opening bank account with debt overseas?

[banafinfodafuggiano]

I live in country B and have a debt in country A where I lived for 9 years.

Does opening a regular bank account (no credit cards) leave any possibility for the debt collectors in country A to find me?
Will there be any credit footprint when opening the account?

I am planning to repay this debt, just not now, due to my financial circumstances.

 

[Sols]

There is generally not any crossborder movement of debts, but it depends on who the creditors are, how determined they are, and what the applicable laws say.

What I can say from experience is I know a lot of people who have small debts to companies and even some governments, and have no problems moving around internationally (even within EU).

Tax debts or court mandates fines/penalties are another story.

 

[CaptK]

Just like @Sols said, you will be fine so long as it's not too large. Plus they have to get a court order in the new country which is very difficult.

 

[happyjohn]

Just like @Sols said, you will be fine so long as it's not too large. Plus they have to get a court order in the new country which is very difficult.

seond that. However, if the debt is that high that it is worth to go after you they will do it.

 

[banafinfodafuggiano]

Just called several banks, they said that when you open an account they run a soft credit check so this will update your address on the credit history. Therefore debt collectors agencies worldwide may find the individual.

 

[Sols]

The question is where they run that credit check and what kind of alerts that trigger (and how those are done while being compliant with GDPR and other data protection laws). There are a lot of people out there with unpaid debts in other countries, facing no repercussions, not even when travelling to those countries for brief visits.

Again, it depends on the severity of the debts and motivation of the creditors. Of curse, the best you can do is pay off your debts right away or, if that's not possible, work out a deal with the creditors.

 

[CaptK]

If you move to another country and start fresh it will take a while for them to get any sort of court order that makes you pay them back.

I would tell them you will pay 100 a month until you get sorted and then you can pay more.
The difficulty we are having is what type of debt it is your refering to. Bank or Creditors debt won't affect you in a new country. Government debt like VAT or Tax is another question. It still won't affect you with EMI's but mainstream banks could close your account.

Unless the creditor gets a court order they can't freeze nor confiscate the funds you have elsewhere. Also with COVID the courts in every country are backed up so it's will take a while before they even take you to court.

My opinion is just start and cross the bridge IF and when you come to it.

No doubt we are all here to help in that event.

 

[Clip]

Let's say you want to move to Hong Kong as example (is the law I know)

The order needs to come from a High Court of one of these countries
"Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Brunei, France, Germany, Italy, India, Malaysia, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Israel, Singapore and Sri Lanka, are enforceable by the simple procedure of registration. A "superior court" means a court with unlimited jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters (paragraph 4(b), FJREO). "

If not, the creditors need to start a new lawsuit in a local court. They need to be quite sure you have assets in Hong Kong that worth all the time, money and energy to start a new case.

 

[Brianthedog]

Just called several banks, they said that when you open an account they run a soft credit check so this will update your address on the credit history. Therefore debt collectors agencies worldwide may find the individual.

Most credit checks are done within the country where you're applying. For example, if you owe a debt in the UK, and open a bank account in the Netherlands, using your netherlands address, never mentioning any previous address outside of that country, even if you use your passport for ID, it's extremely unlikely your credit report in country A would know about it.

Also, I'm assuming you didnt tell anyone in Country A where you were moving to. If you tell your bank in country A, or utility company etc, it could very well follow you to country B

 

[BastetOffshore888]

seond that. However, if the debt is that high that it is worth to go after you they will do it.

You are not safe in the EU. If you owe your government taxes they will sent a court order to the other country in the EU who will collect your taxes in your new EU country (they will confiscate properties and bank accounts). You can find the list of countries for working together taxes in EU here: List of OECD Member countries - Ratification of the Convention on the OECD

 

[thedirtyteller]

You are not safe in the EU. If you owe your government taxes they will sent a court order to the other country in the EU who will collect your taxes in your new EU country (they will confiscate properties and bank accounts). You can find the list of countries for working together taxes in EU here: List of OECD Member countries - Ratification of the Convention on the OECD

Romania and Bulgaria are not OECD members though