UK Resident to non-UK Resident

#1

Hi,

If I get a Monzo current account and then at some point become non-UK resident (due to working abroad etc), what would become of my Monzo account?

What are the UK residency requirements exactly? Do I just need to provide you with a valid UK address that I can access or do I actually need to be resident there?

Living permanently in Thailand
(Sufi) #2
What more could we be doing to support financial inclusion?
What more could we be doing to support financial inclusion?
#3

That’s a really really good question. It’s the sort of thing I’d usually expect to find in the Terms and Conditions but there is no mention of this. There is actually no mention at all regarding residency requirements.

I know Monzo asks for an address during sign up. They may ask for proof of address, and the address they ask for must be in the UK. But is this requirement actually written down somewhere?

Ultimately, if we can’t find a written reference to this, then you’d likely need to ask their support team.

There are a couple of things I’d note though:

  1. I doubt they’ll specifically ask you…
  2. However, you are required to let them know any change of address, per clause 13.3 of their T&C. Their app won’t allow you to give them a non-UK address, so if you no longer live in the UK you may not be able to fulfill this requirement. Although this does again not appear to be mentioned in the T&C I would generally consider a breach of T&C as ground for account closure.

Going down this rabbit hole I find the T&C very confusing, and it certainly doesn’t clearly state the address requirements: Clause 13.3 actually states

You must provide us with an email, postal address and phone number and let us know of any changes.

It doesn’t actually say anywhere that I must provide them with my details. It says an address. It doesn’t even specifically say that I must be reachable via that address, or that it can’t be a PO Box, or that it must even be valid. That is a major shortcoming and I have never seen this sort of formulation before. (That’s quite apart from the question how does “an address” change? My address may change, but I have never experienced “an address” to change - maybe because I’m not old enough to remember the introduction of post codes.)

Clause 16.1 further states that they will “check your identity” (which they have redefined to include your address) and that you may have to “provide some documentary evidence to help confirm your […] address” So, there is an implication that the address you need to give needs to be verifiable as yours, but it’s not explicitly stated, which is a serious shortcoming in my opinion.

And it most certainly doesn’t state anywhere in those T&C that the postal address needs to be in the UK, or what happens if you move out of the UK.

So, this is all very very muddy …

(Alex Sherwood) #4

It sounds like asking the question via the in-app chat is the best way to get a definitive answer.

It would be great to hear what they say :raised_hands:

(Athanasios Bethanis) #5

I will be very interested to know about this too as I’m abroad at the moment. Although I will be coming back to the UK next year.

I would assume as long as you can provide them with a UK address in sign up it doesn’t matter as much after that. But then it raises the question what if a non-UK resident orders a card to a friend in the UK and then uses it just abroad. Wouldn’t that be considered a loophole?

#6

Yes. It is based on ‘residency’, i e. living there for most of the year, not just having a friends, family, firm etc that would let an applicant use their address. So typically you would be on the electoral register and or council tax register and have some consumer credit footprint.

#7

I guess it comes down to a question about reality vs legality, doesn’t it?

In reality you’ll likely need a record with a credit reference agency to verify your ID, or otherwise a council tax bill or other proof of address. In reality that will prevent those living abroad from signing up for Monzo with a friend’s address.

In reality they are also unlikely to just ask you out of the blue “hey, do you still live in the UK?” (although that’s not unheard of, see the link further up), and thus you’ll most likely be fine in practice.

However, it is till a very valid qustion: what is the actual policy? I think for most people it’s still important to do the right thing, and if you do move abroad after signing up to Monzo, you want certainty (as I said : other banks have in the past shut down accounts after customers moved abroad)

As such it is very disappointing that such an important aspect is not covered by their T&Cs. (but then their T&Cs seem to be lacking severely in defining the residency requirements, which is really quite shocking)

(Hugh) #8

I expect this is the right time to ask someone like @naji who might be able to clarify this is a little?

(knows someone who knows Tom quite well) #9

Don’t the EU rules say that any EU citizen can open a bank account in any EU country?

(Bob) #10

I posted this some time ago… (click the down arrow for full article)

(Keir Williams) #11

Monese may be an option: monese.com

#12

Yes and they also have great customer service too.

When I joined you also got a ÂŁ5 welcome gift when you opened a Monese account and deposited ÂŁ10. Try the code MQF6Y4C6 as I think it may still work

Note: please note this onebox is not a referal link but just goes to a regular URL

#13

It doesn’t feel like good value considering practically no other bank charges a regular fee to hold an account with them.

#14

But when there is currently no option to send SEPA payments from Monzo and Starling and no option for accounts in £ and € and no PayPoint and PostOffice services, it makes them a great choice

(Marcus Nailor) #15

Evan’s question reminded me of this thread!

Would the same apply here? :slight_smile:

(Louis Cox) #16

Sorry Marcus, I have just retracted that statement! I am trying to get a bit more clarity on this now :blush:

(Marcus Nailor) #17

I saw it change before my very eyes! :wink:

Cheers, I’ll keep an eye out for an official stance on the matter :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: It seemed a bit off? But just reminded me of this thread :slight_smile:

(Evan Davis) #18

Further to this, I had accounts with TSB, Nationwide, Lloyds, NatWest and Metro Bank before I left the UK.

TSB, Nationwide & Lloyds had no problem with me changing my address (although I subsequently got letters from both demanding my tax status and where I pay tax).

Metro Bank won’t accept non-UK addresses and told me I would have to close my account. As a result, as far as they are concerned, I still live in London. I happened to be in London just before my card expired. I just went into their branch, told them I was going overseas on a holiday and asked for a new card. Got it printed on the spot. I have a friend living at my old address, so mail isn’t being returned to them. Of course Metro are the one high street bank that doesn’t charge for Euro transactions.

NatWest also had no problem with me living in Spain, but as they have an offshore branch in Gibraltar, I just opened an account with them there and closed the London account. It’s currently otherwise impossible to open even a basic bank account in Gibraltar (plenty of opportunity for Monzo down here).

(Javier Delgado) #19

I have been a faithful user of Monzo from the start, I have now moved back to Spain after 19 years in the UK.

My high street banks (Barclays and Natwest) were both fine with the change of address, I am using less and less Monzo over here though and more and more Revolut.

#20

I have experienced an address to change. :wink:

Royal Mail changed one of the digits in the postcode of the house my parents live in a few years after they moved in.