I’m living in the UK. Can I open a US joint checking account with my father who still resides in the US

[zailan3]

I moved to the UK about five years ago to join my partner. I have legal residency here but I have retained my US citizenship. My dad still resides in the states. Is it possible for us to open a joint checking account in the US that I can access from abroad? I’d like to be able to share a pot of money so he can help with our childcare expenses, housing, etc and avoid gift tax implications. Anyone done this?

 

[jacob_]

@zailan3 Yes, you can do this. In most cases, you would use the address of your father, but also a foreign address may work. If you have a US credit score, you might even be able to open accounts online (see here regarding my experience of keeping accounts open).

Generally, it is also not a problem to keep your other US accounts - in many cases, it is best to use a US address (as discussed here on reddit), but for a checking account (rather than a brokerage account) also a foreign address should work.

 

[neorpheus]

@zailan3 Should be fine, you might want to go with a bank like Schwab that primarily operates online and doesn’t expect you to open it in person though

 

[cade_one]

@zailan3 Yes. I am in the UK and have an account back in the US that is joint with one of my parents. I believe I needed to have proof of address in the US to open the account.