Banking in Malta

i would do both better to have it and not need it - than to not have it and need it....

You can easily open a bank account without the document.
We did it at HSBC. You just need a reference from your current bankers.

Good luck!

Hello

Thanks for your replies.

The point is that I would prefer to open an account without the hassle/cost of obtaining a referral from foreign banks.

So: Does anyone know if the magical residency card will void the entire issue of referral, and you can just simply open an account once you have it?


Cheers

Michael

I opened my account on HSBC wihtout referral, showing my ID card did the trick.

id say so - the BOV seem to accept other alternative methods of id to open a basic account and didnt ask for the e-Residency permit - just stated that once you get it bring them a copy.

Bank reference from the previous bankers is more important than ID - I've opened my first account with foreign passport.

Thanks all for your responses.

I will just until I have the residency card and take it from there. There is no immediate hurry....

I have applied for an HSBC bank account with no Residence doc but 3 weeks have already gone and still no news about the recommendation they asked from my previous bank in Ireland. It's just a pain in the neck!!!

mantonas wrote:

I have applied for an HSBC bank account with no Residence doc but 3 weeks have already gone and still no news about the recommendation they asked from my previous bank in Ireland. It's just a pain in the neck!!!

Did you yourself ask the bank in Ireland so send them a reference? If the bank in Malta is contacting the bank in Ireland directly, most likely they won't give out any information about you for confidentiality reasons.....

No I did not! The guy who dealt with my application said HSBC would contact my bank in Ireland directly to ask for a recommendation. But anyway, I'll wait until next week and if they don't provide me with an update, I might just contact my bank directly and see if they can provide me that recommendation letter to present to HSBC here in Malta. Let's wait and see...

Cheers,
Antonio

You should contact your own bank and have them send a letter of recommandation to the Malta bank - if you can get them to do it, they will probably charge you a hefty fee :-/

I think so too Miko, I read something previously that was around 100€. I was trying to avoid go through that was well, hoping that my bank in Ireland would be willing to send the letter to HSBC. But well, as I said before, will give it another week and will take it from there.

My bank produced 2 letters in 3 days at a total charge of £10.

I will contact my bank in Ireland tomorrow redmik, hopefully, it's not as much as I thought it was.
As I already updated my address on my Irish bank account to my Maltese address, they may send me the recommendation letter as well.
If I knew I could had change it so quickly over a phone call, wouldn't need to wait until someone got hold of a replacement card the bank sent to my old address, and used my card details to make an online purchase.

Luckily enough, I found that odd transaction via my eStatement as soon as it happened and they cancelled that card straight away. A new one should be arriving shortly. The amount used has also been reimbursed to my account, therefore, happy days in the end

Cheers,
Antonio

Hi, I have one question. I am not acquainted with Anglo-Saxon banking system, and in German speaking countries I have not heard for something like a recommendation for ordinary account for natural person. For legals yes.
What should it contain, to know to say to clerk what I want.?

Thanks, cheers!

Nemanja

I think that may depend upon what your new bank wants.
My letters stated that I had run my/our accounts in accordance with their (the previous bank's)Terms and Agreements and how long I had been with them.
I would suggest that if you can open an account in Malta through your existing bank in Austria then do so before you move.

Yes, it's like redmik said! They just send a template form from the branch you're opening the account with your other bank's details and your bank in Germany for example, has to sign that to confirm you have an account with them and since how long.

I had a copy of the form that BOV sent to my bank in Ireland by post, but I cannot find it, otherwise I would post it here so you could have an idea of how it looks like.

Thank you again for replies.

I saw that my Austrian bank has also branch on Malta, so I think it would not be a problem ... but who knows, many things are not logical.

Cheers