Published on October 22nd, 2020 | by Sunit Nandi

How to Open an Overseas Business Bank Account

Starting a new business comes with a lot of planning, every small aspect needs to be well- researched to build a successful business foundation. It’s like building a puzzle, even if one piece is mismatched, then the entire puzzle goes wrong. Thus, building a business requires extensive research, meticulous planning and a futuristic outlook, even the easiest looking task needs to be well-thought off. Opening a business bank account of one of those critical tasks, that require a lot of thought, especially if you are operating your business overseas.

Thanks to digitisation, today you can sit in any country and operate your independent business in a foreign land. However, please remember that of all the tasks, opening the right kind of bank account for your business, will not be easy in a foreign land. From the processing fee to the documentations, exchange rates everything will depend on the country you chose to operate your business from.

The type of company will also determine, the formalities required for opening a bank account. For an LLP firm, the formalities are different than a sole proprietor firm. However, in any country LLP calls for more complication than an individual entity.

In most countries, including Europe, you need to deposit a portion of your organisations paid-up capital in the business account to get registered as a legal business firm in the country. This amount can only be used by the company once the firm is legally registered and permitted to do business in the country. In Europe, every business is allotted a unique identification number which serves as a licence to do business anywhere within the country.

Let’s understand the 3 stages to open an overseas bank account.

1. Get your Id and Residential Documents ready

The documentations are lengthy in case of an off-shore bank account. The off-shore bank authority would require detailed information about your Identity, Place of origin, date of birth, citizenship, type of business, type of investment and a lot more. Thus, you will have to furnish documents like a copy of your passport, driving license, your local govt id proof, residential address in their country and your native place address.

2. Documents authentication

Some countries accept a notarized copy of your documents, but for offshore business, most countries prefer an apostilles stamp which is a popular mark accepted internationally to validate your documents. To get this stamp, you might have to visit your closest government office.

3. Financial Documentation

Now that your identity check is done, the second round of documentation would be ‘Your financial references’. This is done to avoid any non-legal activities such as money laundering or tax theft. Here, you will have to provide your yearly financial statement from your existing bank. Secondly, you will have to explain the kind of transaction that would happen in the account. For instance, if the account is created to pay salaries, then the wage receipts of your employees would be enough documented proof.

Well, with these three steps, you will be able to successfully open your overseas bank account. However, once you open an account, there are few things that you need to know while operating these accounts.

1. Currency

The overseas bank allows you to hold money in a foreign currency, so if your domestic currency is unstable, then this opportunity might be of great help. However, certain currencies might help you earn interest but that earning might come with a huge tax liability, thus charges like exchange rates, transfer charges, taxations also need to be researched well, before you use these features.

2. Electronic transfer

Unlike your domestic wire transfers, overseas fund transfer is chargeable. There is a transfer fee attached to every transaction. Thus, check out for the banks that offer best transfer deals.

The Bottom line

With proper research on the banks that offer the best deals on currency exchange and fund transfers, will make your business banking journey smooth. Just ensure that all your documents are in place and start your overseas banking journey without any worry. Hire a tax consultant to make your life easier.

Tags: bank account, how to, overseas

About the Author

Sunit Nandi I'm the leader of Techno FAQ. Also an engineering college student with immense interest in science and technology. Other interests include literature, coin collecting, gardening and photography. Always wish to live life like there's no tomorrow.