Can I open a UK Bank account online?
 

We have been in Canada since 1981, decided to return to UK to live COVID permitting! Cannot seem to be able to open a bank account in UK online.....any tips please and thanks...And thanks for letting me join!

Re: Can I open a UK Bank account online?
 

Welcome to BE :wave:

As this forum is for introductions only, I will move your thread across to our UK forums. I am sure our members who frequent the UK forums will be pleased to help you.

Re: Can I open a UK Bank account online?
 

Welcome to the forum.
This question comes up again and again. The conclusion seems to be that no, you can’t open a UK bank account while living abroad.
You can only do so once you’re resident in the UK.
If you need something to tide you over (eg so you can pay the utility bills you will presumably have to produce as proof of residency in order for a UK bank to let you open an account) Transferwise Borderless accounts have been recommended on this forum You should be able to open one of those (in sterling) from Canada.

Best of luck.

Re: Can I open a UK Bank account online?
 

Thank you so much!

Re: Can I open a UK Bank account online?
 

Try these guys?

https://www.monito.com/en/wiki/open-...roof-residency

Re: Can I open a UK Bank account online?
 

Thank you so much....

Re: Can I open a UK Bank account online?
 

What a great link. The most comprehensive explanation I’ve seen so far.

Re: Can I open a UK Bank account online?
 

Do you have an HSBC bank anywhere near to you? You can open a UK account from there. Good luck

Re: Can I open a UK Bank account online?
 

Thank you!

Re: Can I open a UK Bank account online?
 

This institution might oblige.

About Al Rayan Bank | Al Rayan Bank

Re: Can I open a UK Bank account online?
 

Thanks

Re: Can I open a UK Bank account online?
 

HSBC are done in the US, sold most of their business, they cannot help us anymore, i am still trying to figure out how to move my $$ to a UK bank,

Re: Can I open a UK Bank account online?
 

If you have a UK bank account already then use Wise (formerly Transferwise). Once you have registered with them (ID etc), in my experience their service is excellent.
If you do not have a UK account look at the Wise Multi Currency Account as an interim measure.

Re: Can I open a UK Bank account online?
 

If you have a open a Premier Account in US and in the UK, the pending changes at HSBC US will not affect you.. That’s what my relationship manager said..

Re: Can I open a UK Bank account online?
 

I wonder if I would have found it different if I had tried to open a UK Bank account on-line instead of waiting till I arrived back in UK.But,also,I was coming from an EU country & had to supply a written paper from authorities to say that my residency papers had all been cancelled before entering UK.But I would assume that you have to provide evidence that you are not money laundering wherever you were previously.My experience was like a comedy sketch,had to provide 3 previous properties owned which ,in my case covered about 20 years,& give the full addresses which I imagine showed the money route.This I thought was a bit silly but I guess they couldn´t go back to how I managed to save the deposit for my very 1st.purchase.Anyway,having spelled out ever foreign address line by line,I was told that they were "too long" to fit onto their equipment.There was no answer when I queried how else could they then verify I was genuine,just allowed me to open an account.This was the same with the DWP who had to transfer my pension & found the addresses also troublesome. .Maybe UK needs to invest in more modern machines.As I say,British Nationals legally resident in an EU country were not allowed to keep a Bank account in UK,although many did by various methods,so your experience may be very different.My euros were changed into Sterling via a legal Conversion Bank based in London & Barclays Bank held the funds to be transferred once the account was operational.Obviously their credentials were insufficient hence further details required.It would be interesting to hear your on-line experience.