Banking

Opening a bank account as quickly as possible is very important, as benefits, such as Universal Credit, are paid into a bank account, and wages are too.

To open a bank or building society account, Ukrainian guests will probably need to:

  1. Make sure they have an email address set up in their name and a valid phone number, to help the bank or building society communicate.

  2. Collect all identification and visa documents. To open a bank or building society account in the UK, you also need to show proof of ID. For Ukrainians, the quickest way to prove identification is likely to be with their International passport or if they don't have an International Passport, their Biometric Residence Permit. Some UK banks and building societies may ask for proof of address, though this is not required by law to open a bank account. If your Ukrainian guest doesn't have all the identification documents, take all the information you have with you to the bank or building society. Banks and building societies are encouraged to consider alternative ways to identify and verify their customers, and the Government has been working closely with the sector to support access for incoming Ukrainian nationals who may not have standard documentation for identity verification.

  3. Apply for an account either in person at a bank or building society branch (you may need to make an appointment), over the phone, online or via a bank’s mobile app. If going into a branch, you should take all relevant identification documents with you.

Banks

It seems that all the UK banks are welcoming Ukrainian refugees. However, you will most likely find that the challenger banks provide a much faster service than traditional high street banks, which can be quite old-fashioned and slow.

Monzo has proven to be very quick at opening accounts.

Challenger banks

These are relatively new online banks created to challenge the dominance of high street banks.

Monzo https://monzo.com/blog/2018/05/30/getting-bank-account-refugee
(apply online via that page, app available on Google Play or Apple Store)

Revolut https://www.revolut.com/en-US/help/more/support-for-ukrainian-refugees/how-can-i-open-an-account-as-a-ukrainian-refugee
https://blog.revolut.com/the-war-on-ukraine-our-response/
(apply online at https://www.revolut.com/ )

High street banks

Banks that have been in the UK for a long time and have banks on high streets (not necessarily in our area).

Lloyds https://www.lloydsbankinggroup.com/media/support-for-ukraine.html
(apply online at https://www.lloydsbank.com/current-accounts/all-accounts/classic-account.html and they'll give you a confirmation within 10 minutes)

Santander https://www.santander.co.uk/personal/ukraine-support (apply online or in a branch)

RBS https://www.rbs.co.uk/ukraine-refugees.html (requires a form + branch visit)

NatWest https://www.natwest.com/ukraine-refugees.html (requires a form + branch visit)


You can find a longer list of banks in the Government's Welcome pack for Ukrainians

Budgeting


Your guests might find that they are having to live on a much lower income than they are used to, at least for a while. There is also useful online information about budgeting:


https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/everyday-money/budgeting


https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-and-money/budgeting/