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I am young Brit, beginning my career as a scientist in Germany. Over the last few years I have accrued a sum which I wish to invest as long term savings, however the life of a scientist is one of regularly changing country (every 1-2 years). For this reason I wish to keep my savings in the UK as to avoid regularly paying fees for moving the money. This said, when looking for banks to invest with, it seems to be difficult to find those that will accept accounts for non-residents/ex-pats.

As someone living outside of the UK, how do I get started with investment in the UK?

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    When I moved from London to Vancouver I found that Barclays stock brokers were the only broker that would allow me to keep my account and continue to trade and transfer funds.
    – not-nick
    Jan 2, 2020 at 4:41

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I am not an expert by any mean, but... Investing through a share ISA in the UK is VERY tax efficient and one is allowed to invest £20,000 / year tax free.

"If" you were tax resident in the UK for a year or less (between jobs?) it might be interesting to pile up to £20,000.

Although I am not 100% sure, I doubt this would become taxable if you then go and work abroad again...

Unfortunately, all this is related to "tax advice" and you might need to take professional advice in regards to the country you work into.

Best

Eric

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    ISAs are a bad idea for most ex-pats. If you’re tax-resident in another country, it won’t recognise the tax-exempt status of the ISA, and will tax the money like any other income and capital gain.
    – Mike Scott
    Sep 3, 2019 at 21:05
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    This article from the This is MONEY website, while focusing on moving to Australia, seems to cover the issue of existing ISAs well: HMRC allows you to keep them open, although some banks won't. You can't pay in (except for the tax-year you leave), and future interest/gains may be taxed even with a double-taxation agreement between the two countries.
    – TripeHound
    Aug 29, 2020 at 11:22

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