UK Bank account for Russian Citizen

System

Monzo appear to simply require a UK address.

Unless you count card delivery, they don't appear to do any actual address verification.

rajeshk4u

The banks are meant to carry out KYC - Know Your Customer.....

On_a_Shoestring

You cannot open a UK bank account and claim that you live in the UK, without showing proof of right to reside. As rajeshk4u said, banks are supposed to carry out KYC checks so they do have to have proof of address.

System

On_a_Shoestring wrote: »

You cannot open a UK bank account and claim that you live in the UK, without showing proof of right to reside. As rajeshk4u said, banks are supposed to carry out KYC checks so they do have to have proof of address.

I wonder why they Monzo seem the bank of choice with non-EEA nationals in UK - maybe it's just their cool app or coral debit card

Wheres_My_Cashback

robcam73 wrote: »

I have a friend in Russia who opened a Monzo account in the UK, using a friend's home address and their Russian passport to open the account. They wanted a UK account as they do not trust Russian banks. This is not a large amount of money and is in no way illegal, just their savings of about £3000.
Is this account legal? Would they be able to use this account to show funds when applying for a visitor visa to the UK?

Thanks

Have the schools broken up early ?

d123

Heng_Leng wrote: »

Monzo appear to simply require a UK address.

Unless you count card delivery, they don't appear to do any actual address verification.

This is true, I know a few people living abroad who have used a relatives address to open a Monzo account.

[Deleted User]

Monzo require you to be a uk resident.

https://monzo.com/faq/

Do I need to be a UK resident?
Yes, you currently need to be resident in the UK to get a Monzo card. We hope to launch internationally in the future though!

d123

_shel wrote: »

Monzo require you to be a uk resident.

https://monzo.com/faq/

Do I need to be a UK resident?
Yes, you currently need to be resident in the UK to get a Monzo card. We hope to launch internationally in the future though!

They don’t seem to be enforcing it then.

pinkdalek

eDicky wrote: »

Which parts; what are these restrictions?

Probably a certain part of the Crimea, but in general there are no banking sanctions against Russia in the financial world and if a Russian national is living in the UK with a UK address and valid passport/visa and the required ID needed they could open an account.

System

Having done more research and contacted Monzo.
It is perfectly legal to have an account in the UK without being a resident.
It is difficult to open an account unless you are a resident.
Monzo only require an address to send card to. They require a passport and they do some photo verification to check passport against person opening account.
They allow anyone visiting this country to open an account with a passport.
So, legally account is fine. Also verified that the bank is happy with how this account was opened and even sends statements to my friends address in Russia.

Thanks for all the replies. They were very helpful (well most of them)