Whether you are young or old when applying for a bank account, loan or pension, you will be asked to prove your address in order to do so. Every single bank you can apply to in the UK will require a proof of address, including HSBC, Barclays, Halifax, Santander, Nationwide and Lloyds. The most commonly used method of proving where you live is by showing previous bills addressed to your home to your chosen bank – but are there other valid ways of proving your address other than this?
In this article, I will be listing the best ways to prove your home address other than using your bills. Lets jump into it!
1.Your Driving Licence
If you are old enough to have a valid driving licence in the UK, you can use it to prove your address. You can also prove your residence with a provisional driving licence which you can apply for from age 15 years and 9 months. An up-to-date driving licence should have your current address written on it along with other personal details such as your place and date of birth and a recent photograph of you.
If you find that the address on your driving licence is outdated and/or simply incorrect then you can change it on both official licences and provisional licences for free.
It is illegal to choose not to declare a new address on your driving licence, so it is best to change it straight away! You can change your address either by post or online – for more information about changing your address on your driving licence, check out the official government website.
2. A Recent Bank Statement
Another form of proof for your home address could be a recent bank statement. These days, most bank statements are online, so it would be a good idea to either take a screenshot or print off your most recent bank statement which contains your address and show it as proof.
If you choose to use a bank statement as your proof, you must ensure that the statement is no more than 3 to 4 months old, otherwise it will be considered as invalid. This rule only applies to bank statements, as a regular bill is considered ok to use for up to 12 months after it has been delivered.
3. A Letter From Your College Or University
If you find that you do not have any old bills with your current address written on them, then many banks accept letters from colleges, universities and language schools which have your current address on them.
In many cases, the subject of the letter does not matter – it could be to do with your accommodation, classes or fees at your educational institution. As long as the letter is addressed to you personally, it is eligible to be used as proof. You could also show a letter from a current employer if you have a job, whether it be full-time or part-time – find more about this later on in the list.
4. Your UCAS Form or Student Loan Confirmation Letter
In some cases, if you are a student, a copy of your UCAS details can be used to confirm your address for whatever purpose you need. It is important to note that, in order to register at UCAS and obtain UCAS details, you must also prove your address.
You could also try to use a confirmation letter from a previous student loan you have taken out, although this could be considered a form of bill.
With this form of address proof, it would be best to check the regulations of the bank/whichever place you need the proof for as they may not accept this as a valid proof of address – it is better to be safe than sorry!
5. A Recent Tenancy Statement
Because a tenancy statement is an official document which states the details of your home address and the price of it, it can be used as a way to prove your home address for an official institution such as a bank. As long as the tenancy statement is recent and contains true information (not outdated with an incorrect address), this can be used to prove an address.
6. A Recent Payslip
As mentioned previously, a letter or payslip from your employer can be used to prove your address for any purpose you need. This is because a payslip is a legal document which is personally addressed to you. As long as the address on the document is up-to-date, you can use it as proof.
7. The Lease or Rental Agreement For Your Housing
A rental agreement for your current housing, whether it be a flat or house, can be used to prove your address as long as it is recent and applies to where you are currently living. Again, this agreement may be in the form of a physical piece of paper, or it could be stored online.
A rental agreement states your plans for where you are living if you have chosen to lease a property – how long you plan to stay and the exact location and price of your property. Because of this, it is a valid form of address proof. This form of proof is similar to that of a recent tenancy statement, which is previously listed.
8. A Mortgage Statement
If you have a copy of your mortgage statement for your property, it can be used to prove your address.
Documents such as credit card statements, mortgage statements and bank statements will vary in terms of how old they can be to be considered valid for proving your address. Typically, a mortgage statement can be used to prove your address for up to 12 months after the date shown on the document, so make sure your statement is not outdated before you show it to your bank as proof.
Obviously, this mortgage statement must be regarding your current property where you spend the majority of your time living.
9. NHS Card or Official Letter From The NHS
Although medical cards are no longer given out in the UK, it is possible that your NHS card can be used as proof of address. Similar to a driving licence, it was illegal to choose to not update your address on your NHS card. Because these cards are no longer used, you do not need to apply for a new one if yours as expired.
If you do not have an NHS card, don’t worry! A letter from the NHS regarding appointment times or procedures you have had in recent months can also be used. For more information about your old NHS card and your NHS number, see the official government website.
10. An Up-To-Date Credit Card Statement
Similar to an up-to-date bank statement, a recent credit card statement can be used as proof of address with most banks. The difference between a credit card statement and a simple bank statement is that a credit card statement will show every charge made on a credit card as you have used it.
Again, these days, you will most likely have access to your recent credit card statements courtesy of your current bank online instead of having a physical copy, however, most banks do offer the option of having printed copies of your statements posted to you.
Whichever form you have your statement in, it can be used as proof of your current address as long it is from no longer than 3 months ago. This time frame can vary, depending on what you are applying for, so it is best to check, just in case your statement is an invalid form of address proof due to its date.
If you are going to use a credit card statement as your proof, it must be from a main credit card provider or a provider which is currently underwritten by a main provider – example of these providers include:
- HSBC
- Santander
- Nationwide
- Morgan Stanley
- Barclays
- Lloyds TSB
To see a full list of bank providers which are classed as ‘main credit card providers’, check out the full list here.
It is best to check the guidelines as to what counts as proof of address with whichever bank you are applying for before sending proof in – this will prevent a fuss if you accidentally send the wrong documents in.
In other word a letter posted to your house. They all do digital and its problematic to get them.