Need help with ID and proof of address to open a basic bank account.

Exodios

I'm a 19 year old student who wishes to open a basic bank account in order to shop online and to have wages put into.

I currently an unemployed college student and have a building society account. I was unable to my wages directly into it and I had to use cheques. I would like an account with a high street bank in order to make payments easier and to be able to use paypal for online transactions.

I'm having trouble applying for basic accounts because I have no ID and have little idea on how I can prove my address.

I am having a problem finding proof of address. I have no bills in my name because I live at home with my parents. I don't think I have a bank statement either. I am on the electoral role but when I tried to use it as proof of address at HSBC I was declined.

I have no ID at the moment but I am attempting to apply for a passport. I have a national insurance card and a birth certificate but I know I cannot use these for ID.

Basically I would like your advise on what ID and proof of address I could obtain and use to open a basic bank account.

Thank you for any help you give me.

AnonymousForObviousReason

What information did you provide the college when you enrolled? They normally ask for ID of some kind.

The statement from your building society would count as one form of ID, utility bills, mobile phone bill, council tax (if you're named) are other options.

If you don't get help on the forum you should ask the prospective bank or even your college might be able to help, you'll not be the only one in this position.

Owain_Moneysaver

Do you not have a student ID card issued by the college?

glider3560

Ask HMRC to send you a tax coding notice. Most banks will take this as one piece of ID.

Who is your building society account with? Have they sent you any correspondence/statements? Again, these could be used as ID.

Exodios

I am currently with the Market Harborough building society. It operates in the areas around Market Harborough in Leicestershire. I have not got any type of statement from them.

I have a student ID that lets me enter where I study and it also counts as a national union of students cars. It does not count as ID because it only has my name and photo on it and does not have my address or date of birth.

I asked Llyods and HSBC on what i'd need for ID and currently I do not have anything that will qualify. I hope to either get a passport or a provisional driving licence to count as proof of ID because I have nothing else to work with, i'm starting off with nothing.

glider3560

As I said previously, many banks take HMRC coding notices in place of a passport or driving licence. Check to see if anywhere accept these.

Ask Market Harborough to provide you with a "Section 975 certificate". They'll know what this is. It is basically a certificate which states how much interest/tax you paid/received on the account. This should show your address and may be acceptable in place of a bank statement.

I would give Halifax a try. They actually include Student Matriculation ID Card as one of the acceptable IDs on their list.

Also Natwest accept NHS card or birth certificate for people under 20. In fact, I reckon you should be able to satisfy their requirements quite easily: http://www.natwest.com/personal/current-accounts/g2/id-required.ashx

Exodios

Thank you so much for the advise. I've been stuck on what to do for months. I'll get the form tommorow.

mclaren32

As you are 19 you may be able to use your birth certificate as proof of ID, off the top of my head Natwest/RBS will accept it and if you are on the electoral role they shouldnt require anything else.

If you still require proof of address your college should be able to provide you with a letter confirming your address etc, again Natwest/RBS would be able to accept this. Other banks would probably be the same as the rules are similar throughout but people will often just state the standard requirements without checking what they can actually accept as the rules can be quite detailed.