# Cashing a Foreign Cheque



## eoinkennedy (14 Feb 2006)

Hi,
Can anybody tell me if there is a simple way of cashing a foreign cheque?

I'm not sure if it's crossed yet (hasen't arrived), but if so, can I still go to a bureau de change and cash it there, or will a bank insist on depositing it into my account?

If its not crossed, can I go to a b.d.c. and cash it?

Thanks


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## DrMoriarty (14 Feb 2006)

You can only lodge a cheque to an account (bank or building society). If it's not in €, you'll be charged FX rates on the conversion, and even if it is you may be charged a fee, depending on the drawing bank.


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## Alex (14 Feb 2006)

i agree about having to lodge the cheque to an account. i lodge all foreign cheques to my account and it only takes a few days for them to clear.

Alex.


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## Lauren (14 Feb 2006)

Any foreign cheque I've cashed at the AIB has taken about four weeks to clear...Alex, what bank have u been using?


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## Alex (14 Feb 2006)

ulster bank. it has never taken 4 weeks for a foreign cheque to clear for me. they know me very well though.

Alex.


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## demoivre (14 Feb 2006)

My experience is it takes ten to fifteen days for a sterling cheque to clear and up to a month for a cheque in dollars to clear.


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## AJC (14 Feb 2006)

Alex said:
			
		

> ulster bank. it has never taken 4 weeks for a foreign cheque to clear for me. they know me very well though.
> 
> Alex.


 
I lodged a Stg Cheque in UB recently. They said that while they would give me value on it in two days, in theory it could take up to 6 weeks to clear through the system, and that there was no guarantee until then that they would not come looking for the funds back.


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## Alex (14 Feb 2006)

it's not a system i use on a regular basis but the last cheque was from the usa and that took less than a week to clear. the one before that was from the uk and it was cleared the vey same day. maybe it's because i know them so well and they trust me due to having a perfect record. i can't speak for anyone else though and i don't know why it takes longer for other people's foreign cheques to clear. i would leave the money sitting in the account for several weeks before withdrawing it just to be sure.

Alex.


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## bond-007 (14 Feb 2006)

I lodged a euro cheque from sky which was drawn on a uk bank. Took 4 weeks to get value for the cheque.


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## jimmyh (5 Mar 2009)

Hi Alex - do you not what sort of charges are involved and do they give you the FX rate on the day of lodgement or is it delayed?


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## Celtwytch (5 Mar 2009)

Alex, are you sure that the cheque has actually cleared in that short space of time?  The staff in your bank might know you very well, but they can't possibly know the person who has written the cheque.  You may see the funds in your account almost immediately, but the cheque itself would still need to be cleared.  

I was told in Bank of Ireland that the procedure is that the cheque is lodged to the account, and, to all intents and purposes, the funds are available as soon as the deposit is completed.  The cheque is then sent to the country of issue for clearing, which can take several weeks.  If the cheque does bounce, then the bank will take the funds back out of the account, and may charge a fee for the returned cheque.  

To answer the original question, I would imagine the cheque, crossed or not, would need to be lodged so that it can be cleared.


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## Mpsox (5 Mar 2009)

Alex said:


> it's not a system i use on a regular basis but the last cheque was from the usa and that took less than a week to clear. the one before that was from the uk and it was cleared the vey same day. maybe it's because i know them so well and they trust me due to having a perfect record. i can't speak for anyone else though and i don't know why it takes longer for other people's foreign cheques to clear. i would leave the money sitting in the account for several weeks before withdrawing it just to be sure.
> 
> Alex.


 
it may have appeared in your account, it may have been cleared for interest purposes but it is unlikely to have been cleared for fate and the bank could probably still have debited you back if it bounced. In areas such as this banks do not make exceptions for customers with perfect records, all of these payment processes are centralised and standardised. Possible youre local branch were trying to butter you up


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