Bank draft without a bank savings account

vivster

I'm a member of the Teachers Union of Ireland Credit Union and use N26 for my daily/monthly expenses. The combination has worked pretty well so far. Unfortunately, the Department of Justice requires a bank draft as a part of the Naturalisation application process. They do not accept bank-transfers, Postal Orders, debit/credit cards, etc.

So, my query is: Is there a way to get a bank draft without having a savings/current account in a bank? Do I have to open a bank account only to get a bank draft?

Spocker

Does it have to be a bank draft? Your Credit Union should be able to write you a cheque, payable to DOJ

vivster

Unfortunately, it seems that way. The wording is pretty specific

"The statutory application fee of €175 in the form of a Banker’s Draft only, made payable to the Secretary General, Department of Justice. Postal orders, personal or business cheques are not acceptable. This fee is non‐refundable..."

Spocker

It seems you are correct; it looks like the only way to get a bank draft is to have it drawn down from an Irish bank account

phormium

I think the Credit Union cheque would come under that category, for years building societies issued 'drafts' that weren't really technical drafts but were used in the same way and probably stlll do. The likes of EBS doesn't have a clearing bank but clears through one of the main ones still I presume? The cu cheque is only written when the money is drawn out of your account same as a draft and differs from a personal cheque/business cheque on a current account in that important way, don't know what they have against the Post office though!

I have needed bank drafts recently and I went to the CU rather than UB next door where I have an account due to the charges, much cheaper to get one in CU, I have accounts in both.

coylemj

phormium wrote: »

I think the Credit Union cheque would come under that category, for years building societies issued 'drafts' that weren't really technical drafts but were used in the same way and probably stlll do. The likes of EBS doesn't have a clearing bank but clears through one of the main ones still I presume?

+1 if you get a draft from a branch of EBS, it's an AIB cheque. Not suprising when they're the parent company.

I can't see anyone refusing a cheque drawn on a credt union account. It may not technically be a 'bank draft' but is an official in DoJ going to physically return it? I doubt it.

vivster

Thanks all for your advice.

I’m afraid when it comes to matters such as immigration, DoJ have been known to be persnickety. In these days of COVID though, what they’ve got against an online payment is beyond me.

Marcusm

vivster wrote: »

I'm a member of the Teachers Union of Ireland Credit Union and use N26 for my daily/monthly expenses. The combination has worked pretty well so far. Unfortunately, the Department of Justice requires a bank draft as a part of the Naturalisation application process. They do not accept bank-transfers, Postal Orders, debit/credit cards, etc.

So, my query is: Is there a way to get a bank draft without having a savings/current account in a bank? Do I have to open a bank account only to get a bank draft?

DoJ has now started requiring online payments for the final stage (€950) of naturalisation, they won’t accept drafts. Are they still requiring bank drafts for initial applications? I thought they were on a much more automated system from Jan 2021 onwards.

Yyhhuuu

coylemj wrote: »

+1 if you get a draft from a branch of EBS, it's an AIB cheque. Not suprising when they're the parent company.

I can't see anyone refusing a cheque drawn on a credt union account. It may not technically be a 'bank draft' but is an official in DoJ going to physically return it? I doubt it.

It appears EBS use AIB as EBS isn't a clearing bank

vivster

Marcusm wrote: »

DoJ has now started requiring online payments for the final stage (€950) of naturalisation, they won’t accept drafts. Are they still requiring bank drafts for initial applications? I thought they were on a much more automated system from Jan 2021 onwards.

The current application form (version 6.2, uploaded Nov'2020) still asks for a bank draft :-(.

Unrelated: They stopped stamping passports with the Stamp information, and issuing IRPs only after Jan'2021. But the naturalisation residency checker still points to the form that asks for passport stamps

NewbridgeIR

For money laundering purposes, you can't get a draft by paying cash - needs to be debited from an account.

Maybe ask somebody who has a bank account to get it for you? Give them the money in advance and also cover the handling charge.

dennyk

Opening a bank account with BOI or AIB might actually be the easiest solution, unless you know someone who'd be willing to get a draft for you (it doesn't have to be from your own account, as long as it's made payable to the Department of Justice). Don't go with KBC; their process for obtaining a bank draft takes ages because it involves posting ****e back and forth. With BOI I was able to get mine at the local branch no problem. (Note that BOI's normal €500 minimum for drafts is waived in the case of drafts payable to a government body...)

vivster

I can't see anyone refusing a cheque drawn on a credt union account. It may not technically be a 'bank draft' but is an official in DoJ going to physically return it? I doubt it.

Just as a closing piece of info: I had shot off emails to the DoJ asking if they would accept a printed cheque from a Credit Union. I got a reply last week from the "helpdesk team" saying that they would not. And this morning, a different "helpdesk team" responded saying that they would accept it.

Go figure.

dennyk

What the help desk says really makes no difference; if whoever opens your big envelope decides it doesn't match the requirements, your application will be rejected on the spot. If it came down to a court case, then maybe the information you were given by a government representative might carry some weight, but in this situation your options would be "send your application in again with an actual bank draft this time" or "stand on principal and fight it out in court for years for the privilege of forcing the Department to accept your credit union cheque and hope that no one holds it against you when they're finally evaluating your application itself", and only a fool would choose the latter.

coylemj

vivster wrote: »

Just as a closing piece of info: I had shot off emails to the DoJ asking if they would accept a printed cheque from a Credit Union. I got a reply last week from the "helpdesk team" saying that they would not. And this morning, a different "helpdesk team" responded saying that they would accept it.

Go figure.

I'll 'figure' that for you.

It's easier to say 'no' in an e-mail because you have something to show if they say 'yes' and you're later refused. Whereas it's easier to say 'yes' in a phone call, because it avoids you getting nasty and asking to speak to a supervisor. In plain English, they get rid of you faster by telling you what you want to hear.

And if they gave you incorrect info. over the phone, there's nothing you can do about it because in all probability, you didn't ask for the name of the person you were speaking to. And even if you did, they can deny what you claim they said. Or they will say that you asked a different question.

melchior1951

The easiest would be to open a free Money Manager account with EBS. A bank draft costs 50 cents then.

Yyhhuuu

melchior1951 wrote: »

The easiest would be to open a free Money Manager account with EBS. A bank draft costs 50 cents then.

Are you sure it's only 50 cent for bank draft

melchior1951

Yes. I got a bank draft there myself 2 weeks ago.