in thinking that you cannot step off a plane in England after not having lived here for nearly 50 years and then open a bank account the same afternoon?

[Alliwantisaroomsomewhere]

My father is coming to live in England again after not having lived here since he was a teenager. He says he wants to - er..... MUST - open a bank account the very afternoon that he arrives at Heathrow.

I must post in Relationships about him and his partner and my situation, but cannot summon up the energy to do so at the moment.

So, for the time being, I would like to know if IABU in tellling my father that without proof of address in England, he will not be able to open a bank account the day he arrives in England. No, he does not have millions that have to be banked immediately. On the contrary, in fact.

Am I wrong in telling him that?

I lived overseas for 5 years and due to a cock up my British bank account was closed. I had an absolute nightmare opening a new account because I was a SAHM, so no salary to pay in. Nationwide was the only place I could get an account and they would only give me a cash card I could get money out of a machine with. Even when I put a huge sum of money in my account which was a deposit on a house they wouldn't upgrade my account. My solicitor said it was the sort of account prisoners get when released from prison . Best example of weird banking practice was when my DH and I got the mortgage (in both our names) but NatWest refused to give me a bank account, on the basis I was high risk because I had no credit record.

i have only cash card, i was never in prison

He can open a bank account with barclays with just a uk passport, no proof of address needed. I open accounts for people who've just arrived in the uk with just their uk, polish, italian, spanish etc passports or id cards all of the time. huh

Ooh nailak I wasn't suggesting anybody with a cash card had been to prison. I already felt like a non-person because I couldn't get a bank account (just a mortgage - bizzare), and then the solicitor suggested I was being treated like I'd just come out of prison.

hth not huh

NanBullen at huh!

doesn't HSBC offer relocation services where they open your account before you arrive

and lloyds will definitley open a basic account with just a passport and no UK permanent address yet, I know someone who has just done this!