NI bank accounts in rest of UK

Hi there,

I've just got two fairly basic questions I think and would appreciate if anyone can help.

I'm moving to London asap and was thinking, to save on hassle, to set up the bank account, phone number and national insurance number in Newry before I move.

Now would the bank in NI accept a bank statement from my own ROI bank AIB with my new London address listed on it (which I have already set up) and also just to be sure, this bank account would be fine for using in London I take it?

Appreciate any help on this!

marfsmal said:

Hi there,

I've just got two fairly basic questions I think and would appreciate if anyone can help.

I'm moving to London asap and was thinking, to save on hassle, to set up the bank account, phone number and national insurance number in Newry before I move.

Now would the bank in NI accept a bank statement from my own ROI bank AIB with my new London address listed on it (which I have already set up) and also just to be sure, this bank account would be fine for using in London I take it?

Appreciate any help on this!

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I did all of the above and it works perfectly..

Just bear in mind that the NI banks don't have branches in the rest of the UK but you will be able to have your wages paid in, use your ATM and Debit card etc.

If you open an account with Bank of Ireland NI you will be able to lodge and withdraw money at Post Offices in the UK though.

Thanks a mil for that info! So with Bank of Ireland NI I can get wages paid in to my account as well as being able to access funds in the post offices yeah?

Sorry, forgot to ask if you know if there are any extra charges in terms of withdrawals if it's a NI account?

I don't have any experience with ease of opening/ID requirements, but you could try opening an account with one of the main UK banks; Barclays, Santander or Halifax for example - all have branches in Newry and would have plenty of branches in London too.

hfp said:

I don't have any experience with ease of opening/ID requirements, but you could try opening an account with one of the main UK banks; Barclays, Santander or Halifax for example - all have branches in Newry and would have plenty of branches in London too.

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Would there be any hassle for an employer to pay into the account if it's set up in NI?

I may just leave the bank account opening until I get there. I'm starting to think that might be the most straightforward and really if all is okay they should be able to open the account on the same day really?

marfsmal said:

Would there be any hassle for an employer to pay into the account if it's set up in NI?

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None whatsoever, they shouldn't even know the difference, all they need is your sortcode and account number. They may ask for your branch address as well, but this makes no difference to your salary credits. The only thing to remember is that 17th March and 12th July are bank holidays in NI, but not in the remainder of the UK, so you may see a days delay in any credits around those dates.

Don't assume your account will be opened same day. These things are often centralized and need to be sent off to a processing centre and can take a few days. You may then be waiting for your account details to be sent to you by post. You could investigate applying for an account online before you go, you may then have the option to select a london branch for your account holding branch, but still have it set up before you go.

Nice one. The only thing is that I've been searching around tonight and the UK banks Natwest and Barclays seem like two of the best options as regards charges, fees, etc. There's a Barclays branch in Newry anyway, checking on Natwest now.

Aaargh it seems natwest is ulster bank in Northern Ireland, but would I then have an ulster bank account rather than a natwest account, and wouldn't there be less ulster banks over there? Okay, too messy. Barclays looking the best option.