Uk Bank Account For Thai Fiance/wife

[Hawkinschris]

Greetings...

My GF got her Fiance Visa in September, and will be arriving this Wednesday. (it took so long to get here as she had to finish work, leave her apartment etc)

I would like to know if she can open a Bank Account now, or has to wait until we are married.

If anyone has opened Bank Accounts, were there any problems or was it plain sailing???

Also which Banks

Thanks

[7by7]

It seems to depend upon the bank, and sometimes the branch of the bank!

You can fall into the "You can't have a bank account until you have a credit history, but you can't get a credit history until you've got a bank account" trap!

When my wife first arrived (2001) my then bank, Alliance & Leicester, wouldn't open an account in her name alone, but would open a joint account for her in both our names.

Others have told me that they have had no problems; the only proviso being that they couldn't have a debit card, cheque guarantee card or overdraft until they after they'd been with the bank for a set minimum time.

The only advice I can offer is to ask around until you find a bank that will give her an account.

[IvanLaw]

Good Day

Basicaly the same with my bank (Lloyds TSB)

We cheated, Opened a joint account, 2 weeks after receiving cards etc. later took my name off the account

No problem & Made it much easy when she started work.

Good LUck

Regards

Ivan & Aoy

[Thongkorn]

I got my wife a bank account from Lloyd's , No problem , I just guaranteed for her , I have been a customer for 35 years so no problem , As long as you have something with her(your) address on , I just transfered some money from my account to open hers. I did it the first week she came to settle in the UK .As for so called credit rating what a sham , I have never had credit. The only bank loan was £500, 20 years ago to buy a car. I have No mortgage on my house because i own it and a few pensions , Isa's And mini Isa, a little in the bank , I work full time pay my taxes ,Yet as 7by7 states , i am a bad risk because i have no credit rating,

[Brigante7]

Nationwide gave my wife an account when she first arrived on her fiance visa, all she needed was her passport and a utility bill in her name, and she got a visa debit card with the account.

Brigante7.

[Jonathanpattaya]

NatWest would only allow a joint account for me and my Thai wife.

They cited security reasons and that Thailand is a money fraud hot-spot.

[Lannatyne]

An old finance industry worker replying here, so this is the way to do it.

Institutions need to ID the person, and confirm the address.

Person ID will be her passport, and for the address, just put the gas / electric / phone bill in her name for 1 month. Get the bill, then change it back to your name.

[true blue]

you need 2 documents with her uk name and address on, plus her passport and birth certificate. tried the joint account route at the very first, but no go, pb still wanted docs.

[NALAK]

HSBC reluctantly gave us joint account on the basis she had no credit history even though her wages had to go into a bank account. i agreed but was not happy so wrote and asked why they give accounts to students along with huge loans who have no credit history, or was it just a problem they had with Asians. she got her sole name account within the week. i know its not good but after all the crap of getting the visa playing the race card a little bit does no harm. had to do a similar thing to NI number as they messed us about for weeks and weeks, no ni number no work so had to be firm. however banking reulations have toughned up a lot since then to stop money laundering so may not work now. should get joint account though

Edited November 16, 2009 by NALAK

[paully]

It seems to depend upon the bank, and sometimes the branch of the bank!

You can fall into the "You can't have a bank account until you have a credit history, but you can't get a credit history until you've got a bank account" trap!

Yes, absolutely. The OP's wife may find it difficult to open a full current account (with Visa debit card/chequebook) with some high street banks in her sole name, but opening a joint account or a savings account initially is the way round it.

Edited November 16, 2009 by paully

[7by7]

no ni number no work

Most employers know that they can use a temporary number based upon the date of birth until the employee has been issued with their real one.

TNddmmyyM if male, TNddmmyyF if female.

[NALAK]

no ni number no work

Most employers know that they can use a temporary number based upon the date of birth until the employee has been issued with their real one.

TNddmmyyM if male, TNddmmyyF if female.

best chance of work is via an agency, they normally want NI number as they get fined if they take on illegal workers. we just found it a lot easier to have the NI number as many of the agencies wanted it. but yes i agree you can get a temporary NI number not easy for new entrants into the country , in my experience.

but agree with most points gets her bank account, ni number and a few bills in her name as soon as possible, push hard for sole bank account then she get credit rating via credit card that they normally give with bank account.

[7by7]

best chance of work is via an agency

Really? Not in our experience, but I guess it depends on what type of work one is looking for.

they normally want NI number as they get fined if they take on illegal workers

Having an NI number is not proof that one can legally work. For example, a friend of ours lived and worked in the UK for nearly two years, then returned to Thailand. She is currently in the UK with a visit visa, and so is prohibited from working. Yet as NI numbers are issued for life, she has an NI number.

It is the applicant's passport and visa, or other proof that the applicant can legally work, that employers need to check, not their NI number.

Getting a temporary NI number is not difficult; the employer simply makes it up as I described previously and then allocates deductions to it in his payroll files until the real number comes through; at which point the allocated funds are transferred to the real number. I used to do this often when I worked in the pay office of a previous employer.

[Bukseeda]

My missus opened a bank account within a week of getting here on a fiancee visa. She went by herself armed with her passport and a letter from the Borough Council re. council tax addressed to both of us (I called them to let them know she was here, they recalculated my council tax and sent a new bill with both our names on it within 2 days). Somehow she managed to open two accounts - a current account with a debit card (visa) and a cheque book, and a savings account. This was in October this year. NB. This was Barclays Bank - the same bank that wouldn't give me a current account when I came back from Thailand until I got a job!