First Steps in UK - Opening a Joint Bank Account?

Hi All,

Happy to say my wife is flying in on Sunday having been granted her spousal visa. Couldn't have done it without this forum - so just wanted to say a special thank-you to all the people on here that give up there time to help others like me with such good information. Definitely wouldn't be in this position if i was just going by the UKVI information.

I have a question with regards to opening a joint bank account. Is this something i should do?. In an ideal world - i would like to open a 2nd joint account for me and my wife to pay bills from - as well as each having our own bank accounts. I have spoken to halifax who i bank with - and they have said she can open an account using only her passport and BRP card. My concern is regards credit ratings - I have a good credit history and obviously with the wife having to start from scratch i was wondering if opening a joint account is more hassle than its worth. We definetly won't have enough money to declare with regards FBAR etc initially so thats not a problem - but would having a joint account make sense with a view to our FLR M application in the future?

I would also be really interested to know what others did in there first few weeks of being in the country on there spousal visa?. I have a week off work with my wife next week and plan to try and sort BRP, National Insurance, Bank Account, Doctors etc.

If anyone could give me any advice of the first steps i should take to get things sorted (do i try to change utility bills etc) that would be really helpful!

Thanks again!!

Congrats on being reunited!

My husband and I are only just now opening a joint bank account, and I've been here nearly a year and a half. Part of it was the credit situation, but mostly it was just that I already had my name on enough other things that it wasn't necessary.  Transferring money to other people is so easy over here that there was no rush.

I'd add her to the utility bills and council tax, as well as getting her registered with your local GP. The GP registration will trigger a piece of mail in her name so that's a good start. When she gets a bank account, make sure she opts to paper statements as that will be very helpful too. As for national insurance, I believe since she is coming in on a visa issued from outside the UK that you just need to call and they will send you an application. I could be wrong on this because the way they do things seems inconsistent. The other option is that you'll call and she will have to attend a simple interview to be issued her NiNo.  Either way the whole thing will probably take about 8 weeks. Getting a mobile phone contract can occasionally be tricky due to lack of credit, though I had no problem getting a 1 year sim only contract (I'd bought the iPhone 6 outright the day it released) from 3 about a month after I'd arrived in the country. I just hero provide information for direct debit.  She could also go ahead and apply for a provisional license. She'll be able to drive on her American one for a year anyway but it'll be another thing she can do in the first few months to get set up.

All these things should trigger a decent amount of mail in her name so that will be really good for your future FLR application.   You could even spread some of the less urgent things out a bit (maybe GP registration and the provisional license) so you'll have stuff to cover the time periods evenly on he FLR app.

Additionally, I'd switch any bills that you currently have as paperless to paper. I know there's sometimes a free for this, but it will save you a lot of stress down the line.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. It's good you've got a week off to help her settle in and get all this stuff done.


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Yup, everything Alison said.

There is no requirement to have a joint bank account.  Some couples don't "think the same" about money, so no need to do that if it's something that you do not want to do.

Make sure NOTHING is paperless and you kill lots of trees.  Save ALL mail.  Get her on utility bills and council tax.  All the things Alison said.

If she plans to drive in the UK, she can only drive on her US license for one year.  It can take a LONG time to get a license, so she could go on and start that process.  If she has time to kill before starting a new job, she may want to do an intensive course and just have it over and done with.

While you are off, I would show her your local transportation network!  I think this is key for new expats getting comfortable in a new area and having the confidence to try different bus routes and such. 

Each process: NiNo and Provisional License take more than 3 weeks. The NiNo took exactly 4 weeks. And the big eye opener was having to mail out my passport and brp to the drivers license. They hold the passport for 2-3 weeks. And shortly after you should receive the provisional card. The GP will also want a proof of residency.  In some job applications, the provisional drivers license is not enough proof of a residency. Several have come back wanting a bank account confirmation and a utility and council tax bill.
The council tax bill is a biggie. Its illegal not to report she is living there. And the council tax from what current trails I have read about, will hold your pay and make you pay court fees. I've been here for almost 8 weeks. And it wasn't until last week that I can say my passport and brp is in my hand along with NiNo and provisional license. The provisional license was another (why is the system here so strange jaw drop). I made sure that the recruiting agency's had made the copies necessary as proof of visa and had one of the recruiters sign the back of my photo to send out for my application.  The royal mail isn't the quickest thing. So if you think applying online will be faster, wrong! They then send you another application form which takes a week to receive. Its easy to lose a week by just waiting to receive an application just to send it back out to them.

Volunteering or being involved someway or other around the community is helpful too! Makes the days go quicker

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I've been here almost 3 years and don't have a national insurance number; is it ONLY needed if you plan to work?

Also what is BRP?

And when my DH tried to add my name to the utilities they said it can only be in one name but some of you have been added to your utilities?

Thank you!

I've been here almost 3 years and don't have a national insurance number; is it ONLY needed if you plan to work?

For work.
 
Towards a UK state pension. From April the rules changed and you can only get a UK state pension based on your own contributions. 35 tax years for a full UK pension and minimum of 10 years for a part pension.

Once you have ILR you can claim some benefits in your name and a NINo is needed. Some of these will give a credit towards a state pension if you are not working, by using your NINo. i.e. if you have children and don't work AND you have ILR, you can put the Child Benefit in your name as that gives a credit towards a UK state pension for each tax year.

https://www.gov.uk/national-insurance/overview

Also what is BRP?

Biometric Residence Permit.
https://www.gov.uk/biometric-residence-permits/need-brp

EDIT You would have got a BRP with your last visa application this month/last month?

And when my DH tried to add my name to the utilities they said it can only be in one name but some of you have been added to your utilities?

They can. Keep phoning back until you get a helpful person. You don't have to stay with the same company and you can have your electric and gas with different companies. If you are in a fixed contract, then you might have to pay cancellation charges to switch.

I've been here almost 3 years and don't have a national insurance number; is it ONLY needed if you plan to work?

In addition to the reasons Sirius mentioned, you need a national insurance number to open an ISA.

Presumably you applied for FLR by mail and are waiting for a result?