Opening a bank account with no fixed address

Yes, you can open a bank account without a fixed address. A basic bank account is free to set up and use, and you do not have to pass a credit check to get one¹. Banks that run schemes for people with no fixed address ask a local homeless charity or organisation to confirm your identity instead of the usual paperwork².

The practical route is a basic bank account, offered by the nine largest banks and building societies in the UK to people who have no account, who want to change provider, or who are in financial difficulty and need a working account³. If you have no passport, no driving licence and no utility bill in your name, a letter from a responsible person such as a GP, teacher, social worker or probation officer is usually accepted instead⁴.

What follows is what banks ask for, how the homeless schemes work, what a basic account costs, what to do if you are refused, and where free help is available.

You can open a basic bank account without a fixed address

A basic bank account is the standard answer for anyone who cannot get a normal current account, whether because of a poor credit history, a low income, or no fixed address. You can apply if you have a low income or a poor credit history and think you might have trouble opening a bank account⁷. The account is free to set up and use¹, and the main advantage is that there are no costs and no opportunity for fees to arise⁸.

The nine largest banks and building societies in the UK have agreed to offer basic bank accounts with no monthly fees to three groups: people with no bank account at all, people who have an account elsewhere but want to change provider, and people who have an account but are in financial difficulty and want their bank to open a new, functional account for them³. The official definition is broad: a basic bank account counts as open even if no transactions have taken place on it, and it still counts as open if a decision has been taken to close it but it has not yet closed⁵.

Basic bank accounts are not available to businesses, though charities can use the industry body UK Finance's guide on opening a charity bank account⁹. If you are opening an account while you already owe money to a bank, it is worth choosing a bank you have no existing debt with, which strengthens your position if you later have difficulty paying your existing bank debts¹⁰.

Who can get an account and what banks usually ask for

Basic bank accounts are for customers who are legally resident in the United Kingdom and either do not have a bank account or are not eligible for a standard current account⁵. You can usually open a bank account if you have leave to remain or a valid visa². For ordinary current accounts, banks typically require you to be aged 18 or over and a UK resident⁹.

The application itself is straightforward. You usually fill in an application form in a branch, online, or sometimes over the phone, and provide proof of identity including your full name, date of birth and address⁴. Depending on the account, you can usually apply online, using an app, over the phone or in person⁹. One quirk of basic accounts is that you will often need to apply for one of the bank's other accounts first, such as their standard current account, and be offered the basic account if you do not qualify¹.

A bank or building society can refuse to open an account, and it does not always have to give a reason⁴. That is a real limit, and it is why the complaint route below matters. But a refusal has to be handled through the bank's own process, and there are free services that will help you challenge it.

Proving your identity when you have no address

The usual rule is two separate documents: one proving who you are, such as a passport, and one proving where you live, such as a recent bill⁴. If you have neither, the fallback is a letter from a responsible person such as a GP, teacher, social worker or probation officer⁴. Banks that offer accounts for people with no fixed address take a different approach: they ask a local homeless charity or organisation to confirm your identity².

Some providers go further. Suits Me, a credit union card account, states that no verified proof of address is required, subject to anti-money-laundering requirements at account opening¹². Monese states that you can open an account with no credit checks, proof of address or a fixed income¹³. These are the providers' own descriptions of their products, and the terms attached to them are worth reading before you rely on them.

If you are a Homes for Ukraine guest, you can apply for an account in person at a branch (you may need an appointment), over the phone, online, or using a bank's mobile app¹⁴. If you are claiming benefits, you do not need a fixed address or a bank account to claim in the first place¹⁵, and Income Support does not require a permanent address¹⁶.

Bank schemes for people with no fixed address

Some banks have schemes for people with no fixed address². The best known is HSBC's No Fixed Address Account, a specialist service available in selected branches to help people without a fixed home address open a bank account¹⁷. It is run in partnership with Shelter and other UK charities¹⁸.

To use it, you must be experiencing homelessness or housing difficulties and receive support from a charity or organisation registered with Shelter's Breaking the Cycle programme¹⁹. The process runs through the charity rather than the branch: at the appropriate time, a caseworker from the charity contacts your local participating HSBC branch to arrange an appointment to open an account¹⁷. The account provides essential banking features such as receiving payments, paying bills and setting up standing orders or Direct Debits, managed online or through mobile banking¹⁹.

TSB runs a separate scheme for people who have experienced domestic or financial abuse, letting them open an account without the usual ID in Alloa, Dundee, Galashiels, Norwich, Swindon, Walsall and Wolverhampton². Barclays, for its part, lets customers request a non-geographical sort code for bank accounts, helps victims open new accounts with limited documentation, offers an option to be called back when it is safe to talk, and can help separate joint bank accounts²⁰. TSB also helps people open accounts in their sole name with a non-location sort code²¹. Allied Irish Bank can open a personal account in your sole name even if you do not have access to standard forms of identification²².

What a basic or current account costs

Basic bank accounts are free to set up and use¹, and you do not have to pay any fees¹¹. You usually do not need any money to open one⁴. The main advantage is that you can have an account with no costs and no opportunity for fees to arise⁸, and a basic bank account has no fees¹⁰.

The trade-off is features. A fee-free basic account will usually have fewer features than a current account, though you can still receive payments and set up Direct Debits¹⁰. Basic bank accounts do not have an overdraft facility⁵, and one provider's basic current account pays no credit interest²⁴. That absence of an overdraft is the reason the account cannot generate charges: there is no borrowing to charge interest on.

If a basic account does not suit, there are alternatives. A credit union current account is run by a not-for-profit organisation, but you might pay a monthly fee to get one¹. A prepaid card account usually does not require ID, but you cannot usually set up payments from it¹. Both are worth weighing against a free basic account, particularly if you need Direct Debits for bills.

Will the bank run a credit check if I have no fixed address?

Usually yes, but for a basic bank account you do not have to pass one. Banks use the credit check to check your identity, not to decide whether you can borrow¹. That distinction matters: a thin credit file, a poor credit history or no history at all should not by itself stop you getting a basic account.

For ordinary current accounts the position is different. The bank will usually run a credit check to see your credit history, including whether you have had problems paying money back⁹. That is one reason a basic account is often the better fit if your credit history is unsettled.

Some providers state that they run no credit check at all. Monese says you can open an account with no credit checks, proof of address or a fixed income¹³. Where a provider makes that claim, it is the provider's own description of its product, and the account may not be a bank account in the protected sense, so check what protection applies.

Can I use a hostel, charity or friend's address for a bank account?

Yes. A hostel, a charity, a day centre or a friend's address can serve as a care-of address for correspondence. What the bank needs is a way to reach you and a way to confirm who you are, and a care-of address does both.

The identity side is where the schemes come in. Banks that offer accounts for people with no fixed address ask a local homeless charity or organisation to confirm your identity². Where no scheme operates locally, the letter from a responsible person is the usual substitute: a GP, teacher, social worker or probation officer⁴.

If you already have an account and become homeless, the account does not have to go with the address. Your bank cannot close your account or cancel your card just because you are homeless⁶. In Scotland, you may be able to open a bank account without a permanent address²⁵. If you are moving between addresses, National Savings and Investments lets unregistered customers change their address or contact details online without creating an account²⁶, and you can cash in Fixed Interest Savings Certificates online without creating an account²⁸. NS&I also lets you make deposits through its website without entering card details or reference numbers, approving each payment through your own bank's app or website²⁹.

Problems opening an account and where to get help

If you cannot open a basic bank account, the bank should tell you why you have been turned down³⁰. Start there: ask for the reason in writing, then use the bank's formal complaints procedure. If the response does not resolve it, the Financial Ombudsman Service can look at the complaint free of charge.

Free and impartial help is available while you sort it out. Citizens Advice and MoneyHelper both publish guidance on getting a bank account and on what to do when an application is refused⁴. If you are in financial difficulty, the debt advice charities can help with both the account and the debts: Business Debtline advises contacting it for advice if you have difficulty setting up a bank account¹⁰.

If you are opening an account to protect yourself from someone else, banks have specific tools. Barclays can help victims open new accounts with limited documentation, offer a callback when it is safe to talk, and help separate joint bank accounts²⁰. TSB helps people open accounts in their sole name with a non-location sort code²¹. Allied Irish Bank can open a personal account in your sole name even without standard identification²². These are worth asking about directly, because the standard application process is not designed around them.

Is my money protected if I have no fixed address?

Protection follows the bank, not your address. Money held with a bank or building society authorised in the UK is covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme up to the limit that applies to that licence, whatever address the account is registered at. Nothing about having no fixed address changes that.

The exception to watch for is accounts that are not bank accounts. Some app-based and card accounts are provided by e-money firms rather than banks, and the protection that applies to them is different. Monese, for example, describes its instant account as having no credit checks, proof of address or fixed income requirement¹³, and Suits Me describes a card account with no verified proof of address required, subject to anti-money-laundering requirements¹². Both are the providers' own descriptions. Before relying on an account of this kind to hold money you cannot afford to lose, check what protection applies to it.