Huge Issues Opening a Bank Account

Not sure if this is in the right forum...

Well I've come to the conclusion that being an American in England isn't so easy. You take for granted how simple it is to do things back home, like open a bank account. It seems that the UK is really REALLY strict when it comes to Identity, and while it's good for things like avoiding fraud, I don't think there is any understanding of different situations for Americans who move to this country.

I've been to about 5 different banks, all of which have told me that I cannot open an account if I do not have any council tax statements or utility bills, or anything with my name and address on it for that matter. I've been married last November and have therefore changed my surname to my husbands. We still live with his parents and we don't pay any council tax or bills. I have letters in my maiden name to this address, but none in my married name. However, I have been using my married name on everything.

I've also got a job with the NHS, and have my contract with my married name on it. I went to HSBC because I heard that they are one of the best banks. I originally wanted to apply for a Passport Account because then I wouldnt have that much of a carry on. But since I have been in the UK longer than 6 months, I did not qualify for one (This is completely stupid because I came over on a 6 month fiance visa which did not allow me to work. Then I got my spousal visa in Feb, and then got a job which started in June) How was I supposed to open a bank account without a job? which clearly my fiance visa would not allow me!

So she said she was gonna try to open me a current account instead. I showed her my marriage certificate to prove my name change. This is all I had to show my name change because I haven't changed the name in my passport yet, and my visa is also in my maiden name. She used copies of my contract of employment as my "letter of identification" because this is the only official letter I have with my married name on it. Anyways, she put all the info in and said "there you go, account opened. If we run into any problems we'll give you a call" So I thought "yay i've finally opened a bank account!"

I received my HSBC card, my pin, my online banking, and my security pin pad thingy, so I thought I was all set and ready to go! But then I got a letter in the mail 2 days ago saying (what do ya know!) "cannot use your contract of employment as identity" I called up and spoke to a woman who said that it was because my contract of employment did not have a contact telephone number to ring my employer to confirm that I am in fact who I say I am. I said "Can I just give you the number to HR then?" "no sorry we cant do that. We need a letter from them" So I called HR to see if they could type up a letter for me and they said "Sorry we need HSBC to send us a letter themselves requesting that info"

I just thought Oh My God...what a headache this is! Now they're telling me they're going to close my bank account down if I cant prove my ID! I thought I was all set, what a huge disappointment. Do people here not realise that when you get married, your name changes?! Our marriage certificate should be the link to everything. It shows my maiden name and married name. Therefore I should technically be able to use letters with my maiden name on them as ID too. I'm just so fed up with it all, there's just no compassion or understanding with any bank. It's like they've never opened a bank account for a foreigner in their lives! and HSBC calls themselves "The Bank of the World" LOL! I don't even know what I'm supposed to do next. I've already given my employer my HSBC bank details too. And Now it seems I wont have a bank account to have my wages paid into, and it's stressing me out.

Any advice anyone?

DW had problems, the main thing was for us to get her name on the Council Tax bill, that allowed her to open one but for the 1st year she only got an "easy cash" account from Halifax which was a basic account....within a year they then said she could have a normal account. And we both work for that bank and she still had issues confirming her identity even when she'd had to go through the process to get the job!
I know you say you live with your husbands parents but I think they could still have you added to the council tax bill so at least you have some form.

My husband just converted his coop bank account to a joint one - perhaps you could do this? 

This was a really easy process - we both went and just showed them my passport and spousal visa, as well as the proof of address I had sent to the British Consulate in NY for my spousal visa application.  My husband has been a regular customer since forever so those were the only documents they required. 

Another thing: I was a student here in the UK back in 2003, and opening a bank account then was also a bit complicated.  Luckily because I already had an HSBC account in New York, I was able to open a regular HSBC account here, since I was already a member of the HSBC network.  Because of that small detail, they hooked me up with a regular British student account with all the perks including a Youth Railcard.  I'm not sure this still works, but for those still in the US it may be worth a try.

We went into my husbands bank, HSBC, with my passport and our marriage certificate, and we opened a joint account.
Maybe try that?

I can relate to this. I still don't have a bank account after 8 attempts to get one.

Since I don't have any utility bills in mine or DH's name, I was told the letter I received issuing my NI number is acceptable as proof of address (although even that was not known among all the bank colleagues we spoke to, who each gave us conflicting information). Mine was addressed to my maiden name, which wasn't acceptable even though my marriage certificate shows my legal name change, so I had to contact the Job Centre Plus head office and fax a copy of my marriage certificate, passport, and visa to them so they could re-send the letter in my married name.

I haven't been back to the bank since, but if/when I do I am going to use that letter as proof of address and hope there isn't anything else they will say is "not accepted".

It's frustrating.

I made an appointment with a dentist (to get in with the local NHS dentist who happened to be accepting new patients right when I moved) and used the paperwork they gave me after the visit as proof of identity.   May not work for everyone, but it did work for me at my local Barclays branch.

It just grinds my gears how absolutely difficult the whole process makes things.  You can't have A unless you have B, but you can't have B unless you have A.  This is above and beyond the whole fraud issue.

I opened up my own account at my husband's bank (Lloyds). I let them know he was a current client and I wanted to have my account at the same bank so we could transfer easily between accounts if we needed to.

When she asked me if I had a job I said no but I will be looking for one as soon as I have my visa extended and I can work.  She asked me if the payments for any job I do get would be coming to the account with Lloyds and I said yes.

Before any of this, I just asked about opening an account and they said "sure. We just need you to bring your Passport and your marriage certificate".  That was all.  They opened up my account in my Maiden name but did not order a debit card, the very next thing she did was put in my change of name form, and THEN she ordered my debit card.  so the account originally did come to my Maiden name when it opened, and then the card arrived in my married name and my account was now in my married name.

Granted, its a basic account. I can't write checks and I don't have overdraft, but i never used checks or overdraft anyway, and I can do all my banking online.  I then opened up a savings account online and will be going back to them to talk about a loan, to kick start my credit rating, since I have enough money in the bank to cover what I intend to ask for several times over.

Maybe try Lloyds? Other than that, joint account would be the most likely.

I was trying to be added on to my husband's current account at his bank for a joint account and still had all these same issues. 

Ugh. As an aside, this is why I liked my job so much in the states.  I used to travel from bank branch to bank branch to train staff in product knowledge and get them all talking on the same page.  More often than not, they had no idea half the stuff I told them was possible. info was so fragmented.

Seems hit or miss here.

Get a provisional driving licence.  It will be in your married name and have your address on it, as well as your picture, and some places will accept it as both proof of ID and proof of address.  I went to Lloyd's with my passport and marriage certificate, and it turned out that these would have got me an account in my maiden but not my married name, but I was able to use the provisional licence instead of the passport as ID, and wasn't required to show any bills or official post or anything.  I was given a normal current account with cheques and a debit card in my married name.  YMMV, of course, but a provisional is a good idea anyway.  They cost £50 and usually take about a week. 

More info:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/Motoringtransactions/BeforeyouapplyA/DG_10032690

Also, try shopping around with branches.  Sometimes two different branches of the same bank will allow different things. 

As an aside, this is why I liked my job so much in the states.  I used to travel from bank branch to bank branch to train staff in product knowledge and get them all talking on the same page.  More often than not, they had no idea half the stuff I told them was possible. info was so fragmented. 

Same thing goes here.  Branch staff aren't always very well trained, IMO.  You go from one branch to another of the same bank & get a different answer.

When I moved, my husband & I went in together to have my name put on his account.  They wouldn't do that, but they did set up a joint account for us.

Well I'm glad that I'm not the only one that's having probs with banks. About the joint account idea or putting my name on my husbands... they wouldn't even let me do that. This was at the Nationwide. They said I would still need to provide the same documents.

So I've called HSBC back today and spoke to the branch manager. I told him that the letter they sent me said my contract of employment from the NHS wasn't sufficient for proof of ID. He sounded very confused by this and said that he didn't understand why they didn't accept it, that it is acceptable, and that he would sort it out for me. It's got my name and address on it, and the employers address, but it doesn't have my employers phone number, which apparently was the problem. I thought what difference does it make?! I'll give them the phone number if they want it! It just goes to show that some people know what they're doing and some are just incompetent. Anyways, he said he'd sort it out for me and that they wouldn't close my account down. So fingers crossed. 

I think it took me over 8 months to get my acct. I was living in a share house with no bills in my name (all in landlords)

Had loads of proof of my address (NHS, JobCentre, HMRC, payslips and more) but was told no, you need a tax code. Would go get a tax code and told it wasnt right, speak to inland revenue to get the right tax code, spoke to them they said to speak to my employeer (at the time a temp agency). Round and round in circles. I got a letter from the agency I worked with and no go.

This was with all the banks in town (HSBC, NatWest, Alliance & Leicester, Abbey National, Bradford & Bingley and more) and all them kept telling me my information on WHO I was is insufficient. I even showed them my Naturalization papers, wouldnt budge.

I stopped for a bit, got permanent work and tried again. Apparently the tax code I had from permanent work did the trick. I went with NatWest as my partner is with them and we could transfer money with ease. Been with them ever since and no real worries.

I was trying to be added on to my husband's current account at his bank for a joint account and still had all these same issues. 

I had a huge hassle until we had a joint credit card.
 But to add my Husband's name on my Bank of America accounts all he needed was his passport and his tax ID number.   The best part was he requested a Red Sox debit card and they sent him a Yankee one with his picture on it. 

Well I've come to the conclusion that being an American in England isn't so easy. You take for granted how simple it is to do things back home, like open a bank account. It seems that the UK is really REALLY strict when it comes to Identity, and while it's good for things like avoiding fraud, I don't think there is any understanding of different situations for Americans who move to this country.

The reverse is also true, unfortunately. It's often really difficult for people who've just moved to the US to open a bank account these days. You can blame all the post-9/11 laws for a lot of this stuff.