How do I open a bank account for my niece coming from Australia?

dillipop27

My niece who currently lives in Canberra, Australia but has a British passport is coming to the UK in the new year. She will be doing temporary work whilst she is here for a year and wants a bank account set up for when she gets here. Is this possible and how do I go about it? Which account would be best?

pmduk

I doubt very much whether a bank will let you set up an account on behalf of a third party.

jay1181

nope unless you have power of attorney which i dont think applys to your situation . she will have to do it herself when she visits.

alanq

It's hard enough for folks to set up bank accounts for themselves with all the money laundering checks. I reckon no chance for a third party.

Perhaps niece should contact a multi-national bank before leaving Australia. I seem to recall HSBC advertising that Brits travelling overseas can get their accounts set up before they leave UK.

Update:
"Arranging Your Finances Our qualified staff at the International Banking Centre can arrange to open overseas HSBC accounts for you before you leave for your new country. Simply contact your HSBC Premier Relationship Manager prior to your departure to arrange for your account to be set up prior to your move."
https://www.hsbc.com.au/1/2/personal/international/move-os/more

dillipop27

Thanks that's just what we need. I didn't even think of that.

hermante

dillipop27 wrote: »

Thanks that's just what we need. I didn't even think of that.

Well she (or someone who is related and can go along with her) needs to be premier, or else they might charge for it or just not do it. There shouldn't be any problems just opening one on the day she arrives.. might need to be a basic one though unless she has a lot of cash to deposit straight away

ses6jwg

She can walk into most banks the day she gets here and open a basic account.

Santander certainly only require a valid in date passport to open a basic account. No proof of address required.