey.nl/download/publicatie...Tax_Treaty.pdf

As to the UK bank account, I do not think his parents can open one in your name, they are pretty strict on proof of Identity & residency these days. I recently tried to open an account whilst I was home, but couldn't as although I had my passport & various other forms of ID, I didn't have anything tying me to an address, who takes their Utility bills on holiday with them!! The bank didn't seem to have a problem with the fact that I lived in Germany though. So maybe you could open an account using a relatives address in Germany (as long as you have something with your name at that address).

Good luck

Englishmum

There is a similar thread on this forum (although the returnee is a British widow of a serviceman). Someone posted a link in reply on how to make enquiries about ex-military matters via the US Embassy:


http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=10304.0

SandyW

I just wanted to say Thank you to everybody who helped me answer my
questions, it will help us with our plans to move to the UK.
Thank you again!

Sandy

JAJ

In terms of visas there is no problem - he can use his British passport and you can use your German passport (or if you lose that to become a US citizen, a spouse visa in a US passport).

Has he thought of taking US citizenship? This would preserve his rights to return to the US later on. It would mean he would have to continue filing for US taxes when overseas but this does not cause a problem for most US expats in the UK as you usually get exemptions or credits for UK tax paid.

If he doesn't become a US citizen he will be at high risk of losing his green card once he returns to the UK.

He can have dual citizenship if he becomes a US citizen. The situation for you is more complex - you will only keep German citizenship if you get permission from the German government beforehand. This is apparently easier now than it used to be.

Of course, if you did lose German citizenship and your husband sponsored you to live in the UK you could become a naturalised British citizen after three years, and then go back to Germany on a British passport.

There may be Social Security advantages to becoming US citizens, also advantage in terms of veterans benefits or access to US bases in the UK (as others have posted).

Ageism may be technically illegal but it happens in practise in many countries.

The banks in the Channel Islands and Isle of Man are more used to dealing with people resident outside the UK. They are integrated into the UK banking system. The IRS will still need to know about any income from these areas.

Probably yes - unless there is any specific double taxation agreement.
Usually the deal is that any US tax can be offset against UK tax.

Look at this thread for useful information:
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=267933

Jeremy