Opening a UK Bank Account

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Opening a UK bank account is not as difficult as it use to be, that’s for sure. Once apon a time it use to be horror story after horror story but these days, the UK banks have gone ahead and decided to make it a little easier on expats.

Of course opening a bank account before you leave home is still the most popular option, it’s safe, it’s easy and its one less thing you have to do when you get to your new home –our Travelex/HSBC banking video gives you more details on that- but if you are all for the challenge of doing everything once you get there, or logistically your only option is to open an account once you’ve landed, all you need to do is make sure you land in London prepared. Most of the time it’s just a matter of taking the right forms of identification, making an appointment with a friendly banking staff member and choosing what account you want.

So we’ve done some investigating into the five major banks of England, to get you guys the lo-down on what each bank requires in the form of documents, types of accounts available to you and the process in which to open them. Be sure to check out the videos on each bank plus the nifty bank comparison table, get a full understanding of what each bank offers.

Lloyds classic account no start up amount no application fee visa debit card amt access internet banking phone banking no monthly account fee About the account Application form
HSBC passport account no start up amount no application fee 12 month minimum debit card atm access internet banking phone banking fees -6 quid a month About the account Application form
Natwest step account no start up amount no application fee debit card atm access phone banking internet banking About the account Application form
Barclays cash card account £1 to open the account no application fee atm access online banking debit card phone banking no monthly account fee About the account Application form