credit checks

[lianm1]

Hi
Can anyone tell me if you are credit checked internationaly in Australia.
Will my UK credit history show up on a credit search in Oz if i still have my UK account open?
I am getting different answers on the net, some say you start from scratch in Oz
with no following credit from the UK.
Others say the Ozzy banks etc do international searches ?

I am hopeing to start a complete fresh with everything including credit.
Is this possible

[Guest31881]

You do start from scratch in Australia, they cannot access the UK credit rating. The data protection act stops UK credit agencies exchanging details with other countries.

All they are interested in here is, "can you afford to pay", you start with a good rating, only if you miss payments does it deteriorate

[feelthebolo]

Hi
Can anyone tell me if you are credit checked internationaly in Australia.
Will my UK credit history show up on a credit search in Oz if i still have my UK account open?
I am getting different answers on the net, some say you start from scratch in Oz
with no following credit from the UK.
Others say the Ozzy banks etc do international searches ?

I am hopeing to start a complete fresh with everything including credit.
Is this possible

Hey

Just to say. Im in a similar situation and looking to start from scratch. So thats good news!

[simmo50]

so just to clarify, if you leave thousands of pounds on credit cards in the uk unpaid , they wont check the history of this in uk, but will the credit card companies be able to trace you in oz and come looking for you, hyperthetically of course!!

[Goochie]

so just to clarify, if you leave thousands of pounds on credit cards in the uk unpaid , they wont check the history of this in uk, but will the credit card companies be able to trace you in oz and come looking for you, hyperthetically of course!!

The UK credit card firm can sell the debt to an international debt collector. There is currently no way a UK debt can be legally chased in Australia. However there have been instances where certain Aussie debt collectors have tried this. Presumably in the hope that ex-pats wont know the law and will pay up.

There was an Australian court hearing some months ago now that threw the debt collectors case out so the chances of that happening again are slim.

A UK bank or card company is unlikely to track you down to Australia within the first few months. However, if the debt is big enough to warrant further investigation they may try to find out where you are.

Obviously the first place they start looking is your card statements. If you've paid $1000 to the Australian Immigration department on your credit card, it's pretty obvious where you've gone!

They may also write letters to your former addresses, including your parents, so you need to think about how they will react knowing you've run away from debts.

I dont know any of this from personal experience but have a friend who is now in Oz who left about £34k behind in the UK.

There is a "UK debt being chased overseas" section on the forums at www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk

Why not go bankrupt before you leave?

[jamesnparry]

The UK credit card firm can sell the debt to an international debt collector. There is currently no way a UK debt can be legally chased in Australia. However there have been instances where certain Aussie debt collectors have tried this. Presumably in the hope that ex-pats wont know the law and will pay up.

There was an Australian court hearing some months ago now that threw the debt collectors case out so the chances of that happening again are slim.

A UK bank or card company is unlikely to track you down to Australia within the first few months. However, if the debt is big enough to warrant further investigation they may try to find out where you are.

Obviously the first place they start looking is your card statements. If you've paid $1000 to the Australian Immigration department on your credit card, it's pretty obvious where you've gone!

They may also write letters to your former addresses, including your parents, so you need to think about how they will react knowing you've run away from debts.

I dont know any of this from personal experience but have a friend who is now in Oz who left about £34k behind in the UK.

There is a "UK debt being chased overseas" section on the forums at www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk

Why not go bankrupt before you leave?

wasn't there some post saying that courts can come after you if a ccj is actioned/established prior to you leaving, and therefore it can be pursued internationally......however if they (the creditor) takes you to court and is awarded ccj against you in your absence (when you have left) this can not be enforced internationally.