Opening your bank account
As an international student, you will normally be offered a basic bank account in the UK i.e. a current account with a cash card which enables you to withdraw cash from ATM machines, more commonly referred to as cash points. You will not normally be offered an overdraft facility or credit cards and only a few banks will offer you a cheque book or debit card.
Banks are usually open 9am-5pm on weekdays, and 9.30am-12 noon on Saturdays.
You will require the following documents to open an account:
- Passport
- Letter of enrolment confirming your UK and home addresses (available after enrolment from the International Office).
- The University unconditional offer letter that you received at your home residential address (the bank is looking for evidence that the University has corresponded with you at your place of residence).
- Your University/private accommodation contract for your term-time accommodation.
- A recent bank statement or credit card statement from your home bank translated into English and containing your residential address (the statement must be less than three months old).
The banks operate careful checks on each application before opening an account and you may have to wait for a couple of weeks before your account is opened. We therefore advise you to bring around £300 in cash and a further £300 in traveller’s cheques to cover you for the first month.
Having a UK bank account is essential if you are studying in the UK for more than six months. We recommend that you find out what each major UK bank can offer before choosing one. Remember to check if your bank will provide bank statements to you if you need them for a visa application in the future.
For more information visit the British Bankers Association website.