Not eligible to vote = no credit?

ordev

Good day,

Me and my partner moved to the UK a year ago and we are non-Commonwealth/non-EU nationals. Since we are not eligible to register on the electoral roll, is there any possibility at all for us to apply for credit cards and such?

We both work and have a UK bank account with savings etc, however it appears that not being on the electoral roll will cause our applications to be rejected. In the credit score ratings article here on MSE I found this passage:
"If you aren't eligible to vote in the UK so can't be on the electoral roll (mainly non-Commonwealth and non-EU foreign nationals), send all three credit reference agencies proof of residency (utility bills, a UK driving licence, etc) and ask them to add a note to verify this. This should help you get credit."

Does anyone have any experience with this and can perhaps elaborate? I'm a little.. confused on how exactly I should proceed with sending this information to credit agencies and whether it's considered normal practice.

Arleen

Not being on electoral roll does not mean auto rejection, especially if in application you set your nation as non-eu national. It simply forces you to build a stronger case for your application. How much better nobody knows, but I imagine that if you have healthy credit history on your current address then lack of electoral roll shouldn't be a big deal.

Thrugelmir

Finance houses will have their own set internal lending criteria. Until you ask difficult to know who will accept you or not. As it's not just electoral history but the length of time which you've been in the UK which will influence the outcome.

ordev

Thanks for the replies.

The reason I thought electoral registration plays a big role is that I did a few of the online elgibility checkers which didn't ask about the length of time spent at the current address or the UK in general. The result was still likely rejection.

However at some other finance houses I was indeed told having 3 years' worth address history in the UK is a strict requirement.

In any case, if anyone comes across this topic who's had this experience of sending residence proof to credit reference agencies in lieu of electoral registration I'd be interested to hear about it.

Candyapple

If you already have a UK bank account, then your first port of call if you want a credit card should be with that bank as they will have a history of how you run your account.

If you applied for a credit card elsewhere and were declined, you could send in an appeal letter and attach with it any info you think would help your case to prove you live in the UK/have savings etc.