Proving your identity

If you are under 18

If you are under 18, we will need to see either your birth certificate or passport together with a document to confirm your address such as a bank statement (this could be in the name of a parent or guardian living at the same address if not available in your name). The document to confirm your address is not required if a nominee is registered on the account. These documents need to be originals (or certified copies – see below), not photocopies, and they will be returned to you as quickly as possible. 

If we ask you to provide other ID documents

We will ask you to provide two original documents (or certified copies – see below) to prove your name and address, one from each list below. If you prefer not to visit a branch, you can send us certified copies of identification by post.

Certified copies of ID documents

If you are posting documents to us, we don’t recommend sending valuable originals (such as a passport or driving licence). We can accept a certified copy instead (for a passport, this just needs to be the photo & signature page), but it must be correctly certified by one of the following UK-based individuals (one who offers this service) and must be dated within the last three months:

• solicitor
• accountant
• bank/building society official
• independent financial adviser
• post office official
• minister of a recognised religion
• doctor, dentist or police officer.

The person certifying the document must not be related to any person named on the account. A correctly certified copy is one where the certifier:

• writes ‘Certified to be a true copy of the original seen by me’ on the document;
• signs and dates it;
• prints their full name under the signature; and
• adds their occupation, business address and telephone number.

Deposit Accounts

Due to the nature of Deposit Accounts, we also require the following additional documentation depending on the type of account you wish to open.

Business Deposit Account

We need to confirm the identity of the company and each signatory in order to protect you against fraud and to comply with legislation.

You are required to provide the following documentation to open a business deposit account:

We need to confirm the identity of each authorised signatory operating the account.

• We use an electronic verification system when opening an account. If this is successful, you will not need to do anything. However, in certain cases you will be asked to provide additional proof of identity (for example if you are not listed on the electoral roll or you have recently moved house).

If you are required to provide additional identification, you must supply two items acceptable to the Society to verify your name and address (as listed in the above table). The Society will be unable to open your account until we have completed identification procedures.

For Limited Companies

• A Board Resolution on company headed paper authorising named signatories to open the account.
• We will verify the identity of the company and directors with a Companies House search. If these details are not up to date, please supply a list of all the Directors and any senior persons responsible for its operations (including names, titles, addresses, dates of birth and nationalities).

For Sole Traders

• Bank statement in the business name or ‘trading as’ – dated within the last 3 months
• Letterhead, invoice, or business card if available

For Partnerships

• Partnership agreement or articles
• Bank statement in the business name – dated within the last 3 months

For Unincorporated Associations

• Memorandum of constitution or rules
• Bank statement in the business name – dated within the last 3 months

We reserve the right to request further documentation during the life of the account should we require this to meet our legal obligations.

Charity Accounts

We need to confirm the identity of the charity and each signatory in order to protect you against fraud and to comply with legislation. You are required to provide the following documentation to open a charity deposit account:

• A Resolution authorising named signatories to open the account. The Resolution must include the full names of all signatories and be signed by an official of the charity.
• We will also verify the identity and operation of the charity with the relevant Charity Commission.
• If incorporated, we will verify the identity of the company and directors with a Companies House search. If these details are not up to date, please supply a list of all the Directors and any senior persons responsible for its operations (including names, titles, addresses, dates of birth and nationalities)
• We need to confirm the identity of each authorised signatory operating the account. We use an electronic verification system when opening an account. If this is successful, you will not need to do anything. However, in certain cases you will be asked to provide additional proof of identity (for example if you are not listed on the electoral roll or you have recently moved house).

If you are required to provide additional identification, you must supply two items acceptable to the Society to verify your name and address (as listed in the above table). The Society will be unable to open your account until we have completed identification procedures.

Treasurer’s Accounts

• A Resolution authorising named signatories to open the account. The Resolution must include the full names of all signatories, and be signed by an official of the organisation.

Local Council Accounts

We need to confirm the identity of the council and each signatory in order to protect you against fraud and to comply with legislation. You are required to provide the following documentation to open a Local Council Deposit Account:

• A Resolution authorising named signatories to open the account. The Resolution must include the full names of all signatories and be signed by either the Proper Officer or Responsible Financial Officer.
• We will also verify the identity and operation of the council with the relevant Local County Association.

Additional information

We reserve the right to request further documentation during the life of the account should we require this to meet our legal obligations.

If you need any further guidance on proving your identity, please contact us using the details below.