austin_d_powers

I have been in the USA since 1994 and am thinking of returning to the UK. I have no bank account in the UK. How did those of you long term expats setup a new bank account in the UK, close your foriegn country bank account and move your money?

robin1234

I would suggest opening a pound sterling bank account in the Isle of Man. While IoM is an offshore jurisdiction, the bank accounts there are within the UK clearing bank system so you can use the account to write checks, use your debit card while visiting the UK, etc. you don't need to visit the IoM, you can easily open the account from here in the US, you apply online then follow up by post with the needed documentation, such as a notarized photocopy of your passport etc. LTSB and Nationwide are two of the banks that have a presence in IoM, but many of the British High Street names are over there.

Then, when resident in the UK, you can transfer the account to their UK operation.

lf1

I used HSBC in Canada to set up a UK GBP acct. I can easily transfer money from Canadian account to my UK account. I know others have done the same thing from the US.

J.JsOH

We kept our USA bank account open, with a small amount in it to pay potential late bills (there were none) and for Tax payments / deposits. Before leaving we checked on bank maintenance costs and kept the Credit Union that had no monthly fees. Also check they happy to operate online from overseas. Before leaving set up diect debit with whatever Currency Exchange Co you plan to use in case you need to sign paperwork. I use XE.com Also I set up direct deposit to the account from investment broker so that they could put interest payments into it.

We had a Isle of Man NatWest account in ££'s. with ATM card for access as soon as we landed.

When here we walked into High Street banks with passport and a utility bill with UK address we had no prob opening account.

Oh, we had a 2nd bank account in USA which was also kept open but after we left they commenced monthly fees so I just transferred to $$'s out and sent online message to close the account. No problems.