When leaving...close bank account

Anyone know how much Raiffeisen charges you, to keep your account open, we will be staying within eu?

Does anybody know if it's possible to close the account at UBS from abroad and ask them to transfer the amount to a bank abroad? I'm OK with transfer costs. I will be payed with a lump sum after I leave, that's why I want to leave it open for some more time. Thanks.

Of course just send a written instruction.

I sure would like to know where I can get 5% risk-free.

A colleague of mine will be company relocated to the U.S. by end of the year. He has to maintain his CS account for a few more months after he leaves, for late transactions.. pension refunds etc. In preparation he was advised by those who went ahead of him to switch preferences to electtonic media only for all bills and statements. That eliminates the need for a PO box. You can continue to access your account thru the internet, but dont forget to switch your "Security PIN generation by SMS" back to the SecurID PIN generation of the old if you have been switched to the PIN generation like most. This way you dont need to keep a CH mobile number abroad.

Is you are an American working in CH and plan to move back I understand you need to close your bank account. However what do you do when you are still waiting for your CH tax refund which can take between 2 and 3 years? Thanks for your help.

In case anyone still checks this forum, UBS does require that US citizens close their accounts when leaving.

2-3 years?

2-3 weeks has been my experience!

Tom

Small amendment - UBS requires that anyone who will be resident for US tax purposes close their accounts when leaving. We (UK citizens) have just moved to the US and have had to close our accounts.

Our banker at UBS as accommodating as possible in the circumstances - because we'll still be classed as US non-resident for tax due to only arriving here towards the end of the year, he let us keep the accounts open for a couple of extra months for final bills, etc. All closed now, though.

And Tom, we're still waiting for our tax refund for 2010 - I think it depends on the efficiency of your canton. It's madness, but 2-3 years is considered perfectly normal in Vaud!

Hi Hollisterb,

Thank you so much for the great info! Very useful!

I am going to open a PostFinance account soon!

Thank you - very helpful discussion

Anybody knows what is the PostFinance rule? Do they allow access from all countries or only EU? Also what are the fees if you don't maintain the min balance? Is it per account or per client?

Funny - we were at PostFinance today and were told we had to close the account - no ifs, no buts.

This was moving to EU.

It's possible to open a PF account from abroad, so I guess you were misinformed. What will they do if you refuse , Steal your money ?

I contacted them about closing my account from abroad (need some place to put my 2nd pillar funds and any money left over from my apt deposit) and they said it was ok but that since I am a US citizen they might not be able to service me at some point in the future.

We also have an account with Post Finance and they had no problems in accepting our request to change the address to an international one from a specified date as we are leaving CH. They will also let us keep the credit card. Post finance is definitely recommended and they have a good customer service too.

I am contemplating similar action, returning to the UK, as a UK Citizen and I have a post finance and UBS Account, and a UBS credit card. has anybody had recent experiences with the options regarding these facilities and the ability to keep them open? Im more interested in the UBS account than the Postfinance one, and as i have essentially used the balance of my Credit Card as a loan and would ideally look to pay it off over the next year after returning to the uk, whilst keeping up minimum payments?

Any help greatly appreciated.

We had them close the account a few months after we left to give time to pay last bills etc., but no longer as the fees are much higher when you are out of country and will eat up a small deposit.

Not sure how they may react if you owe them money though- they may want it paid back up front before you leave rather than trust you to pay it without a Swiss salary?

Well, they were my thoughts exactly, if i were a bank id do exactly the same, im hoping for the opposite though!

Could anyone share their experiences on the process of de-registering and also what implications this holds if for example you were to de-register now yet not leave the country for a few months? If there is another thread for this please could someone redirect me?!

also now-a-days swiss agree to reveal the black money invested with them. so politically there are many restrictions arises.

The domicile of such countries would not be allowed to do transaction on direct net when out of country.

The process would be tedious.

better inquire the back officer as it might vary to each country