Will banks be willing to certify copies of passport for another bank?

firsttimestudent

Hi,

I applied for the Citibank 3.3% savings account - and they've written to me asking for Proof of Identity & Proof of Address.

For the Proof of Identity, they requested for a copy of my passport/UK photo card driving license/current signed national identity card (EEA), which has to be 'signed and dated by a lawyer, notary public or banker using an official stamp, and with their name and address written on it'.

Now I do not live anywhere near any Citibank branches.

If I go to any of the other banks, say RBS, Natwest, Halifax or Lloyds (all of which I own accounts with), will they actually be willing to certify it for me, for free?

If not I'll just forget about my application - too much hassle!

Thanks for any advice!

chambta

I would happily do it but I myself have had a request for same refused by Barclays. I guess they fear being implicated in any misuse.

rb10

There are two issues here:

Firstly, the bank is certifying that the document is indeed genuine. If it was later found to be a forged document, then the bank you asked to certify the documents could get in trouble.

Secondly, handing you a document with a member of staff's full name, personnel number and signature leaves them potentially open to fraud.

I believe that it is for these reasons that Halifax will not certify any documents unless it's for another part of the HBOS group. I would imagine that other banks would be the same.

opinions4u

If I knew you as a long standing customer then I would have no problems doing so.

If you were a long standing customer who I didn't know then I wouldn't!

Biggles

If you have an account, the customer service desk will usually do it FOC on the spot. They just check that your copy is the same as the original, stamp it and sign it, no problem. They're only certifying that the copy is genuine; they aren't expected to be experts on forged passports.

They won't be worried about why you want it (my branch of LTSB didn't care that it was to send to another bank), though you don't necessarily need to offer the reason why you need it unless they ask. In any event, if you have an account with them, they already have your ID, so they'll know it's not for their purposes!

As stated, it would help to try the place where you had had your account longest and/or were best known.

gozomark

I believe post offices offer certification services, for a fee

Baldur

gozomark wrote: »

I believe post offices offer certification services, for a fee

They do - http://www.postoffice.co.uk/portal/po/content1?catId=63400715&mediaId=105000818

gozomark

looking at the PO link, there is a potential problem

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"each copy will be endorsed with the words ‘this copy is a true likeness of the original’"

now banks tend to each have their own wording required for certification, and its unlikely to be exactly what the PO will write

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Baldur

gozomark wrote: »

looking at the PO link, there is a potential problem

[FONT=PostOfficeSans+WVFWAV]

"each copy will be endorsed with the words ‘this copy is a true likeness of the original’"

now banks tend to each have their own wording required for certification, and its unlikely to be exactly what the PO will write

[/FONT]

I've only used them for one piece of ID (it was done free at a small local PO, apart from the cost of the photocopy of my passport photo page) which was accepted on that occasion - by SAGA/AIB, from memory.

Jonbvn

In the past, I have misrepresented the truth in order to get a bank to certify some documents. I said I was applying for one of their accounts, when I was actually applying for an account with another bank.

Hungerdunger

It always annoys me that they are willing to accept the word of a banker or lawyer, but not my friendly neighbourhood Postman or corner shop owner.