Making Payments in Aus from SA

[TiaanAndLeigh]

Hi All

I am currently in the process of submitting for my skills assessment with the AACA (Architects Accreditation Council of Australia) and they require a payment of AUD $1050 submitted with the application. Problem is they do not accept EFT. According to the forms payment is to be in the form of a bank cheque, money order or foreign draft. My aunt in Sydney has offered to open a bank account for us (in her name) so that we can transfer the money as well as a little extra in order to make the payment and start saving at the same time. My question is if we transfer money into my aunt's account, won't we have to declare this as a gift rather than a payment for a service? And if so, what is the limit on "gifts" per year? If we reach this limit there will be no point in opening a bank account because we will not be allowed to move money beyond the "gift" limit, so is it then better rather to open an account online in our names and transfer money directly? How much money is one allowed to move per year into your own foreign accounts? Should I rather get the bank cheque and post it? Initially I was worried about a cheque getting lost in the mail, but the documentation I posted reached Sydney within a week, so I don't think the postal service is a real issue.

I appreciate any advice on this matter.

Thanks in advance!

[Erik]

I don't see how opening an account will solve the problem?

You would still need "a bank cheque, money order or foreign draft"

You can get a bank cheque in AUS$ from your forex department of your bank.

I had to get one in pounds for my wife's UK PCC. Costs about R300 at FNB. Just take the documentation along to say what it's for. Took about a week to get.

We could give our credit card details for VETASSESS, is this not an option with AACA?

Good luck

[RichtB]

Speak to Anita Huyser at Exchange4Free (anita@exchange4free.com). You can invest up R4m per person per calender year overseas. You can use the bank account that your aunt wants to open for you - if I am not mistaken.

[TiaanAndLeigh]

I don't see how opening an account will solve the problem?

You would still need "a bank cheque, money order or foreign draft"

You can get a bank cheque in AUS$ from your forex department of your bank.

I had to get one in pounds for my wife's UK PCC. Costs about R300 at FNB. Just take the documentation along to say what it's for. Took about a week to get.

We could give our credit card details for VETASSESS, is this not an option with AACA?

Good luck

The intention of the Aus bank account was to allow my aunt to make the payment from there and avoid the risk of losing the cheque in the mail. The AACA does not accept eft or credit card payments. What a pain!

Thanks for the further info. I am off to FNB now to find out exactly how things work.

[MarkSalter]

I did skills assessment through Australia Computer Society and just paid them through their website with a credit card after uploading the docs.

Can you not pay with a credit card?

[TiaanAndLeigh]

Nope. Apparently they don't accept credit card payments. Weird, but also typical of an architectural body to over-complicate life!

[Mara]

Opening an account in Australia, in your own name, will not help you either. Once you open the account and place money in it, you have to first visit a local branch to "activate" the account before any money can be moved out of the account. You can deposit but you cannot withdraw, until you have personally activiated the account.

[Hugo2]

Speak to Anita Huyser at Exchange4Free (anita@exchange4free.com). You can invest up R4m per person per calender year overseas. You can use the bank account that your aunt wants to open for you - if I am not mistaken.

Please do not use the R4m to be deposited in a South African's foreign bank account. If the Aunt has never lived in SA it may be legal. Sending R4m abroad you sign an undertaking not to make the R4m available to another South African living abroad, not having formally emigrated. Interestingly enough you can remit your R1m DA to a South African living abroad as either gift or loan.

Edited April 23, 2013 by Hugo2

[Hugo2]

I agree that opening the bank account will not resolve the problem unless a local Aus bank draft is also allowed. You can ask for your R1m discretionary allowance to be presented as Au$ bank draft. You may also ask for the membership to be paid legally from SA, yes we so often immediately create our own challenge. It is totally legal to present your invoice or statement to your bankers and ask for a foreign currency bank draft. To answer you question on monetary limit it is R1m per annum,. reduced by your foreign travel spending (allowance) that may be advanced or gifted to a SA or Au national living abroad. The tax limit is R100 000 donation per year per person and there after it is 20% donations tax.

[MrandMrsK]

I did a bank draft (costly) for my skills assessment and then sent it by fast mail. It got there fine, but I did become slightly poorer (my skills assessment was 1.5 times my monthly salary!!!) with a couple of grey hairs while waiting to be told it had been received.

Do you know they still use a typewriter for the bank draft - my jaw dropped when I heard and saw this ancient machine at work!!

By the way, I am a fastmail fan after this process, all my documents got where they were going quickly!

[TiaanAndLeigh]

Thanks all for the very helpful comments and suggestions.

I have decided to EFT the money to Aus and let my aunt write the cheque for me. FNB told me yesterday that the cost of the Cheque vs EFT is about the same (+/-R250), but for the cheque I will have to present a bunch of documents to prove what the money is for before the bank will issue the cheque, which will take at least a week. I don't anticipate our payments being made to Aus this year will be more than the 100k allowed (My aunt is from SA but emigrated 20-something years ago).

[TiaanAndLeigh]

I did a bank draft (costly) for my skills assessment and then sent it by fast mail. It got there fine, but I did become slightly poorer (my skills assessment was 1.5 times my monthly salary!!!) with a couple of grey hairs while waiting to be told it had been received.

Do you know they still use a typewriter for the bank draft - my jaw dropped when I heard and saw this ancient machine at work!!

By the way, I am a fastmail fan after this process, all my documents got where they were going quickly!

Ha ha! That's hilarious!

I used normal airmail to send a parcel two weeks ago, and it arrived on my aunt's doorstep within 1 week. I couldn't believe it was so fast. Also not cheap, as you pay per kilo.

My skills assessment is going to cost $1050, excluding the bank fees. That's like R10k, and there is a possibility they turn you down anyway! Totally nerve wrecking! On top of that they have said it will take up to 20 weeks to hear from them! At least now I feel like I have gotten the process on the roll for real...