# Can I open a bank account in UK from New Zealand?



## hippychick (Nov 24, 2011)

I am moving from New Zealand to UK and was wondering if anyone knows if it's possible to open a bank account in the UK while I am still in New Zealand - this is possible in Australia and New Zealand and certainly makes life easier. Any ideas?


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## Johanna (Apr 13, 2009)

hippychick said:


> I am moving from New Zealand to UK and was wondering if anyone knows if it's possible to open a bank account in the UK while I am still in New Zealand - this is possible in Australia and New Zealand and certainly makes life easier. Any ideas?


Do a simple google search. 
Does this help at all?
Application for Opening a Personal Bank Account | My Offshore Accounts


Banking has changed a lot of the years, I think you need to provide a bank with a physical address and a utility account for that specific address, but I may be mistaken.


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## ArabianNights (Jul 23, 2011)

For a normal UK current account, you need to physically go int with a utility bill as proof of address and they need to see original ID and your signature. Without this, it is impossible to open, when you havent even entered the country yet. When you enter, you have to wait for your bills to generate and sent out to you, before you can go to the bank and open an account. This can take up to a month


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Try H.S.B.C. they claim to be a worldwide bank


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

If you currently have a bank account in NZ with a worldwide bank such as Citibank, HSBC then you may be able to open a UK account through them. 

Even if they don't allow you to open the account while in NZ it will certainly help when you get to the UK to open an account with the same bank.


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## Guest (Jan 3, 2012)

Ok I do know about this. Firstly you need a lot of patience . If you dont have a permanant UK address and utility bills its pretty hard, Two banks will help but totally forget the others. Barclays and TSB[Lloyds] are the two. The way around this is to open an offshore sterling account Jersey,Guernsey, Isle of Man ,Gibraltar You will need a certified copy of your passport, utility bills NZ address] etc.
I would really recommend the Co op Bank in Isle of Man. You can have a cheque book etc etc, when you get established in the UK inform the bank and they will update your details. Co op also has 24 hour telephone banking with real human beings. I have and do bank with quite a few banks offshore and Co op is streets a head of the rest. Banking in Europe in very regulated due to money laundering/terrorism. They have a thing called KYC know your customer it drives you mad but patience and a sense of humour does get you through.


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## hippychick (Nov 24, 2011)

Great thanks so much for that - it really is difficult isn't it?


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## Green78 (Dec 29, 2010)

Hi Hippychick,
a few days ago I was looking for the same thing and bumped into an italian website made by expats.
They were suggesting setting up a "PASSPORT" account with HSBC, as you can do this from abroad if you intend to relocate to UK within 3 months or if you have been living in UK for at least 4 months:
This account should allow you to:
* have an international debit card
* have you bills directly paid by your bank 
* online bank statement
* internet banking and phone banking

Other banks include:

- Abbey National (Bank Accounts, Savings, Loans and Mortgages: Santander)

- Natwest (NatWest Personal Banking)

- Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS | The Royal Bank of Scotland | Personal, Private, Business & Corporate Banking)

- Barclays (Barclays Personal Banking | ISAs | Barclays latest ISA rates - Barclays)

- Lloyds TSB (Lloyds TSB - Current Bank Accounts, Personal Banking, Financial Services)

Mind I haven't checked them by myself yet.

Bye, 

Matt


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

Don't go looking for Abbey National as it was taken over by Santander and is now branded as Santander Santander as the link suggests.


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## Liz in UK (Jul 31, 2011)

I don't know about opening a bank account from NZ, but it is tricky in the UK without proof of residence. And that's a catch 22 as in order to get the things that would give you proof of residence (example utility bill, council tax bill, bank statement) you need to have proof of residence. I kept my bank account in America open and had the address associated with the account changed to my UK address. When the first statement arrived in the UK, voila, we had proof of residence to open a UK bank account. A friend of mine moved to the UK about a year before I did, and he opened his account by using a bank statement with his American address which matched his driver's license. That was accepted as proof of address and then he changed the address after he got married. We both use Natwest.


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## hippychick (Nov 24, 2011)

That's really interesting and informative - thanks so much - will give HSBC a try and see what happens.


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