Utility bills required for opening accounts - why

B

bonnie1

Registered User
Messages
40
I have had to fill out some different application forms lately and all require utility bills which must be "dated within last three months".

Does "dated within last three months" prove residency?
 
bonnie1 said:
I have had to fill out some different application forms lately and all require utility bills which must be "dated within last three months".

Does "dated within last three months" prove residency?
Click to expand...

They can help to prove you live somewhere, the bills go too your home address, things like use of elecricity or water or gas show that you are living there, just by the fact of usage, they help to identify you.

Do you want to tell us what forms you are filling out so that you can get better advice (I get utility bills from Ireland to my abroad address for example)
 
the request presumably relates to money laundering legislation which is required when opening an account with a financial institution or applying for credit facilities eg. HP - Lease etc. One of these requirements is that you are required to submit a recent utility bill with your name and address to verify the residency information supplied.
 
The process for the updated Social Welfare Card with the mug shot requires it also,as does the new drivers license process if the address on the old one is different
 
It's to prove where you live but let's say you have an account for a tv service -all it's proving is that the account is in your name and whoever lives at the address is ok with this and will give you the actual post.

You can now open a current account with a German Bank with just your passport held up in a video chat - we need a simpler process here.
 
Thanks for the replies, I have just gone to paperless billing in the last few months, I suppose what I should have asked was "why must bills be no more than three months old"? Is there a big difference between a three month old bill and a four month old bill?!
Of course I can request copies from utility provider was just wondering why it's always no more than three months old.
 
You can often download a bill from provider's website and print that.

If you have any computer editing skills you could mock up a good enough copy of a bill with any name or address you wanted and it would probably pass muster. Not that I'm advocating you do that, of course.

But current technology makes whole issue of looking for an up to date utility bill completely bit pointless. If someone wanted to forge an address it is too easy to get supporting documents and for the rest us its just a pain.

Of course, if the bank actually contact the utility to verify the account on the bill, then that's a different matter hut I don't imagine they do that
 
Why three, instead of two etc etc ... ...

They have to pick some timeframe, and a quarter seems an obvious choice as its the next grade up when we talk time, minutes, days, weeks, months, quarters, years etc.

Can't understand the fuss here. Most of this legislation is being replicated across Europe. Re the video-chat; verification and recording of the conversation together with production of ID would go a long way - are you sure there is no verification of postal address e.g. perhaps via posting out time-sensitive PIN numbers?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top