ESC

Click the "allow" button if you want to receive important news and updates from immigrationboards.com


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

Welcome to immigrationboards.com!

Login Register Do not show

Opening a Bank Account

Archived UK Tier 1 (General) points system forum. This route no longer exists.

Moderators: Casa, push, JAJ, ca.funke, Amber, zimba, vinny, Obie, EUsmileWEallsmile, batleykhan, meself2, geriatrix, John, ChetanOjha, archigabe, Administrator

yodiyokun
Member of Standing
Posts: 291
Joined: Tue Jul 12, 2005 11:17 am
Location: lagos nigeria

Opening a Bank Account

Post by yodiyokun » Thu Aug 04, 2005 12:23 pm

Please how do I go about opening a bank account in the Uk.
most of the banks sites i have visited show they require a utility bill ... but does that mean i wont open an account before i get an apartment.
even renting a place.. i hear one needs a reference from an employer ...
please someone explain it all to me. :roll:

thanks
My bow has been renewed

amhilde
Member
Posts: 177
Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2005 11:36 pm

Post by amhilde » Thu Aug 04, 2005 2:50 pm

Getting a bank account in the UK is quite tricky- I got mine when I worked there and they sent me out the first day with an employer letter to try every bank on the local High Street until I found one that would accept me. Between my friend and I we found NatWest and Barclays the most receptive. I still have an account from NatWest open.

Does your local bank have branches in the UK? Some people have gone that route.

ShoaibJaved
Junior Member
Posts: 67
Joined: Sat Nov 06, 2004 4:39 am
Location: UK

Post by ShoaibJaved » Thu Aug 04, 2005 6:43 pm

Banks require two type of documents for opening an account,
1. Your photo ID.
2. Proof of address.

Your passport can serve as your photo ID.
For proof of address what you can do is obtain provisional driving license from DVLA it has your photo and adress on it and it serves the purpose.

With the above two documents I went to HSBC and it took little less than thirty minutes to get my account open. They opened me a basic account and provided me with a cash card to withdraw cash from ATMs and promised to upgrade my account as soon as I get employed and start crediting my account.

dhavaluk
Member of Standing
Posts: 266
Joined: Sat Jan 08, 2005 8:27 am
Location: London, UK
Contact:

Post by dhavaluk » Fri Aug 05, 2005 8:54 am

Dear Shoaib adn amhilde,

THanx for the info you people have provided. DO the banks need any minimum ammount to open account with? eg. in India we ahve almost everybank has its own requirement of minimum amount ranging from Rs. 500 to Rs. 5000. And Shoaib, whats is the basic account and what would u get when u said ur account will be upgraded?

yodiyokun
Member of Standing
Posts: 291
Joined: Tue Jul 12, 2005 11:17 am
Location: lagos nigeria

Post by yodiyokun » Fri Aug 05, 2005 11:05 am

Dhav,
you can get details on hsbc products from their site.
www.hsbc.co.uk

shoaib,
what do i need to get a provisional license?
My bow has been renewed

bani
Senior Member
Posts: 796
Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2004 9:01 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Post by bani » Fri Aug 05, 2005 12:31 pm

You can apply for a provisional license at the Post Office.

yodiyokun
Member of Standing
Posts: 291
Joined: Tue Jul 12, 2005 11:17 am
Location: lagos nigeria

Post by yodiyokun » Fri Aug 05, 2005 1:18 pm

bani wrote:You can apply for a provisional license at the Post Office.
Thanks bani
what documents do i need to submit with the application form for the provisional licence and how long will it take DVLA to process it.

Thanks
My bow has been renewed

dhavaluk
Member of Standing
Posts: 266
Joined: Sat Jan 08, 2005 8:27 am
Location: London, UK
Contact:

Post by dhavaluk » Sat Aug 06, 2005 6:07 am

yodiyokun wrote:Dhav,
you can get details on hsbc products from their site.
www.hsbc.co.uk
THanks a lot dear, this link is really very helpful.

Marie B
Member
Posts: 143
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 1:31 pm
Location: London

Post by Marie B » Mon Aug 08, 2005 6:26 am

You can only apply for a provisional licence through the post office if you have a british passport. If you have a passport from another country you can pick up the application form at the post office but will have to send your passport to the DVLA in Swansea.

Have a look on http://www.dvla.gov.uk for information. My husband just applied a week ago. You need to attach a photo that has been signed by someone not related to you, who doesn't live at the same address, who has known you for at least two years and has a certain profession such as a lawyer, policeman, doctor, etc. All info is in a booklet with the application form.

If you have arrived in the country recently and don't have someone to sign for you that meets the requirements you can get your photo signed at a DVLA local office. My husband did this. Had to wait for about an hour to see someone but eventually got his photo signed and they sent his application through their direct courier, costs £38 for a provisional licence, only needed to send his passport as proof of ID, also included a pre-paid special delivery envelope for the return of his passport (don't want that to go missing courtesy of Royal Mail).

The woman at the DVLA said it takes up to two weeks to receive the licence and a further 10 days to receive his passport back.........
Last edited by Marie B on Tue Aug 09, 2005 7:00 am, edited 2 times in total.

tech
Member of Standing
Posts: 278
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2004 1:01 am

Post by tech » Mon Aug 08, 2005 7:42 pm

I thought they will give your passport back after checking it. Are you saying they still retained your passport and told you that it will be sent by Royal mail?

Please clarify.

Marie B
Member
Posts: 143
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 1:31 pm
Location: London

Post by Marie B » Tue Aug 09, 2005 6:19 am

Yes! The post office and DVLA local offices can only check UK passports and hand them straight back. They don't process driving licence applications or produce driving licences, the DVLA in Swansea do. If you have a passport from another country you have to send it with your application form to Swansea to be checked and processed.

All documents sent to the DVLA and your new driving licence are returned seperately by post, very dodgy I agree, but you can put a special delivery envelope in with your application so documents sent back via special delivery (still quite dodgy).


Going back to the original post; the whole process of getting a bank account in this country is very strick, my husband has been here since the end of May and has still not been able to get a proof of address that is acceptable. I have had a bank account since I was a child with the Halifax but they still wouldn't give him an account even though we both have the same address and surname and my account is registered under these details. Hopefully they will accept his provisional driving licence but they did say even this may be a problem as he does not have proof of his previous addresses covering the last three years, will have to wait and see......

ShoaibJaved
Junior Member
Posts: 67
Joined: Sat Nov 06, 2004 4:39 am
Location: UK

Post by ShoaibJaved » Fri Aug 12, 2005 10:25 am

Halifax is probably the worst bank when it comes to new bank accounts. First of all they will not open a new account to a stranger secondly even if the open an account they will not upgrade it to a normal account for atleast one year. A friend of mine was earning more than 40K/annum and was working for about 1-1/2 years but halifax was not upgrading his account until he actually asked the bank to close down his account.

HSBC is the easiest to open an account with.

hk_007
Member
Posts: 153
Joined: Sun Jul 11, 2004 1:09 pm

Post by hk_007 » Fri Aug 12, 2005 10:27 am

In fact Halifax asks for 3 years...and I moved away from them.

Marie B
Member
Posts: 143
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 1:31 pm
Location: London

Post by Marie B » Fri Aug 12, 2005 10:34 am

My husband has decided against applying for a bank account with the Halifax, its not like they give you anything more than any of the other banks, and they treat you like a second class citizen.

I thought the fact that I had been a customer for over 18 years would mean they would help us out, I understand they have to stick to the rules for opening an account but what they ask for is ridiculous. Think he's going to go for HSBC or Nationwide.

Marie B
Member
Posts: 143
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 1:31 pm
Location: London

Post by Marie B » Sun Aug 14, 2005 7:15 am

My husband received his passport and new drivers licence on friday, took two and a half weeks altogether.

yodiyokun
Member of Standing
Posts: 291
Joined: Tue Jul 12, 2005 11:17 am
Location: lagos nigeria

Post by yodiyokun » Sun Aug 14, 2005 8:48 am

Marie B wrote:My husband received his passport and new drivers licence on friday, took two and a half weeks altogether.
marie thanks for the update
but please let us know if your husband is successful in opening a bank account with the provisional license and at which bank
My bow has been renewed

ShoaibJaved
Junior Member
Posts: 67
Joined: Sat Nov 06, 2004 4:39 am
Location: UK

Post by ShoaibJaved » Sat Aug 20, 2005 8:11 pm

I succesfully opened my bank account with HSBC and the documents I presented them were provisional driving license and passport.

timefactor
Member of Standing
Posts: 271
Joined: Tue Mar 30, 2004 10:46 am
Location: london-UK

Post by timefactor » Mon Aug 22, 2005 12:37 pm

If you *really* want to use your bank account then the best option is
www.alliance-leicester.co.uk current account, which gives you 5% interest for your savings, 12 months interest free overdraft and 7.7% after 12 months.

And the cracking stuff is you will get £25 for opening account online and if refered by friend you will get another £50 summing up £75 for opening a bank account!!

Easy way for address proof: if any of your friends live in his/her own accomodation they can request British Telecom to add your name to the BT bill and an updated copy of recent Bill.

Regarding benifits HSBC and Natwest are worst, but very easy to open account with them. For Halifax we have to meet their credit rating standards.

ShoaibJaved
Junior Member
Posts: 67
Joined: Sat Nov 06, 2004 4:39 am
Location: UK

Post by ShoaibJaved » Tue Aug 23, 2005 8:19 pm

Thanks for recommending Alliance bank but I found the following clause on their advert.

PLEASE NOTE: You must be a permanent UK resident to apply for this account. We do not accept applications from the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands.

Am I and most of us struggling to open an account eligible for an account with alliance?

timefactor
Member of Standing
Posts: 271
Joined: Tue Mar 30, 2004 10:46 am
Location: london-UK

Post by timefactor » Thu Aug 25, 2005 7:56 am

They would look at your credit ratings!

KV
Junior Member
Posts: 55
Joined: Wed May 12, 2004 9:00 am

Post by KV » Thu Aug 25, 2005 1:49 pm

Having gone through the ordeal myself, I know its so difficult to open a bank account here. I mean in India, the bank will send a representative to your place, he will take your photo, take a copy of passport and you are on!! Its rediculously simple and very very customer friendly. Where as here in UK, its a nightmare.

They didnt open an account for me and my spouse for the want of residence proof. The fact is, to higher an apartment, you need a bank account statement (coz estate agents want to do a credit check), to get a BT line / any other utility service, you need a bank account (for direct debit), and to get a bank account, you need address proof / utility bill!! Its a chicken and egg situation.

I had to wait till i got my job and then took a letter from employer, verifying my residence address. Again, this sort of proof is admissible only with HSBC and no other bank. I tried Abbey, Nationwide, Barclays and all that. Even Lloyds TSB, which has a JV with ICICI Bank in India (i banked with ICICI in India), refused...

(We were told that its because they have toughned the laws in the last 3 years, as every year there are £2bilion worth of fales ID / Address related frauds in the banking system..huh)

HSBC is best bet...but you must have something to validate your address.

OFCHARITY
Member of Standing
Posts: 256
Joined: Wed Mar 24, 2004 2:45 pm
Location: UK

Post by OFCHARITY » Thu Aug 25, 2005 5:00 pm

I do not think you need a bank account to take out a BT line, I applied over the phone and was never asked for any bank details or any proof of anything for that matter. If you manage to get a flat/house to rent then you simply need to telephone the gas/electric/council tax people and they will start sending bills in your name.

It is frustrating to get an account in the first few months, I have been through it, Woolich (owned by Barclays) opens basic accounts immediately if you bring in a bill with proof that money has been paid on it and your passport, Abbey does too. From my experience, HSBC will not open an account for you if you have less than six months remaining on your visa and if you present the very first bill for a bt line.
'In everything give thanks'

bani
Senior Member
Posts: 796
Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2004 9:01 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Post by bani » Thu Aug 25, 2005 6:28 pm

If you have an employer, they can write a letter for you verifying your address. This is what I did (this letter + passport) and opened an account at Barclays.

First tried Natwest with similar letter, but they wanted 6 months of bank statements from my overseas bank plus set up an appointment first (and "none available today"). The guy was so haughty I told him I'll just go elsewhere when asked if I wanted to make an appointment. So frustrating.

I had an easier time opening bank accounts in the US (seems to require only a wad of cash :) and Australia (passport with visa enough), but things may have changed there recently. On the up side, in the UK, banking is free. No teller fees, no lack of activity fees, you can use other banks' ATMs for free, and my required minimum balance with Barclays is zero.

To those still in their home countries, save your bank statements just in case!

dokwal
BANNED
Posts: 126
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 1:01 am

Post by dokwal » Fri Aug 26, 2005 2:45 pm

u should have your intl driving licence and paport should fine for barclays

Marie B
Member
Posts: 143
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 1:31 pm
Location: London

Post by Marie B » Tue Aug 30, 2005 10:11 am

My husband finally opened a bank account!

First went to Nationwide but they needed proof of addresses for the last three years to open basic saving account, apparently as a building society they have stricter legislation.

Then went to HSBC. They asked for passport or driving licence and utility bill. Had finally managed to change NTL phone bill into his name (took months) so he used that as well as the driving licence and passport. With these documents he was eligible to apply for a basic bank account, not a current account.

As he is registered self-employed as a sole trader under CIS they offered him a sole trader's business account with savings account attached, includes cheque book and cash/debit card and business banking services. They said once he has been resident here for six months and the account has been open for a while they may be able to change it to a current account depending on how his finances look. Both HSBC and Nationwide said you need to have been resident for six months to apply for a current account, current account is dependent on credit rating.

Locked
cron