I cant open a bank account?

Guys so I moved to the uk. They won't let me open a bank account until I have a letter from employment or uni. That is so crazy because you kind of need a bank account when you start working. Then I still have to make an appointment after the letter to open it. This is so backwards. In America all you need is id.. literally anyone can open a account. You dont even specify that exact reason your opening the account. The uk is so strict with their policies like idkkk.. wasnt even in a rush to find a job now I have to ughhhh..

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Guys so I moved to the uk. They won't let me open a bank account until I have a letter from employment or uni. That is so crazy because you kind of need a bank account when you start working. Then I still have to make an appointment after the letter to open it. This is so backwards. In America all you need is id.. literally anyone can open a account. You dont even specify that exact reason your opening the account. The uk is so strict with their policies like idkkk.. wasnt even in a rush to find a job now I have to ughhhh..

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Are you sure they are not just asking for proof of address? Many of our members have opened bank accounts without being in employment or a student.

If that's what they are really asking for, try another bank, there are plenty more fish in the sea! 

Are you sure they are not just asking for proof of address? Many of our members have opened bank accounts without being in employment or a student.

If that's what they are really asking for, try another bank, there are plenty more fish in the sea! 

I managed to get one before I was employed.  Took a few documents but wasn't too bad!

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My husband added me to his account and after they did that I could open my own.

All we needed was proof of address (they were really picky about what it could be), marriage license, my passport and visa.

Proof of address is the challenge! There are very few documents that meet the requirements. You can thank the hostile environment for that, if you aren't in the country legally they don't want you able to bank. I had more luck with Barclays than HSBC, as i had my US HSBC statements sent to my UK address and that worked for them but not HSBC. Council tax or a utility bill are the other most common proofs, but each bank will have a list of all valid options. You may have to push for a branch manager if it's not council tax or utility bill though. It will likely take a couple weeks minimum to get the UK account set up. Keep trying and good luck!

RBS took a passport and a council tax bill for me, with no job and no University. (Of course, the passport was EU.)

For ID:
https://personal.rbs.co.uk/personal/current-accounts/what-do-you-need-to-open-a-current-account/proof-of-id-we-can-accept.html

For address:
https://personal.rbs.co.uk/personal/current-accounts/what-do-you-need-to-open-a-current-account/proof-of-address-we-can-accept.html


As a student, you should be able to take your passport with visa and a letter from your Uni and that should suffice. Assuming you want to do business with Royal Bank of Scotland and there's one nearby for you. And that you are a student. (Not clear on your status, actually.)

I opened one straight away with Barclay's. All they needed was my passport and a letter showing proof of address. I had ordered a Tesco Loyalty card and had registered for a NI Number with the local Job Centre so took that with me.

This site is a good resource on opening a basic fee free bank account.
https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/basic-bank-accounts

Main requirements are to prove I’d and address.

Our son didn’t have a job or NI number when he returned last year, and the bank accepted a letter from us as proof of address.