Going along with the banking question.....Help!!

Ok, still a little confused.  It seems that to open an account in the UK they need to verify who you are and where you live.  My friend and I are moving over there in Feb/March 2009 and staying with my brother who lives there.  So with that being said, we obviously won't have proof of residency so would we both still be able to open an account?   Would a copy of my brothers mortgage statement work or does it have to be in my name? 

ahh its an endless circle... you need to prove you live somewhere to get a bank account and you need a bank account to to get a place to live.  how is this supposed to work??   

did anybody else have the same problems or am I fretting over nothing? 

Which visa will you be moving over on?  If you're on a work permit or a student visa, often the employer or school can provide proof of address (in the form of payslips or a letter from school officials).

or you can have your US bank start sending statements to your brother's address a few months in advance.  then when you get to the UK- you can use this as proof of address.

personally- i found the letter from my employer useless in getting me a bank account.  they refused to look at it.

personally- i found the letter from my employer useless in getting me a bank account.  they refused to look at it.

Interesting- I had the opposite experience, mine specifically asked that I have my employer write me a letter saying that I worked for them, my address, etc.

But luckily, I didn't have problems getting a place to live- and thus, I didn't have to run in circles- banking or housing wise= I just had to pay 1 months full deposit, which I paid cash for by hitting up the hole in the wall for 4 straight days

Thanks for the help guys.  Yeah I won't have a visa, I will just be getting my German passport to show that I have dual citizenship in Germany, and Germany is part of the EU I should be able to work in any country that is part of that?  I will try the thing where I send my bank statements to my brothers house a couple of months in advance.  See if that works. 

Ah, I see.   If you're an EU citizen exercising your right to live in the UK, you'll probably find things like getting bank accounts a bit easier than the rest of us, in terms of the bank staff knowing how to cope with a foreign passport/account applicant.  Shouldn't really be that way, but it is! 

Your documentation will need to be in your name; meggles is right, though, that you can just have your bank statements sent to your brother's address and most banks should accept this as proof of address.  If you'll be living with your brother, you'll need to be added to his council tax; most banks should also accept a council tax statement as proof of address (he can add you and then request a new statement be mailed out - ours took about three days).