Opening a bank account without an address

canewman

I am currently homeless and sofa surfing.

I need to open a bank account but obviously I do not have an address, and the only forms of id I have is my birth certificate and national insurance number.

To get a driving license I need a passport and to get a passport I need a driving license so I am pretty stuck.

Any ideas or tips please?

masonic

canewman wrote: »

To get a driving license I need a passport and to get a passport I need a driving license so I am pretty stuck.

Eh? You don't need a driving licence to get a passport or vice versa.

Neil_Jones

In fairness it is stated on the Renew Driving Licence page that they can use the photo from your passport to renew your driving licence, so that's probably what the OP has seen.

That being said it's immaterial anyway because you can't get a driving licence without passing your test and for that you need a provisional licence first. Not all banks will accept provisional driving licences for ID purposes though so you may need to run this through to upgrade it to full.

Provisional llicences to apply online you need to provide, an identity document unless you have a valid UK biometric passport, addresses where you’ve lived over the last 3 years and your National Insurance number if you know it.

PRAISETHESUN

I'd recommend contacting the bank you are thinking of applying for as they will be able to tell you what forms of ID they find acceptable - it differs from bank to bank so you might need to talk to a few to explain your circumstances and see what they say. Most banks will require proof of ID and proof of address however, and usually a single item of ID cannot be used for both (eg. drivers licence cannot be used for both proof of ID and proof of address).

A pre-paid card account might be a good first choice until you can get yourself sufficient documentation to open a proper bank account. Typically all you need is a postal address where they can send the card to access basic features, although until you "verify" yourself with the organisation there may be limits to amount of money you can have coming in and out of the account, but it's better than nothing. See below: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/prepaid-cards/

System

Can you receive mail at one of the friend's addresses?
If so, that could solve your issue.

jonesMUFCforever

Heng_Leng wrote: »

Can you receive mail at one of the friend's addresses?
If so, that could solve your issue.

Without photo ID wouldn't the OP need to have official confirmation of his address -- and would the friend allow this to happen?

Flobberchops

Regarding ID, not all banks require Passport/Driving licence. Other forms of official documents might suffice, such as benefits entitlements letters for example.



For address verification, if your friend pays utility bills or broadband, they may be kind enough to have you added as a new resident; when the next monthly bill comes you can use that as address verification. You may also be able to contact HMRC and request your current tax code be sent in writing to the address you're staying.