The first two months in London were difficult.
I was super excited to come to London and to explore a new city.
That was until I realised how difficult it was to open a bank account in this city! Without a bank account, it means difficulty in getting paid and without getting paid, you will be crushed and eaten alive by this expensive city!
Until you start earning pounds, your funds will dry up quickly and you'll be left with nothing! So make sure you have plenty of time, patience and money to help you getting set up in London.
So here are my top 5 tips for trying to open a bank account in London.
1. Most importantly, ensure you have enough money to survive up to 4 weeks in London. This is the most important thing! If you plan your budget and live cheaply, you should be able to manage!
2. If you followed my Top 5 things to do BEFORE moving to London, you'll be waiting for your N.I. number and it will be arriving any day now. Once you receive this, you'll have your choice of banks to go with!
3. If you are like me and don't have proof of address, it will start to get difficult now! Without proof of address, most banks will not even look twice at you. I have been told many times, by many banks that they only accept utility bills, tenancy agreements, current UK drivers licence, tax bills or a National Insurance Number. So, if you don't have this information, don't bother with Metro Bank, Barclays, HSBS or Nat West!
4. If you don't have proof of address (like me) you can try Lloyds bank. They apparently open accounts with just your passport. I was however not so lucky with this! I made the mistake of mentioning I live at a share house and when I mentioned this, they completely shut me down. So, don't mention the share house or anything, just bring your passport!
5. If you plan ahead before arriving to London, I was told by HSBC that you can provide proof of address from another country, they just want to prove you are who you are but they do require originals (see point 1 to see the documents they accept!) so bring these from home.
And a bonus tip, if all fails (like it did for me) ask for other payment options by your employers/Human Resources, they may be able to do something for you. They may be able to issue you with a cheque. You'll need to find a money changer and they will take a percentage of the balance but at least you'll have some money to tie you over.
2. If you followed my Top 5 things to do BEFORE moving to London, you'll be waiting for your N.I. number and it will be arriving any day now. Once you receive this, you'll have your choice of banks to go with!
3. If you are like me and don't have proof of address, it will start to get difficult now! Without proof of address, most banks will not even look twice at you. I have been told many times, by many banks that they only accept utility bills, tenancy agreements, current UK drivers licence, tax bills or a National Insurance Number. So, if you don't have this information, don't bother with Metro Bank, Barclays, HSBS or Nat West!
4. If you don't have proof of address (like me) you can try Lloyds bank. They apparently open accounts with just your passport. I was however not so lucky with this! I made the mistake of mentioning I live at a share house and when I mentioned this, they completely shut me down. So, don't mention the share house or anything, just bring your passport!
5. If you plan ahead before arriving to London, I was told by HSBC that you can provide proof of address from another country, they just want to prove you are who you are but they do require originals (see point 1 to see the documents they accept!) so bring these from home.
And a bonus tip, if all fails (like it did for me) ask for other payment options by your employers/Human Resources, they may be able to do something for you. They may be able to issue you with a cheque. You'll need to find a money changer and they will take a percentage of the balance but at least you'll have some money to tie you over.
Moving countries, cities or continents can be hard so don't let it get to you if they say no. I went to more then 15 banks just to be shut down by every single one of them. It's stressful, frustrating and seriously annoying. So be patient and try your best to get all the documents you need to make it easier.
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