Opening a bank account

Attol

I'm just starting a new part time job in England. I have to have a form of ID and a utility bill from the last 3 months when I go open a new bank account. I'm 18 and still living at home so have no bills in my name. Would a bill in one of my parents' names do? I really don't want to lose this job so want to get this sorted out as soon as possible.

I have an account in Dublin that my dad opened for me when I was younger but I'd rather not have to use that. The other jobs I've had have paid cash so I've never had to bother with this before, hence the cluelessness.

Thanks.

BuffyBot

You won't be able to use your Irish account to get your salary paid into etc anyway - Ireland and the UK are two seperate banking systems, despite the similarities.

Basically, you need to speak to your potential bank. If you explain that you dont' have any utility bills in your name they might be able to come up with other suggestions. When I opened first UK account, they bank accepted a statement from my AIB account in Ireland with my UK address on it - however, what they'll look for will probably vary from branch to branch.

lostinsuperfunk

You could try Bank of Ireland or AIB's UK operations. They might be slightly more willing to open an account for you than the mainstream UK banks. The disadvantage is that their branch networks are limited (your nearest branches of both are probably in Birmingham) but these days with networked ATMs (BoI and AIB both use the 'Link' ATM system in the UK) and internet banking this isn't much of a drawback.

Attol

Heh, I just walked in to a bank to ask what forms of ID they wanted and what would count as a proof of address. I had my passport on me and because I was registered to vote in the local council elections that was my proof of address. It's surprisingly easy. It took my mum 2 months to get an account. They gave me a cheque book too.

daveirl

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BuffyBot

daveirl wrote:

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AIB tend to tell you f*** right off. In the UK their focus in on business banking, and high net worth customers - so if you're Joe Bloggs, they most likely won't be interested.

BOI are more business focused too, but seem to be a bit more flexible with personal customers and offer accounts less restrictively than AIB. They're as integrated as any of the big banks over there, but they may not be as competitive in terms of interest rates and charges etc