4 ms·

My experience was exactly the opposite. Being a new immigrant in UK, Barclays handed me a list of required documents and also made it clear I needed a NI number

by vrdmn 4y ago

My experience was exactly the opposite. Being a new immigrant in UK, Barclays handed me a list of required documents and also made it clear I needed a NI number (UK tax number) before I could open an account. At this point I did not have an account I could get my salary paid in. Walked across the street to HSBC and all they needed was a letter from my employer and I had my account in a few hours.

miohtama 4y ago
In the EU, you have a right to open a bank account: https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/financial-products-and-services/bank-accounts-eu/index_en.htm https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/financial-pr... Sadly, Boris fixed this for the UK.
- pards 4y ago
  Same in Canada. The regulation is called "access to basic banking" [0] [0] https://cba.ca/newcomers-to-canada https://cba.ca/newcomers-to-canada
  - refurb 4y ago
    "....if they meet the identification requirements set out in the Bank Act." Not sure I see a difference?
    - PeterisP 4y ago
      Identification does not require a fixed address, and it's not like the UK "no fixed address bank account" discussed in the original article can be opened without a proper ID.
      - refurb 4y ago
        Understood, but the challenge of getting documentation for ID can be as significant as having a permanent address.
- rr808 4y ago
  Sure but this is for citizens where I'm guessing OP was on a working visa.
  - the_svd_doctor 4y ago
    The first line in the link says it’s for anyone residing legally in the EU. Not just citizens.
- donthellbanme 4y ago
  In the USA, you don't have a right to a bank account. In most cases, unless you bounced a check (There is a separate system banks use on checks. It not tied to credit agencies.) you can get an account by walking in with any check, or money, though. Many of our poor are stuck with Payday, with their outrageous fees. Some homeless shelters offer p.o. boxes. Very few sadily. All the Covid fun money blown out of tee shirt bazokas to fraudsters, and big healthy businesses; none went to people without an address. None.
  - dan-robertson 4y ago
    It’s easy to say that poor people make (or are forced to make) terrible financial decisions. But that may not entirely be the case and we may be missing some of the advantages of those decisions. See for example http://www.businessinsider.com/check-cashing-stores-good-deal-upenn-professor-2017-2 http://www.businessinsider.com/check-cashing-stores-good-dea...
    - ricardobayes 4y ago
      Cashing a check takes 6 weeks in the UK. Not many people can wait that long for their salaries to show up.
  - toast0 4y ago
    > In most cases, unless you bounced a check (There is a separate system banks use on checks. It not tied to credit agencies.) you can get an account by walking in with any check, or money, though. ChexSystems is a credit agency. They just specialize in one data point (as of now).
- signal11 4y ago
  UK law requires its 9 largest banks to offer fee-free basic bank accounts[1]. While that's not the same as a legal right to an account, it ensures people with poor credit history have access to banking -- it's pretty inclusive but IIRC does require an address -- the 'no fixed address' approach fixes that. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/basic-bank-accounts https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/basic-bank-account...
- Kwpolska 4y ago
  This sounds good in theory, but the way it’s implemented in Poland is a bit of a joke. The basic account must be your only bank account in Poland. You need to visit a bank branch to open it (for any other accounts, you can usually just take a selfie and a photo of your ID card), banks tend not to promote its existence and hide it in unguessable places on their websites, and there are some other random limitations (eg. no e-government access, no Google Pay). The basic account is free, has a free debit card, and has five free operations and five free ATM withdrawals. But normal accounts with cards cost nothing if you have some minimum usage, standard transfers done in online banking are free, and withdrawals in the bank’s own ATMs are usually free too. The effect? Less than ten thousand basic accounts existed in 2020, two years after their introduction. (source in Polish: https://serwisy.gazetaprawna.pl/finanse-osobiste/artykuly/1488199,podstawowe-rachunki-platnicze-ma-mniej-niz-10-tys-osob.html https://serwisy.gazetaprawna.pl/finanse-osobiste/artykuly/14...)
  - blfr 4y ago
    Banks routinely offering a better account than basic minimum is to their credit and expected in an even slightly competitive sector, not a joke at all. That in other countries it needs to be legislated is weird.
- Beltalowda 4y ago
  The "you can be refused an account if you do not comply with EU rules on money laundering and terrorist financing" line is key here; this requires an address. This is also what leads to the catch-22 of "you need a bank account to rent something" and "you need an address to get a bank account". Things are a lot easier now with IBAN though, and a bank account is less of a hard requirement than it was 15 years ago.
haspok 4y ago
I had the same problem with Barclays (a long time ago...) when moving to the UK, they wouldn't accept a letter from my employer and they wouldn't accept a rental agreement either as proof of address. Solution: the confirmation letter that I received from the NI people was finally good enough, so I could open an account only a month after I'd moved to the UK! Btw. the NI number is a must anyway, so it's just that it takes some time until you get it. This is a direct consequence of there being no official central registration of one's address in the UK, unlike in many other countries. You might call Austria bureaucratic for example, because you have to register within 3 days of moving (and another registration is necessary within 4 months), but then you get official papers that prove your address, so this never becomes an issue here, unlike in the UK.
- sfriedr 4y ago
  Is the NI really a must in UK? I have heard of people working there that are working only for a few years in academia who don't have an NI - or at least so they claim.
  - throw748383818 4y ago
    I lived there just fine without one. I wasn't working, but rented a house and opened a bank account, I don't remember ever being asked for one.
    - haspok 4y ago
      Yes, of course, if you have the "money-honey", you don't work or expect maternity or jobseekers allowance, and you are not interested in state pension, you can get by without one :) I just checked, and for healthcare you don't actually need it in the UK. In other EU countries you usually have to pay health insurance for yourself if you are not working (sometimes a LOT of money), but not in the UK.
    - Beltalowda 4y ago
      I got a letter threatening me with a fine if I didn't register to vote, and I needed a NI number to register.
cm2187 4y ago
Same. Barclays gave me an error in their app at the end of their account opening process, telling me to take an appointment at the branch, but telling me I can’t take an appointment, then sending me a welcome email. I tried calling them but I can’t get beyond their voice recognition system that doesn’t understand what I call about, and this is their premier banking experience. I must say that I have no idea whether I have an account with them or not right now. I also helped a friend who just arrived in the UK. The procedures are completely circular. You need a proof of address to open a bank account but you need to have a bank account to do anything that will give you a proof of address. As for natwest their account opening procedure involves printing a blank pdf form, filling it by hand and going to the branch with it. Welcome to 1999!
- dazc 4y ago
  > Barclays gave me an error in their app at the end of their account opening process, Don't take this personally, every Barclays customer experiences random error messages as an everyday benefit of banking with Barclays. The only good thing I can say is that they still have physical branches where you can walk in and talk to a person who is usually nice and helpful.
- ricardobayes 4y ago
  You can exchange your drivers licence and a tenancy agreement and those take care of the proof of address.
  - PeterisP 4y ago
    Isn't that the whole circularity problem - in UK often you need a bank account before you can get a tenancy agreement.
- semi-extrinsic 4y ago
  When I opened an account with Barclays as an exchange student I was given a signed and stamped letter by the university and told to go to a specific Barclays branch nearby and ask for a specific person who would help me. I thought the whole circularity of the thing was just absurd, especially when on the other hand I could pay with contactless on the tube (very advanced at that time).

by vrdmn 4y ago

miohtama 4y ago

In the EU, you have a right to open a bank account: https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/financial-products-and-services/bank-accounts-eu/index_en.htm https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/financial-pr... Sadly, Boris fixed this for the UK.

pards 4y ago
Same in Canada. The regulation is called "access to basic banking" [0] [0] https://cba.ca/newcomers-to-canada https://cba.ca/newcomers-to-canada
- refurb 4y ago
  "....if they meet the identification requirements set out in the Bank Act." Not sure I see a difference?
  - PeterisP 4y ago
    Identification does not require a fixed address, and it's not like the UK "no fixed address bank account" discussed in the original article can be opened without a proper ID.
    - refurb 4y ago
      Understood, but the challenge of getting documentation for ID can be as significant as having a permanent address.
rr808 4y ago
Sure but this is for citizens where I'm guessing OP was on a working visa.
- the_svd_doctor 4y ago
  The first line in the link says it’s for anyone residing legally in the EU. Not just citizens.
donthellbanme 4y ago
In the USA, you don't have a right to a bank account. In most cases, unless you bounced a check (There is a separate system banks use on checks. It not tied to credit agencies.) you can get an account by walking in with any check, or money, though. Many of our poor are stuck with Payday, with their outrageous fees. Some homeless shelters offer p.o. boxes. Very few sadily. All the Covid fun money blown out of tee shirt bazokas to fraudsters, and big healthy businesses; none went to people without an address. None.
- dan-robertson 4y ago
  It’s easy to say that poor people make (or are forced to make) terrible financial decisions. But that may not entirely be the case and we may be missing some of the advantages of those decisions. See for example http://www.businessinsider.com/check-cashing-stores-good-deal-upenn-professor-2017-2 http://www.businessinsider.com/check-cashing-stores-good-dea...
  - ricardobayes 4y ago
    Cashing a check takes 6 weeks in the UK. Not many people can wait that long for their salaries to show up.
- toast0 4y ago
  > In most cases, unless you bounced a check (There is a separate system banks use on checks. It not tied to credit agencies.) you can get an account by walking in with any check, or money, though. ChexSystems is a credit agency. They just specialize in one data point (as of now).
signal11 4y ago
UK law requires its 9 largest banks to offer fee-free basic bank accounts[1]. While that's not the same as a legal right to an account, it ensures people with poor credit history have access to banking -- it's pretty inclusive but IIRC does require an address -- the 'no fixed address' approach fixes that. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/basic-bank-accounts https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/basic-bank-account...
Kwpolska 4y ago
This sounds good in theory, but the way it’s implemented in Poland is a bit of a joke. The basic account must be your only bank account in Poland. You need to visit a bank branch to open it (for any other accounts, you can usually just take a selfie and a photo of your ID card), banks tend not to promote its existence and hide it in unguessable places on their websites, and there are some other random limitations (eg. no e-government access, no Google Pay). The basic account is free, has a free debit card, and has five free operations and five free ATM withdrawals. But normal accounts with cards cost nothing if you have some minimum usage, standard transfers done in online banking are free, and withdrawals in the bank’s own ATMs are usually free too. The effect? Less than ten thousand basic accounts existed in 2020, two years after their introduction. (source in Polish: https://serwisy.gazetaprawna.pl/finanse-osobiste/artykuly/1488199,podstawowe-rachunki-platnicze-ma-mniej-niz-10-tys-osob.html https://serwisy.gazetaprawna.pl/finanse-osobiste/artykuly/14...)
- blfr 4y ago
  Banks routinely offering a better account than basic minimum is to their credit and expected in an even slightly competitive sector, not a joke at all. That in other countries it needs to be legislated is weird.
Beltalowda 4y ago
The "you can be refused an account if you do not comply with EU rules on money laundering and terrorist financing" line is key here; this requires an address. This is also what leads to the catch-22 of "you need a bank account to rent something" and "you need an address to get a bank account". Things are a lot easier now with IBAN though, and a bank account is less of a hard requirement than it was 15 years ago.

haspok 4y ago

I had the same problem with Barclays (a long time ago...) when moving to the UK, they wouldn't accept a letter from my employer and they wouldn't accept a rental agreement either as proof of address. Solution: the confirmation letter that I received from the NI people was finally good enough, so I could open an account only a month after I'd moved to the UK! Btw. the NI number is a must anyway, so it's just that it takes some time until you get it. This is a direct consequence of there being no official central registration of one's address in the UK, unlike in many other countries. You might call Austria bureaucratic for example, because you have to register within 3 days of moving (and another registration is necessary within 4 months), but then you get official papers that prove your address, so this never becomes an issue here, unlike in the UK.

sfriedr 4y ago
Is the NI really a must in UK? I have heard of people working there that are working only for a few years in academia who don't have an NI - or at least so they claim.
- throw748383818 4y ago
  I lived there just fine without one. I wasn't working, but rented a house and opened a bank account, I don't remember ever being asked for one.
  - haspok 4y ago
    Yes, of course, if you have the "money-honey", you don't work or expect maternity or jobseekers allowance, and you are not interested in state pension, you can get by without one :) I just checked, and for healthcare you don't actually need it in the UK. In other EU countries you usually have to pay health insurance for yourself if you are not working (sometimes a LOT of money), but not in the UK.
  - Beltalowda 4y ago
    I got a letter threatening me with a fine if I didn't register to vote, and I needed a NI number to register.

cm2187 4y ago

Same. Barclays gave me an error in their app at the end of their account opening process, telling me to take an appointment at the branch, but telling me I can’t take an appointment, then sending me a welcome email. I tried calling them but I can’t get beyond their voice recognition system that doesn’t understand what I call about, and this is their premier banking experience. I must say that I have no idea whether I have an account with them or not right now. I also helped a friend who just arrived in the UK. The procedures are completely circular. You need a proof of address to open a bank account but you need to have a bank account to do anything that will give you a proof of address. As for natwest their account opening procedure involves printing a blank pdf form, filling it by hand and going to the branch with it. Welcome to 1999!

dazc 4y ago
> Barclays gave me an error in their app at the end of their account opening process, Don't take this personally, every Barclays customer experiences random error messages as an everyday benefit of banking with Barclays. The only good thing I can say is that they still have physical branches where you can walk in and talk to a person who is usually nice and helpful.
ricardobayes 4y ago
You can exchange your drivers licence and a tenancy agreement and those take care of the proof of address.
- PeterisP 4y ago
  Isn't that the whole circularity problem - in UK often you need a bank account before you can get a tenancy agreement.
semi-extrinsic 4y ago
When I opened an account with Barclays as an exchange student I was given a signed and stamped letter by the university and told to go to a specific Barclays branch nearby and ask for a specific person who would help me. I thought the whole circularity of the thing was just absurd, especially when on the other hand I could pay with contactless on the tube (very advanced at that time).