My partner and I want to buy a house in my grandparents' village in Croatia. We're wondering how to get our money - which is in bank accounts in the UK - to Croatia to pay for the house. I know banks charge very high fees for this (especially outside of the EU), but apparently there are other money transfer services available.
Has anyone here bought a house abroad or sent a largish amount of money to another country? If so, how did you do it and how much did it cost?
Any advice is welcome!
jumping_frog
1
missalaska
am i correct in thinking that Croatia has the Kuna as currency?
HiFX (their english branch is based in Windsor) give a good exchange rate - someone posted up a long time ago the bank rates and some currency exchange companies too for a particular day and HIFX were better that the best bank/building society which was Nationwide
they do your first transaction for free but you will likely be charged by the bank for a CHAPS payment to HIFX
It depends which bank you're with but the bigger banks give crap exchange rates (do a search on for one of the names and you'll probably find the post)
I transfered money for the purpose of buying a house with HIFX to a South African bank and I was very satisfied with their service and the transfer easily met the deadline.
If the pound is particularly strong you can set the rate and then transfer money at that rate at later stages. anway their website is:
HiFX website
3
unakuruwa
when i bought property in sri lanka i was told a certified check in usd if fine (technically not true i found out later the law req'd all transactions in ruppee's.) in the end i brought 60,000 usd cash. i wouldn't reccomend it i was never happier to be rid of cash as when i handed over that money. i didn't trust declaring it in customs so i guess i smuggled it and that made me just as nervous not to mention having cash stashed all over my body and worrying that i was leaving a trail of 100 dollar bills behind me inadvertantly.the 2nd time i brought a certified ck in usd but i'm sure every country has different regulations and banking laws and the degree that they scrutinize these transactions is different. good luck when these things go smoothly it can be great.
4
retireglobal
Wells Fargo International advertises on some expat sites. I would contact them.
Wells Fargo International
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