How did you open your child’s bank account- Is it really this hard to open a bank account for a child?

[Hottubby]

My 15 year old wants a bank account. We don’t live anywhere near an actual real life open bank as they all shut down. We have a mobile bank that comes to our town once a fortnight for a whole 90 mins during working hours. Unless I take leave I can’t get there and more to the point she has to be with me to prove her ID and will be at school.
It is proving impossible to open an account without resorting to taking a days annual leave and travelling 30 miles to an actual branch. I can not find a bank that will let me open an account online. The only one I’ve found (Santander) needs proof of my child’s address via a utility bill- we literally have NOTHING with her address on.
so tell me- how did you open your child’s bank account? What am I missing?

Who do you bank with?

Under 18s can use a birth certificate for ID and you can normally use something that proves the parents address. No one expects a 15 year old to have their own.

things get more complicated when your children turn 18 as they need to provide their own proof of address if they don’t have a driving licence it is unlikely that they will be named on any bills.

most banks allow you to open them fully online now so you shouldn’t have to go into a branch.