{"id":2138,"date":"2020-08-10T11:40:36","date_gmt":"2020-08-10T06:10:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/?p=2138"},"modified":"2025-03-05T16:23:43","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T10:53:43","slug":"tips-to-open-a-bank-account-in-the-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/student-finances\/tips-to-open-a-bank-account-in-the-uk\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips to Open a Bank Account in the UK"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/student-finances\/tips-to-open-a-bank-account-in-the-uk\/#What_Type_of_Bank_Accounts_are_Available\" >What Type of Bank Accounts are Available?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/student-finances\/tips-to-open-a-bank-account-in-the-uk\/#Which_Bank_Should_You_Choose\" >Which Bank Should You Choose?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/student-finances\/tips-to-open-a-bank-account-in-the-uk\/#Time_Duration_to_Open_a_Bank_Account_in_the_UK\" >Time Duration to Open a Bank Account in the UK<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/student-finances\/tips-to-open-a-bank-account-in-the-uk\/#Documents_You_Require\" >Documents You Require<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re going to study in the UK for more than a few months, then opening a bank account is a good idea. You can use it to pay your rent, manage daily expenses without incurring any extra charges.\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As an international student, it\u2019s quite easy to open a bank account in the UK, but before that, it\u2019s important to know your options to make the right choice.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Type_of_Bank_Accounts_are_Available\"><\/span><b>What Type of Bank Accounts are Available?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each bank has different types of accounts, such as <\/span>international student account<strong>, <\/strong>credit account<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span>savings account<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It is advised to open a student bank account which is mostly similar to normal current accounts but come with some added perks to sweeten the deal like interest-free overdrafts.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Which_Bank_Should_You_Choose\"><\/span><b>Which Bank Should You Choose?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are a variety of banks in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/country\/united-kingdom\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>UK<\/strong><\/a> to go for but which is the one that fits your needs as a student. For a student, an ideal bank will be the one which offers unlimited deposits and withdrawals, no overdraft fee, no minimum balance or monthly service charge. It should be close to your place of stay or the university so you don\u2019t have to trek across half the city every time you need to deposit cash or hand over documents.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3944\" src=\"https:\/\/images.weserv.nl\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.universityliving.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F08%2F2.jpg&#038;w=1024&#038;q=75&#038;output=webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"730\" height=\"430\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.weserv.nl\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.universityliving.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F08%2F2.jpg&w=730&q=75&output=webp 730w, https:\/\/images.weserv.nl\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.universityliving.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F08%2F2-300x177.jpg&w=300&q=75&output=webp 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 730px) 100vw, 730px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are a lot of financial institutions working closely with various universities like Barclays, Santander, HSBC, Natwest, and RBS. Many of these also offer freebies and incentives like a free 4-year 16-25 railcard, a National Express Coachcard or a Tastecard, and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Time_Duration_to_Open_a_Bank_Account_in_the_UK\"><\/span><b>Time Duration to Open a Bank Account in the UK<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3943\" src=\"https:\/\/images.weserv.nl\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.universityliving.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F08%2F1.jpg&#038;w=1024&#038;q=75&#038;output=webp\" alt=\"time\" width=\"730\" height=\"430\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.weserv.nl\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.universityliving.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F08%2F1.jpg&w=730&q=75&output=webp 730w, https:\/\/images.weserv.nl\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.universityliving.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F08%2F1-300x177.jpg&w=300&q=75&output=webp 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 730px) 100vw, 730px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once decided which bank to opt, you need to make an appointment at the nearest branch to your hall or <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">private student accommodation<\/a><\/strong>. The process of opening a bank account in the UK is easy but it can take a few days to a couple of weeks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instead of going through all the hassle, you can simply use our account opening service <\/span>Unizest Aspire<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. We will help you set up a bank account even before you land in the UK.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Documents_You_Require\"><\/span><b>Documents You Require<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3945\" src=\"https:\/\/images.weserv.nl\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.universityliving.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F08%2F3.jpg&#038;w=1024&#038;q=75&#038;output=webp\" alt=\"documents checklist\" width=\"730\" height=\"430\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.weserv.nl\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.universityliving.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F08%2F3.jpg&w=730&q=75&output=webp 730w, https:\/\/images.weserv.nl\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.universityliving.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F08%2F3-300x177.jpg&w=300&q=75&output=webp 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 730px) 100vw, 730px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you have made up your mind about where to open your bank account, it is time you complete the documentation and make an appointment with the bank.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As an international student, you will need the following documents to open a bank account in the UK:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>An ID card or Passport.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Proof of address in the UK ( any recent utility bill or your tenancy agreement).<\/strong><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Proof you\u2019re a student in the UK university ( admission letter from your university, UCAS confirmation or your student visa).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before setting up a bank account, you will need to have a permanent residence in the UK. If you are having trouble finding <strong>quality student accommodation<\/strong>, visit <\/span><strong>UniversityLiving.com <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and choose from the best accommodations near your uni.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re going to study in the UK for more than a few months, then opening a bank account is a good idea. You can use it to pay your rent, manage daily expenses without incurring any extra charges.\u00a0 As an international student, it\u2019s quite easy to open a bank account in the UK, but [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2195,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[975],"tags":[229],"class_list":{"0":"post-2138","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-student-finances","8":"tag-united-kingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2138"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2138\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}