Opening a bank account and ID cards.

Hi all, I'm moving to Malta in April 2013, I was just wondering how easy it to open a bank account in Malta or if I can just change my HSBC account over once I get there? Also I've seen a few posts about ID cards but then also read a few places that you cannot get an ID if you are not a Maltese citizen. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

you can go to your hsbc bank in the uk and get them to arrange for your malta hsbc account to be set up opened and cards supplied for when you get here.

id cards are going through changes at the moment so by april things will hopefully have changed.

Thank you very much and for the speedy reply!
Okay I'll just keep checking on the ID card situation until then.
Thanks again!

Man... i can t imagine why people are talkin when they don t know nothing about it. I did that ( maltese id and bank account ) last week. Is very easy .Go to Valleta ( Merkanti Street )with your passport, fill up the yellow paper if you are from eu or the green one if your not from eu. In 4 days i got a letter from them, i took the letter to theyr office and they gaved me the id card in the same day. With the id card you go to an hsbc branch and open a bank account. nice and easy.

With respect andres904, thats the way it is now  - however the id cards matter will change next year and is in the process of changing now - what form the application  will take next year know one really knows. The OP is not here till april next year and thought that a more cautious answer was appropriate..bank accounts can be openedd with just your passport if its really essential but you must eventually get an id card too.

Hi Andres,

I'm not quite sure who you are talking about? The original poster Lily is in London and posted a question.

I hope you know what you are talking about and that now you have an ID card you are required to register for residency within 3 months. It is often 'forgotten' -))

Cheers
Ricky

Okay, slightly more confused now! I will just enquire again closer to the time. Thank you for your help.

Andres904 wrote:

Man... i can t imagine why people are talkin when they don t know nothing about it. I did that ( maltese id and bank account ) last week. Is very easy .Go to Valleta ( Merkanti Street )with your passport, fill up the yellow paper if you are from eu or the green one if your not from eu. In 4 days i got a letter from them, i took the letter to theyr office and they gaved me the id card in the same day. With the id card you go to an hsbc branch and open a bank account. nice and easy.


about the bank account i went to BOV and they told me that this id wont give us rights to open a bank account and just Maltese citizens  can open with it and that they need reference from our country !
you think HSBC more easy?

Hi Designs,

as far as I know HSBC only require the ID card but don't forget that you won't get the ID card until you have been granted residency in Malta.

Cheers
Ricky

Ricky this looks like the question who came first the chicken the or the egg......... :lol:

i think i gave up!! i can't get it any more

what do i have to doooooooooooooooo apply for the temporary residence or getting the id card  :rolleyes:

As a non EU citizen its residence first.

For an EU citizen you can apply at the same time, or in either order

Hi Designs,

Not Chicken and Egg so dont worry to much.

HSBC is an easier one to open, although they will still require a reference from your home country.

ID card you can get right now from Valletta as everyone understands is correct... there are changes afoot that may or may not happen... Probrably wont until after the election.

You will need Ordinary residency in Malta if you are working here, this is gained from the Citizenship offices.

Andres.... 6 posts from you over 1000 from Toon... READ the whole of the Site and see what people write before actually trying to upset others on here that have a vast knowledge and I do have to Say have been here quite a bit longer than yourself.

Lily, good luck with the Move and keep checking on here for any updates, there is a Sticky posted with regards to teh ID / REsidency that is being updated with any information that we get here.

Julian

Designs is a non EU citizen

thank you guys appreciate all your help so i'll go the the DCEA first and then start from there!

Hi Designs,

I wish you luck! Please check out your Allianz health insurance as to if it covers you as a resident of Malta. St James will accept it as you are a tourist at the moment ! A world-wide health coverage including Malta will be quite expensive. It might be cheaper to insure yourself with a Maltese company.

The main concerns at DCEA are whether you have enough income to support yourself without working in Malta ( show your last payslips from Libya or your bank account statement ) and as to whether you have health insurance coverage.

Cheers
Ricky

[Moderated: Off topic]
ON topic ... Nobody will open a bank account just with your passport becouse you can t prove you live at the adress you give them... obvious ... so that girl sho said this... is talking to not get bored. And yes, the only thing HSBC is asking for opening a bank account is a Maltese ID card.

Hi Andres,

congratulations ! And I hope you find something better soon -)))

I don't think the girl Designs is just talking because she is bored ! I presume she will give you her own comment on your opinion about her.

She happens to be from Libya so it is slightly more difficult for her to set up residency in Malta.

The ID card doesn't prove that you live at a certain address! You can give any address as long as you make sure that you receive the confirmation letter from the ID card department! And you can move anytime too without changing your ID card address.

Cheers
Ricky

Andre,

They may ask for just an ID card but they will do a check on your previous bank account, this is the norm, What i dont understand from your post is who said that you could get an account with just a passport as I have looked through the posts and couldnt see anyone who had said that.

Congrats on the Job, I had no problem getting work at a high Level in Malta, and I have mentioned this on previous posts as long as you have the qualifications, the Skillsets that are needed in Malta you will get work.

@Lily, really nothing to worry about as said previously enjoy your time preparing for the move and the excitment of moving to a new country... trust me the time will fly round

Julian

Hi Andres,

it would be nice if you can share your experience with ETC with the forum members as it seems to be very easy to find a job and get a work permit as it only took you 1 week !

There are many fellow Romanians and Bulgarians on the forum who could profit from your advice and experience.

Cheers
Ricky

@scubaboy thank you very much, I am ridiculously excited but still have many questions so I'm sure this won't be the last time you hear from me!! Thank you!

From memory there is a very basic bank account you can open with minimal ID - I think its HSBC - no credit/debit card, no cheque book (?), but maybe an ATM CARD, plus somewhere to receive salary.

Lily - as you are an EU citizen (and not from Rom/Blg), then moving here is straightforward

First of all toonarmy9752 said that you can open a bank account just with your passport and... that s not true ... so scubaboy... pay more attention next time.

Second , i had an HSBC account in united kindgom one year ago... but nobody from malta checked my previous account. IT takes just 10 minutes to open a bank account with HSBC in Malta and you ll get your card and pin within 10 days.

3 rd thing. when i said that some people are talking just to not get bored i wasn t talkin about Designs, i was talking about toonarmy9752 who said that Designs can go in an HSBC branch in Uk and set up things in order to get a bank account in Malta.. and that s not possible nowhere in the world no matter what and who.

4. georgeingozo this attitude is comming when some people are playing smart but trying to make things look harder than they are. And... trust me... there are some guys here which are just playing smart .. not trying to help.

5. Ricky ... i apreciate your sarcasm :) . Everything you need to get a job, everywhere in the world is to be Smart... not just to play smart online :). That s my advice and experience for everybody... no matter origins.

Thanks a lot guys for your friendly and kind advices... but ... i m not gona bother you anymore...

"i was talking about toonarmy9752 who said that Designs can go in an HSBC branch in Uk and set up things in order to get a bank account in Malta.. and that s not possible nowhere in the world no matter what and who. " yes it is - I'm not sure if its available to standard customers, but its one of the services HSBC offers

BTW guys - i know for a fact you can open a bank account here with just a passport as we have done it..i didnt say it was fully operational as it cant be fully operational until you get your id card! plus altho i agree with other posters that an id card doesnt necessarily prove your address but a signed dated property rental agreement in your name can. FACT. I am also not saying its the norm, but it can be done. EDIT>>>Thought i had best clarify - this was four years ago its possible that things may have changed

I have also done the opening of accounts cw cards both credit and debit here in advance of my arrival too. FACT - its not necessarily available to everyone but it is as GnG said available from HSBC. I didnt even have a formal address here for well over a week, nor an id card for several weeks.   

Not being smart just factual.

One further thing my response was never aimed at designs but to the OP Lily....FACT

toonar, in which bank you can do that? what about you won the property is this enough to open an account? and in which bank your talking about?
thanks

Designs, the HSBC is the one to go and see... they will make it easy for you...

Every person that I know that has opened an account there has had a check done on their previous bank but thats a standard check nothing to worry about.

it was hsbc and they are very accommodating - well they have been for me and various members of my family

Hi All,

You can set up a bank account with HSBC from the Uk as that is what I have done and it's a standard service that they offer as long as you give them over 1 month's notice. However, we were also assured by HSBC Malta that we could open an account here with only an ID Card, no need for anything else.