opening a bank account in the u.k

lisa71 · Post by **lisa71** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 12:45 pm

Hi
I want to open a bank account in the uk when i arrive which is soon. What ID do I need ? do i need a national insurance number ?
which bank is easiest ? thanks

jbinuk · Post by **jbinuk** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 1:07 pm

I'm afraid you wont be able to open a bank account as soon as you arrive because they will require you to provide them with documents with your name and address in it such as utility bills. In fact when I arrived here, I wasnt able to open my own account till I got a job.

But I am not sure if this is the case for all the bank here in UK. You might want to call banks and ask them.

samkma · Post by **samkma** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 1:12 pm

Once you arrive in UK just send a pm to me and I can give more details on opening a bank account.
Cheers

tekaweni · Post by **tekaweni** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 2:16 pm

Hi, you dont say under what conditions you will be in UK but if its settlement on a work permit then the following describes my obtaining a bank account the day after I arrived here back in 2001.

1) They wanted proof of where I lived. In my case I provided a rental agreement.

2) Proof of a job. In my case the letter of appointment was fine. I didnt have payslips as hadnt worked a full month yet.

3) ID. My passport was fine.

That was enough to get me a current account with Barclays, the other banks will probably want the same. You wont need an NI number as most likely you wont even have one until you've been here for several months.

HTH
Kim

ismangil · Post by **ismangil** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 3:57 pm

I was recently in an HSBC branch noticed this: http://www.hsbc.co.uk/1/2/personal/curr ... s/passport

Seems perfect for you!

Immigrationboards.com: Immigration, work visa and work permit discussion board

opening a bank account in the u.k

opening a bank account in the u.k