Bank account for spouse visa

Hi All,

I arrived in the UK last month on a fiancé visa. My fiancé and I want to open a joint bank account, as we are working on gathering the supporting documents for the spouse visa. We went to RBS, they refused to open the account for us saying that my visa expires in less than 6 months. I explained to them the fiancé visa validity but to no avail.

Is it possible to open a joint account on a fiancé visa? If so, which banks in the UK allow using fiancé visa to open an account?

Kind regards,

Hi All,

I arrived in the UK last month on a fiancé visa. My fiancé and I want to open a joint bank account, as we are working on gathering the supporting documents for the spouse visa. We went to RBS, they refused to open the account for us saying that my visa expires in less than 6 months. I explained to them the fiancé visa validity but to no avail.

Is it possible to open a joint account on a fiancé visa? If so, which banks in the UK allow using fiancé visa to open an account?

Kind regards,

Have you tried going to other banks and seeing what they say? I would check-in with a few banks and then take it from there.

Do you have a National Insurance number?

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Thank you

All the bank branches I’ve been to told us to apply online then to go to a branch to verify our docs. The reason why we went with RBS us because my fiancé already has an account with them. I thought I’d check here to see if anyone has run into a similar issue.

I don’t have a National Insurance Number, I thought I’m not allowed to get one until I sort out the spouse visa.

You might have difficulty opening a bank account for awhile as they usually require proof of address but I would definitely ask around (I am with RBS so can’t recommend anyone else unfortunately). If you haven’t already, I’d recommend getting a phone contract where you can get monthly bills posted to you, which might help you with some banks. That will also start to build your UK credit history.

All the bank branches I’ve been to told us to apply online then to go to a branch to verify our docs. The reason why we went with RBS us because my fiancé already has an account with them. I thought I’d check here to see if anyone has run into a similar issue.

It can be tricky to open a bank account when you first arrive, and some people on the forum have ended up spending months trying to open an account.

Do you have proof of address (i.e. council tax bill?)?

Best thing to do is just to keep trying... maybe even try different branches of the same bank... until you find one that is willing to let you open an account.

I don’t have a National Insurance Number, I thought I’m not allowed to get one until I sort out the spouse visa.

That's correct - you can't apply for an NI number until you have the right to work... which you won't get until after you are married and have been granted your FLR(M) visa.

I already have a proof of address, gas and water bills. The issue isn’t the proof of address, it’s the fiancé visa which has less than 6 months validity. No way I could have more than 6 months validity on the visa.

So to apply for the residence permit, it’s recommended to have a joint bank account to show a genuine and subsisting relationship. But I can’t apply for a bank account because I don’t have a residence permit?! It’s a bit frustrating.

I already have a proof of address, gas and water bills. The issue isn’t the proof of address, it’s the fiancé visa which has less than 6 months validity. No way I could have more than 6 months validity on the visa.

The fiance visa should not be an issue, but if the banks won't accept it, then I'm not sure there's much you can do about it. You may need to wait until you have FLR(M).

So to apply for the residence permit, it’s recommended to have a joint bank account to show a genuine and subsisting relationship. But I can’t apply for a bank account because I don’t have a residence permit?! It’s a bit frustrating.

There is no requirement whatsoever to have a joint bank account for the next visa, so this is not something you need to worry about. A large number of people on the forum have individual bank accounts and all their visas have been granted without issue.

All you need for relationship evidence is proof of mail addressed to both of you at the same address (either jointly or separately addressed)... which does NOT have to include bank accounts.
 
The requirements for FLR(M) in regards to the relationship requirement are:
- marriage certificate
- 6 items of mail in each name, spread evenly over the time you have lived together, from at least 3 different sources. As you have only just arrived in the UK, it's not expected that you will have 6 items in your name yet, so you just provide what you can and write a letter of explanation for why you don't have enough

Items of mail that can be used are:
- tenancy agreements
- mortgage statements
- council tax statements
- gas/electricity bills
- water bills
- phone/internet/TV bills
- bank statements... either individual or joint accounts
- credit card statements
- Letters or other documents from government departments or agencies, for example HM Revenue and Customs, Department for Work and Pensions, DVLA, TV Licensing
-  Letters or other documents from your GP, a hospital or other local health service about medical treatments, appointments, home visits or other medical matters

So, the best you can do at the moment is to get as many OTHER types of mail in your name as possible, and just keep trying for the bank account.

In fact, in the past people have found it much more difficult to open a joint account than an individual bank account... so you may have better luck with trying to open an account in just your name.

The fiance visa should not be an issue, but if the banks won't accept it, then I'm not sure there's much you can do about it. You may need to wait until you have FLR(M).

There is no requirement whatsoever to have a joint bank account for the next visa, so this is not something you need to worry about. A large number of people on the forum have individual bank accounts and all their visas have been granted without issue.

All you need for relationship evidence is proof of mail addressed to both of you at the same address (either jointly or separately addressed)... which does NOT have to include bank accounts.
 
The requirements for FLR(M) in regards to the relationship requirement are:
- marriage certificate
- 6 items of mail in each name, spread evenly over the time you have lived together, from at least 3 different sources. As you have only just arrived in the UK, it's not expected that you will have 6 items in your name yet, so you just provide what you can and write a letter of explanation for why you don't have enough

Items of mail that can be used are:
- tenancy agreements
- mortgage statements
- council tax statements
- gas/electricity bills
- water bills
- phone/internet/TV bills
- bank statements... either individual or joint accounts
- credit card statements
- Letters or other documents from government departments or agencies, for example HM Revenue and Customs, Department for Work and Pensions, DVLA, TV Licensing
-  Letters or other documents from your GP, a hospital or other local health service about medical treatments, appointments, home visits or other medical matters

So, the best you can do at the moment is to get as many OTHER types of mail in your name as possible, and just keep trying for the bank account.

In fact, in the past people have found it much more difficult to open a joint account than an individual bank account... so you may have better luck with trying to open an account in just your name.

Thank you so much for your valuable input.

I didn’t think opening a bank account would be that complicated. I was able to get a car insurance policy with my Texas driver’s license without any issues, which has my current address in the UK. I guess that too could count as evidence.

Since a joint bank account isn’t required, I might just hold off till I get the residence permit.

Kind regards