If you've moved to Ireland, or are in the planning stages of doing so, you've probably encountered some ridiculously restrictive Irish banking rules, the most impactful to new immigrants being the inability to open an account from overseas. Basically, if you want to open an account from abroad the answer has been a point blank 'No', at least until recently.

That has changed dramatically now, with Bank of Ireland being the first major Irish bank that have taken steps to make this aspect of moving easier for you. BOI now have a 'Coming to Ireland' page on their website which gives you details on how you can arrange a face-to-face appointment with their staff (Skype and/or Facetime), and set up an account ahead of your move.
This makes life so much easier in so many ways for people who are moving. I can't tell you how many times over the last few years I've received questions about this, so I'm really happy to announce it here now.

Not only are they simplifying the opening of an account for overseas customers (see my Tweet conversation with them below), they are also offering a number of other things such as:

  • banking assistance to people returning to Ireland after time abroad,
  • information for those of you looking to rent/buy property,
  • and information related to transferring your money (I haven't read that section yet, but I still recommend CurrencyFair over any other currency transfer service).

I'm in no way promoting Bank of Ireland here. In fact to ensure you end using the best bank for your long term needs, I still strongly recommend that you research your options on www.consumerhelp.ie. It's just that BOI are the first to offer this kind of service, and I want you to know about it, because having an account set up in advance of your move will simplify so many other things, e.g. transferring funds, setting up loans and direct debits (auto-payments), arranging for direct deposit of your paycheck, etc.

Hopefully some of the other big banks will follow suit soon. To do so would obviously provide people with more options and create better competition for those of you who will avail of this kind of service. If and when other banks start to offer a similar service I'll update this page with their information.

Please visit https://personalbanking.bankofireland.com/bank/coming-to-ireland/ for complete information from BOI, including how to call them or have them call you.

Playing in the background!
You may have noticed this on a couple of other recent blog posts on the site - I usually have some music on in the background while writing these articles, and I decided to start sharing what I'm listening to. Feel free to ding me on my taste in music if you please 🙂
Tonight, I had Ed Sheeran's new album 'Divide' playing on my headphones. There are certainly some great tracks on the record. 'Barcelona' (off the Deluxe edition) and 'Shape of You' really stand out for me. I gotta say though, I prefer the last album 'Multiply' just a little bit. Listen to both with the Amazon Music Unlimited 30-Day Free Trial.

Thanks for reading!