EU National Opening Bank Account???

nimagraven

Hi all,

My boyfriend is Dutch and just recently been accepted for a job over here in the UK.

He doesn't live over here yet, and he's just about to hand in his month's notice today/tomorrow.. However, we are hoping to get the ball rolling for a bank account as soon as possible.

Can he do this on this when he is over this Saturday? Or is he required to live here first (Or only prove that he will be living here at the end of the month?)

I was just advised to do this first, and then sort out his NI stuff with his banking proof (As he'll require a letter proving that he lives in our house!).

Thanks,

Sarah.

chexum

nimagraven wrote: »

Can he do this on this when he is over this Saturday? Or is he required to live here first (Or only prove that he will be living here at the end of the month?)

Not easy.

Formally, no chance as he won't have any proof of address living at your address. The bank manager may consider a letter from the employer confirming the start of employment, and stating his (your) address, and/or a letter from someone confirming he lives there (and how/why). Usually for the latter, a letter from someone renting the place out to him is best, so if you have a flat that you hire, you may need to tell your landlord. If you own that flat, a bank may not easily believe you alone.

Or if he exchanges his driving licence, that's the easiest, but will take one or two weeks, and still needs £50 to be paid via cheque (gutted), or postal order (a few more pounds).

Without (even informal) proof of address, the bank is not allowed to open an account, although technically he's resident as soon as he arrives in the UK to settle.

If you can still add him to the annual electoral roll, mid-January, he will have more proof of residency. It all needs time, I'm afraid.

nimagraven

Yes, I thought it would be problematic .

He's moving into my parent's house.. So it isn't my house. Which probably complicates things. We've had our electoral roll items through, I think.. We haven't returned them, can we add him now? Or only in Jan.?

He doesn't have a driving licence .

I've got him to get the job offer to be sent to my house.

Would it be easier for him to get added into a joint account on my current bank account?

I'm just wondering how to go about this.. As the tax office say "He can't get an NI number as bank account is best proof of him living at your address / working" and then the job wants a bank account though I believe NI can come later (as long as you have the ball rolling for the 28 days of starting work from what I've been told.)

Is there anything else we can do / get around this so he's OK to start work? Can he just get his wages paid into my bank account for now until everything gets sorted? Or would that be dodgy? If we did do that how would be best to proceed with the NI proof of address?

Thanks for your help,

Sarah.

chexum

If you haven't yet returned the electoral canvass, you can add him now - the deadline to return that letter is mid-October. The full electorall roll reaches the CRAs about 6 weeks after December - hence mid-January.

A letter from your parents, confirming that he's living at that address and paying rent (I guess he'll be contributing to your part of the household) may be all what a bank needs. Probably you should go around and ask some banks if they are happy with this arrangement. Probably one in about 5-6 banks are ok with that, it may not be your own though. He's better bringing a few previous bank statements and all IDs he can have so that they can trust him to really be new to the country.

Considering everything, it's the easiest to start with the bank account. Some time ago I've heard people praising the HSBC Passport account, they (in theory) are better equipped to check people not having every proof that a resident can. I've also heard some Lloyds branches were more understanding as well. It can also vary from branch to branch, so if your closest one tells you they can't do that, chances are the next closest can.

I think the banks need as much IDs to add him to a joint account as opening a separate one, but you may want to check it as well.

This is all due to money-laundering regulations to prevent "non-traceable" people to open bank accounts.

He could also get a provisional licence, but fewer banks are happy to accept that - for just a proof of address, it could be OK though.

Technically, he should not need a bank account nor an NI number to start working (it only makes it slightly difficult for the payroll dept), neither does he need to have a job to get an NI number (really), but certainly he needs to be resident for the latter. So he very well will need proof of being resident for the time of the NI interview.

It's all part of a catch-22 game, getting a bank account, proof of residency, job, and NI number, you just need some calling around, he's already done the most difficult part by getting the job :T

If his employer absolutely needs a bank account, there's no problem telling them to use your one temporarily, they will need to wait to record the real NI number anyway. It may need a few weeks to play it all out.

Maybe you want to check some immigration forums if you can find some experiences in your area with banks and/or jobcentres (for the NI interview - you can pick anyone not even close to you if you need to have it urgently, and can travel there).

heloid

Don't some basic bank accounts require less ID (and maybe proof of address is optional) to open?
It'd be kinda hard to walk straight in with a normal current account anyway with no UK credit history (unfortunately he's starting from scratch).

You can at least tell him it's easier to do this here than in Nederland. It took me quite a while to set myself up there again after a 15 year absence and I'm Dutch!

Olipro

If he doesn't have proof of address, he can certainly get a Basic account - the Halifax EasyCash is available to him, all he needs is ID.

Mishomeister

HSBC can open an account if he brings a prove of Dutch address like drivers license or statement . Even employers letter confirming address from reputable mployer will do. Also needs prove of ID like anational ID card or passport. He can use ID card as a prove of address but will have to use a Passport as a prove of ID then. As you can't use Same dokument to prove both

chexum

Olipro wrote: »

If he doesn't have proof of address, he can certainly get a Basic account - the Halifax EasyCash is available to him, all he needs is ID.

I think that's only working for you because you have UK passport, or a UK driving licence. If all you have is a foreign passport/ID card, noone can tell you're not a visitor/tourist. Banks need to confirm you're resident before letting you open any accounts. But it's mostly up to the discretion of the bank manager as someone just arriving can clearly be resident, without being able to prove it. Some are more understanding, some don't care.

HSBC Passport is the one that accepts an EU ID for an account with a monthly fee in the first year - if the ID card that your country issues has an address on it (not all of them has). It's almost as expensive as a premium account at £8 pm. :eek: