Living in Spain but moving back to UK

Cheryldbell

Hi there,

I have been living in Asturias for the last 3 years. I have a Spanish bank account, Openbank, which is the online arm of Santander. I need to open a UK bank account on my return. I own my home in UK but obviously haven't lived there so no utilities etc in my name. Can anyone recommend a bank which would accept me as a customer?
Thanks in advance.

[Deleted User]

You would need to get a basic bank account

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/basic-bank-accounts/

AstroTurtle

Try Santander,

Their internal ID&V system may have you already pre-approved or try whoever you banked with 3 years ago.

londoninvestor

The easiest to open might be Santander's Essentials account?

Santander wrote:

If you’ve just moved to the UK to work or study, this account will give you the essentials you need, such as the ability to pay bills and have your income paid in. It will also help you to build up a credit history, which may mean you’ll be able to access additional banking facilities with Santander in the future (subject to eligibility).

£1 per month, unlike some of the free basic bank accounts, but it might be less hassle to open as you already have a Santander relationship?

Santander do a basic account as well, but it looks limited and awkward (e.g. you get a debit card but it doesn't debit your account as such, you have to put money into a separate pool for it).

gt94sss2

Several banks including HSBC and TSB state on their websites that they accept applications from EU countries.

PRAISETHESUN

You will only be able to open a basic account with a European address at the majority of high street banks. Santander might be able to offer you an account, as you presumably had to have ID when you took out your mortgage.

Some banks will accept other forms of address proof; my local Santander branch accepted my tenancy agreement from a reputable local letting agency when I first arrived in the UK and had no other proof of address. Another option some banks might consider is to get a statement issued from your overseas bank and sent to a UK address - this may then be accepted as proof of UK address for account opening purposes, but again you'll need to check with the UK bank.

Monzo and Starling will allow you to open a current account with them without formal proof of address - they only need a UK postal address where they can send the physical card, which could be another alternative.