Singapore Expats

Hi all,

I'm in Singapore on a working holiday pass, and I've tried to open bank accounts at both UOB and DBS/POSB--both refused because my visa is less than six months.

I'm looking at Citi now (I'm American), but the fees look a bit unmanageable given my situation. Are there any other banks that would let me open an account that I may've missed?

I dunno if it makes a difference, but the company I'll be working for is already planning to sponsor me down the road, so I will be here long term.

Thanks!

jfdemarini wrote: I dunno if it makes a difference, but the company I'll be working for is already planning to sponsor me down the road, so I will be here long term.

Just be aware that just because a company is prepared to apply for an Employment Pass for you there is no guarantee that you will get one.

How did you get accommodation here if your pass is less than 6 months?

Is the company paying for you to stay in a hotel , or a Serviced Apartment?

Barnsley wrote: How did you get accommodation here if your pass is less than 6 months?

Is the company paying for you to stay in a hotel , or a Serviced Apartment?

WHP don't need a pass or so I thought for now, OP need not worry much there ..

accommodation ? Facebook is full of a lot of private rentals of HDB apartments, as transient rentals .... no sweat there ..

ecureilx wrote:

Barnsley wrote: How did you get accommodation here if your pass is less than 6 months?

Is the company paying for you to stay in a hotel , or a Serviced Apartment?

WHP don't need a pass or so I thought for now, OP need not worry much there ..

accommodation ? Facebook is full of a lot of private rentals of HDB apartments, as transient rentals .... no sweat there ..

Isnt that illegal though?

Barnsley wrote:

ecureilx wrote:

Barnsley wrote: How did you get accommodation here if your pass is less than 6 months?

Is the company paying for you to stay in a hotel , or a Serviced Apartment?

WHP don't need a pass or so I thought for now, OP need not worry much there ..

accommodation ? Facebook is full of a lot of private rentals of HDB apartments, as transient rentals .... no sweat there ..

Isnt that illegal though?

The rental ? Of course it's 100% illegal .. it's gonna be fireworks when HDB starts clamping down again ....

Pass = working on WHP, not illegal.

At the moment, I'm staying in an AirBNB--the job I'll be starting is a job I found after arriving in Singapore, not before, so there's no support system from them. I know AirBNB isn't exactly legal, either, but it's the only option I have right now.

However, because the WHP isn't a sponsorship-based pass, I'm actually working two jobs, neither of which I can start until I have a bank account.

Are there any restrictions for remittance accounts? I could theoretically just give my remittance as a bank account, then dump everything into my US account--the draw back then is exchange rate/fees and then ATM/international transaction fees; I'm also not sure a bank would allow me to do remittance if they won't even let me have a debit account.

At this rate, I may just use my local friends' bank details as my own, then have them give me the cash from my pay check. It's not efficient or optimal, but it may be my only option at this point.

jfdemarini wrote: At this rate, I may just use my local friends' bank details as my own, then have them give me the cash from my pay check. It's not efficient or optimal, but it may be my only option at this point.

You're not the only one in this situation. If the local credit unions (Hong Leong etc) had any sense they would start up savings accounts and cheque cashing to compete with the big banks.

Well I'll be bamned; they do now. https://www.hlbank.com.sg/

jfdemarini wrote:At the moment, I'm staying in an AirBNB--the job I'll be starting is a job I found after arriving in Singapore, not before, so there's no support system from them. I know AirBNB isn't exactly legal, either, but it's the only option I have right now.

However, because the WHP isn't a sponsorship-based pass, I'm actually working two jobs, neither of which I can start until I have a bank account.

Are there any restrictions for remittance accounts? I could theoretically just give my remittance as a bank account, then dump everything into my US account--the draw back then is exchange rate/fees and then ATM/international transaction fees; I'm also not sure a bank would allow me to do remittance if they won't even let me have a debit account.

At this rate, I may just use my local friends' bank details as my own, then have them give me the cash from my pay check. It's not efficient or optimal, but it may be my only option at this point.

Asking an employer to pay your salary to somebody else' account won't fly. Don't try that. Unless the employer is a fly by night operators. There are lot of reasons why that's wrong.

You can always ask for named check, un crossed, in your name, and cash it at the respective bank.

jfdemarini wrote:I'm in Singapore on a working holiday pass, and I've tried to open bank accounts at both UOB and DBS/POSB--both refused because my visa is less than six months.

I'm looking at Citi now (I'm American)...

Can't you get accounts at those banks as a foreigner living abroad? Seems like the US passport might be the issue here.

Yeah, pretty sure it's his passport. Lots of Yanks having problem worldwide because of FATCA.

Trust me guys, it's not the passport--they don't even look at it. I show them my Working Holiday card, and as soon as they see that it's less than six months they tell me it's not possible to open an account.

Hey man,
I am on a work holiday pass in Singapore too. When you tried to open your account, what did you use as an address proof?

darkgod wrote:Hey man,
I am on a work holiday pass in Singapore too. When you tried to open your account, what did you use as an address proof?

I ended up never opening a bank account and having all of my money wired back to my US accounts. None of the banks here would allow me to open an account with a visa duration shorter than six months.

Luckily, I'll be on an S-pass soon, and then I can use that to open a bank account.