Using UK bank in Qatar

Thank you everyone for your replys, they are very helpful. Its nice to know that if you do have a qatari bank account, any money transferred can be in the uk account within a couple of days. Very helpful when still paying a mortgage in the UK.

cheers,thats sounds gd to me

I have been with Lloyds TSB for a lot of years when i was living in UK, been here now nearly 2 years and have a Doha bank account which my salary is paid into. Every month i transfer from Doha bank to Lloyds, it cost me QR 35 to do this, but i have never had any problems, and the money is always into my account within 3 working days. When i first came here, i just used the Lloyds card at all ATM's without any trouble, you will be charged a small amount of which i aint sure, but for me it is important to still have a UK account.

Hope this helps!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you get paid into a UK bank account you are only taxed on the interest you earn, not the entire amount, so that isn't really an issue as long as your routinely shift out any savings that accumulate there (to an offshore account probably).

You can use UK credit and debit cards out here to make purchases and withdraw cash, but your bank may charge (particularly to withdraw cash) and you wont receive the best exchange rate. One option might be to transfer a lump sum across to a Qatar bank account and live from that, but again their may be a fee involved.

With the pound being very week against the dollar at the moment (and for the foreseeable future?) using a UK bank account for your purchases in Qatar makes things expensive (basically everything's gone up ~20% in price in the last couple of months, when you cost it in GBP), so being paid into a Qatar account is probably quite attractive at the moment.

iam moving to doha on the 1st December,i will still have funds in my llods accoount o use in my first month???can i use a lloyds card across there????wd it be best to take a big bulk out before i cum accross????isit easy to set a bank account up accross there??

Dear, as above members said"availablity of the same will count on the employer"... but the point is:

WHAT'S THE ADVANTAGE OF THAT?

Dear avarage cost for haveing account here in qatar is 50 qatari riyals (there is some cost 25 qatari riyal), the moral it cheap if u put in consideration, that every ATM transaction will be charged as u'll use ur bank ATM card abroad, U'll be charged for transfering the money in a monthly bases...and finally if it all about currency, u still can open (pound sterling account here in qatar).

please feel free to PM me or your husband specialy if he is already here in qatar for any information i might be able to answer or check it out for you.

Keep Smiling :-) you never know who is looking

Salaries over here are paid tax free. If you pay it into as UK account you may be taxed on it so double check first. Most expats use HSBC here in Doha

Keep Smiling :-) you never know who is looking

our doha bank charge QR 35 per transfer, and barclay charge 6 pound to receive it.

Lovely ...

We have a nationwide account that we transfer into it which we are charged a lovely QR50 for each time!

i have the same situation. and i went with the simplest option. i switched to nationwide. they don't charge you for using your card to pay for stuff, or for withdrawing money.

VAT.. Here in Qatar HSBC is the only main High Street bank oerating in the Middleast. HSBC middleast is managed by the offshore Jersey Island..

Your question about if salary can be paid staright into a UK bank, will really depend on your employer as Novita above has pointed out. However if you are a HSBC Premier or even normal customer, you can transfer money on a monthly basis..

I hope this answers your query.

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HE WHO DARES WINS

it would be depend on the employer. So he have to clarify this with them.

If he works for the local Q company, i am pretty much sure that he MUST open Qatar account for salary transfer.