I have no ID that banks care for...

stevenjgg

Hi there,

I'm 23, unemployed and living with parents and I don't see a way I can get a bank account as I have no ID that banks seem to care for, such as a birth certificate or provisional drivers licence. As far as I know even if I were to get a full drivers licence or a passport, I would still need some way of proving that I lived where I do. Is this correct? Are there banks that offer basic accounts without so much need for such ID?

Thanks,
Steven

Biggles

It's easy to get a copy of your birth certificate and to get onto the electoral register.

There you are, all the ID you need......

stevenjgg

Biggles wrote: »

It's easy to get a copy of your birth certificate and to get onto the electoral register.

There you are, all the ID you need......

I'm already on the electoral register and I have a copy of my birth certificate, but I don't see these listed under banks' required id lists.

ColdIron

There's nothing stopping you from applying for a DL or even a passport is there?

greenorange

stevenjgg wrote: »

I'm already on the electoral register and I have a copy of my birth certificate, but I don't see these listed under banks' required id lists.

Most banks can confirm who you are electronically if you're on the electoral register and have some accounts on your credit file.

For example, if you apply for the Barclays Bank Account online, it'll run a credit check and ask you to confirm details on your credit report, such as which company you have a current account with, your last credit card balance etc.

Have you tried that?

xylophone

I'm 23, unemployed

Do you receive any benefits? If so, you have a benefit statement?

stevenjgg

ColdIron wrote: »

There's nothing stopping you from applying for a DL or even a passport is there?

I have a provisional, but I don't care to pass my test at this time. I'm willing to get a passport if needed, but I'd rather not spend the ~£80 to do so, since I'm unlikely to use it for anything else.

xylophone wrote: »

Do you receive any benefits? If so, you have a benefit statement?

No.

greenorange wrote: »

Most banks can confirm who you are electronically if you're on the electoral register and have some accounts on your credit file.

I have no bank account currently, but I did until a few years ago with Natwest. I closed it after they sent me letters about being overdrawn, despite having not used the card in years. They couldn't tell me how, so I just paid the ~£6 and closed the account.

xylophone

https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/basic-bank-accounts
might be worth a look.

DomRavioli

As far as I was aware, a provisional driving licence can be used as proof at some banks/building societies; also a birth certificate along with other things such as proof of benefit letter etc might be ok for some places.

OP, you have had some great ideas - please use them.

stevenjgg

So you think a provisional driving licence and a birth certificate along with being on the electoral role is enough? I can't seem to find anywhere that accepts just this, though.

ManAtHome

Looks like Halifax do http://www.halifax.co.uk/securityandprivacy/pdf/personal-information-and-identity.pdf