ozzieeagle

My daughter, being a typical teenager, has suddenly decided she needs to go and reside in England straight away, (probably due to breaking up with her boyfreind or some other young'sh issue)...

Having a british passport, qualifying is not an issue, but for some reason, probably advice from young freinds that have been there as visitors or on working visas, She has thrown up an issue about not being able to function there from a banking point of view, saying it's next to impossible to open up a bank account as a newcomer to the country. Is this true ??

Or does one simply rock up to the bank, with passport in hand 100 quid, and open one ?


What is needed please ?

Vanessa

Not a case of just turning up any more due to the Money Laundering Regulations and other such legislation. Will need ID and I believe some sort of bill with her address on. However, this may be different if the person has just entered the UK.

JayDeee

Passport and an address.

Loads of people have opened bank acoounts, Nat west is one of the easiest to get a debit card out of as a "traveller" but I would reccomend nationwide.

With a British Passport which I am asuming she has she will have no probs at all.

Kala

JayDeee

If she needs to prove address a Tenancy agreement will do (W.H Smiths).

Kala

Amazulu

It is certainly not easy. It varies from bank to bank & even what branch you go into. Usually you need id (maybe 2 forms) & proof of where you live (usually a utility bill in your name, council tax bill or tenancy agreement). It can be a real pain or relatively strightforward. Tell her to look at www.1stcontact.co.uk, this is an organisation that helps people from the southern hemisphere to get set up in the UK, they can help with bank accounts, tax issues etc. Tell her to pick up a copy of TNT magazine when she gets here. This is a magazine published on Mondays & distributed free around London, It's aimed at people from southern hemisphere based in the UK & has loads of info on jobs, financial issues, travel etc.

ozzieeagle

Would residing with a family member be sufficient to you think, like her grandparents or uncle ?


many thanks for your quick responses so far, It's saved an anxious daughter from pacing up and down lol


.

moneypenny20

She doesn't want to buy a house whilst she is here does she Oh ok, just a thought

JayDeee

If she tries a few banks she will be fine, when my hubby went over he had "major trouble" getting a bank account, typical bloke tried 1 bank, so i waltzed him into Nationwide and hey presto he gets a bank account, It does vary between banks and who you get but all she needs to do is try a few.

If she is staying with family she can probably go in with them and explain she has just moved ove and sho there proof of address if they are goin to be a real ain but I honestly dont thinkshe will have a prob if she tries a few banks.

loads of hubbies aussie mates got accounts whilst staying in backpackers

ABCDiamond

The people that seem to have problems are those with Australian (or other countries) passports.

With a British passport for ID, and a British address, (if residing with a family member), the Banks should not think twice about any problems, IMHO

sam&molly

One thing she could do is open a HSBC Sterling account here before she leaves for the UK. Even having a British passport you still have to jump through hoops. When we were saving up to pay for our dogs to come to OZ I wanted to open a bank account of my own. Our other accounts are in joint names. As Sam had all the household bills in his name, I had great difficulty in having enough proof of identity even for opening a savings account. They would not accept passport as it has no address on it.

Molly

flip

Our neice came over to stay last year. She'd made contact with a London branch of Lloyds who screwed things up and delayed stuff. When she came to stay with us in the Midlands our own branch of Lloyds said she needed to be registered with a doctor, etc. which took time. While we were trying to get all this stuff together she got in touch with the London branch, they apologised for delaying her and gave her an account without all this excessive information.

Basically it appears that it's luck of the draw as even within the same bank one can refuse an account because of their rules while another branch can allow it.

It's probably better to try a city centre branch where they have experience of setting up accounts for travellers but it may be worth registering her with your family's GP in any case.

Good luck I'm sure she'll have a fabulous time - all our Aussie relatives who've come over have loved it but wouldn't want to stay permanently.

ozzieeagle

Many thanks to all that have answered above, Much appreciated, and looks like enough information to get her through the mire

lawlaw

My cousin came to stay with me in derby for a year, I bank with lloyds and hsbc. We went to lloydsand they took her passport (british) and I had to sign to say she was staying with me, that was it. Will your daughter be staying with family first? They should be able to do that for her