Ex wanting to create bank accounts

[OrnithCheeseatron]

Aibu? My ex wants me to hand over birth certificates for our 3 children, as he wants to set up bank accounts for them at his address. I suspect him of being dishonest in this (hence divorcing him) but am I over reacting? Is there some benefit to the kids that I'm not seeing here? Why would he want to create accounts at his address and not ours?

If he wants birth certificates he can order copies online. You don't have to hand over your copies. If he has plans to defraud relatives and the children by stealing their birthday money then there's not a lot you can do other than tell people to put the money in an account that he cannot withdraw from.

I'd say that's fine to have them registered at his address but you want to be a joint signatory on the account (so basically you both have to sign for any withdrawals). Do the kids already have accounts?

Either that or junior ISAs where the money sits there until they're 18 and can't be withdrawn by a parent

There is no point withholding the birth certificates, as he can order them online anyway.

In your shoes, I'd tell him you can't find them and he should order new ones. So he can't take and not return your copies (the originals?) but he can then get copies and do what he wants to do with them?

I can't see any negative in kids having a bank account registered at his house?

Is he going to try and use this as proof the children live with him, to try and claim child benefit/avoid paying maintenance or similar?

Don't give him their birth certificates, make him order his own copies and keep the originals in a safe place.

This is how my ex ended up stealing the child benefit for months and I never got it back.

The children already have current accounts (my daughter, who's 12) - the younger ones have the usual trust funds and savings accounts from when we were married. Thank you so much to those that have answered x

have they got passports? maybe hes applying for those and not telling you? or as another poster has said child benefits

He doesn't want bank accounts - he wants passports or child benefit. Don't hand them over, especially as you don't trust him and he has form for lying.

He will need the certificates to set up savings accounts for the children. If he is to be a signatory on those accounts, he will use his own address. If he is the one putting money in, it’s not unreasonable he uses his own address to do that and that he receives statements etc from the bank concerned.

He can order his own certificates or if he doesn’t return them, you can get copies. I am not sure you have anything to gain by not helping him out here. Probably he’s making some kind of point so just go ahead and let him.

If you are not yet divorced and you suspect him of trying to hide money, then create a paper trail by emailing him about it and asking why he needs the certificates specifically so he emails back that he is creating the accounts. That way, if £100k goes missing in the divorce, you know where to look for it!

Could he be intending to apply for passports for them.
Is the UK his home country?