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"With respect to your comments recently, Kathleen, about how
increasingly difficult it is these days to
open a bank account anywhere in the world, I thought I'd write
to mention that, in fact, in Uruguay, you can open an account
at the government's official bank just by showing your passport. I
was not asked for any references. It's not only easy but convenient,
at least for banking needs within the country. Most everyone has an
account at the government bank, and inter-account transfers are easy
via the bank's website. You can hold U.S. dollars, euro, or
Uruguayan pesos and move money among the currencies online.
"Contrary to apparent logic, a U.S. citizen can easily open an
account at a government bank in this country. We can sometimes open
an account at a private non-U.S. bank, but the requirements are
stricter, and it's really at the discretion of the manager. You may
be turned down by a bank that doesn't want to be hassled by the IRS.
"An American will not be able to open an account in this
country at an American bank, such as Citibank. Impossible.
"Regardless of which bank you choose, your account information is
confidential, even from Uruguayan government agencies.
"Also, Kathleen you wrote recently, too, about
the weather in La Barra, Uruguay. Not to pick nits, but La
Barra's is not the warmest climate in Uruguay. That distinction
(among cities I find attractive) would probably go to
Salto, which is inland. La Barra is chilly, as are the coastal
cities in general, in winter."
-- Latin America
Correspondent Christian MacDonald, currently traveling in Brazil
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