I'm an expat and Barclays の近くにd my account: Why has my £15k been 'on 持つ／拘留する' for 10 months? CRANE ON THE CASE

• e-mail

I'm a UK 国家の but have lived in フラン since 1986.?I've banked with Barclays since 1965, but in late 2022 my cheques stopped 存在 honoured.

I was later told I could no longer keep my account 予定 to the Brexit 支配する changes, and the account was の近くにd.?

My problem is getting the £15,000 I held with Barclays transferred to my French bank - it has been a nightmare.?It's been 10 months and my money is still stuck in a '持つ／拘留するing account' which I can't 接近.

大陸の calamity: Living in フラン means our reader has had his account の近くにd - but he has been struggling to 接近 the money that was within it for months?

I was asked to send さまざまな documentation 調印するd by an 公式の／役人, 含むing a copy of my UK パスポート, my French accoun t 詳細（に述べる）s and さまざまな forms Barclays sent me.?

This has been done and 調印するd off by my accountant, and I have even filled out some of the forms 多重の times - but the money has still not been transferred.?

I'm in my eighties, don't use the internet and can't travel to the UK to sort this out 予定 to my ill health.??

Recently I got a call from the Barclays （民事の）告訴s department and the person told me she couldn't see or find an account for me at Barclays at all - not even a 持つ／拘留するing account.?This is やめる 関心ing. Where is my money? F.E, フラン

Helen Crane, This is Money's 消費者 支持する／優勝者, replies: While you have enjoyed living la belle 争う in フラン since the 1980s, there are 確かな 財政上の downsides to 存在 a UK expat.?

Since Brexit, many banks have taken a harder line on 顧客s living in European countries outside of the UK.?

Some have decided to stop 許すing 顧客s who don't have a UK 演説（する）／住所 to bank with them at all, and have の近くにd their accounts.?

Others will 許す them to keep their accounts open, but 妨げる them from 開始 new ones or 接近ing 確かな services. Some banks gave custo mers the 適切な時期 to open special expat accounts, but these come with hefty 料金s.?

In your 事例／患者, Barclays made the 決定／判定勝ち（する） to の近くに your account 完全に, as it did for most of its expat 顧客s.?

You 受託する that that is the 事例／患者. However, there has been a 決裂／故障 in communication which has made it a real challenge to get your cash.?

You don't use email, instead preferring to bank 経由で phone and 地位，任命する.?

Barclays did say that it 警告するd you about this six months in 前進する of your account 存在 の近くにd, sending you a letter in July 2022 - but you say you didn't receive it.?

You also say that you didn't receive a bank 声明 from Barclays for more than a year in 前進する of this.?

Whether or not that July letter was sent, I think it is the sort of 緊急の （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状） that would have been better explained to you 経由で a phone call from Barclays.?

The bank has 始める，決める up a website for those who are having their accounts の近くにd, but it seems things have gone wrong when it comes to getting touch with 顧客s 直接／まっすぐに.?

Thousands of 顧客s living all over Europe are 影響する／感情d by this - many of whom will be retirees who don't 定期的に go online.?

Offline: Our reader prefers to do his banking 経由で phone and 地位，任命する, which seems to have made it more difficult to を取り引きする Barclays

As it happened, your account was の近くにd in February 2023. If you had realised about the 終結 earlier, you could have 簡単に transferred the 基金s yourself to your French bank account before the UK account was shut 負かす／撃墜する.?But as you had 行方不明になるd that 最終期限, the 過程 was much trickier.??

In the 指示／教授／教育s on Barclays website, it says those living outside the UK should only need to fill out one form ーするために 移転 their money.?

Sounds 平易な - but unfortunately that wasn't your experience. Understandably, there were several 文書s you had to 供給する, but you say that you have sent these off and not heard anything 支援する from Barclays.?

You sent some by 登録（する）d 地位，任命する, so know that they were 配達するd.?You also said you had to fill out the same form several times, which was stressful given your age and ill health.?

Why have I been 封鎖するd from putting money in my Isa? I live abroad but still 支払う／賃金 UK 税金?

I do feel that banks are getting lazier when it comes to 取引，協定ing with 顧客s who prefer to correspond by 地位，任命する or phone, instead of doing things online.?

Too often, letters in particular seem to be ignored with the 仮定／引き受けること that the 顧客 will 結局 選ぶ up the phone or use online banking. But you are in your eighties, don't bank online and don't ーするつもりである to start.?

You don't even have an email 演説（する）／住所, and had to enlist the help of your daughter 支援する in the UK's account to get in touch with me and send me your correspondence.?

Once you did, I 接触するd Barclays in November to ask why getting your money had taken so long. After I did that, it said it 試みる／企てるd to call you several times, but you didn't 選ぶ up.?

You 保証するd me you hadn't received the calls, though, and when I questioned this Barclays said it didn't have the 権利 phone number for you on とじ込み／提出する - even though you had called them on that number 多重の times.?

You also received the call from the （民事の）告訴s department, which told you it couldn't find an account for you, on that same number - so someone in the Barclays must have known it.?

I had to send them your 訂正する phone number ーするために get the money transferred, which I am pleased to say was finally done in late December.?

That was 10 months after your account was の近くにd, and more than a year after you first became aware of the problem. If I hadn't got 伴う／関わるd, who knows how long it may have taken.?

Tranquil: F.E lives on the C?te d'Azur, の近くに to the beautiful St Tropez - but his 平和的な 退職 has been interrupted by this bank account blip

A Barclays 広報担当者 said: 'Our Barclays UK 製品s are designed for 顧客s within the UK. Barclays UK is no longer 申し込む／申し出ing personal 現在の or 貯金 accounts to 小売 顧客s who have an 演説（する）／住所 登録（する）d with us outside of the UK, with 限られた／立憲的な exceptions.?

'Our 顧客 was given six month's notice in July 2022 of this 決定／判定勝ち（する） before account 終結 took place in February 2023, with …を伴ってing （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状） explaining the next steps they needed to take.

'Letters were sent 月毎の between April 2023 and July 2023 to our 顧客 requesting （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状） that would 許す the 基金s to be 解放（する）d.?

'Unfortunately, without this （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状） we were unable to 完全にする the （人命などを）奪う，主張する. Once we were able to speak to our 顧客 the 要求するd （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状） was 得るd and the 基金s 解放（する）d.'

You （人命などを）奪う，主張する you didn't receive those 月毎の le tters, and again I think the （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状） would have been better communicated in a phone call.

However, I am glad that you finally have your money 安全に in your French account.?

You have since sent me a postcard from your town in the beautiful C?te d'Azur - and I hope you continue to enjoy your twilight years there, unhampered by any その上の banking bother.?