Opening a bank account
One of the first things you will need on arrival is a bank account. This can't be done from South Africa so the first opportunity you will have is when you arrive, fresh off the plane.
This is where it gets tricky, because as a migrant you will have a chicken-and-egg situation. You can't get paid an income without a bank account, you can't rent accommodation and of course you need proof of residence before you can open your account. It's frustrating at best but this can be remedied with some planning.
Follow this link to learn what the banking laws stipulate is acceptable for proof of identification and residence for individuals to open a bank account. Some branches will be a bit more flexible but to save yourself the trauma of multiple visits to the bank, I would recommend following this list to the letter.
The easiest route is to ask your bank in South Africa to update your address to your UK address, and print and certify those statements for use in the UK. You would need to do that before departure naturally but you'll have an account open within an hour or two if you go that route. Remember that you will need to provide some proof of address to the bank in SA too, so you'll have to ask what will be accepted first.
Another option is to exchange your driver's licence on arrival, using the address where you are staying. Proof of address is not required by the DVLA as you do submit all your original forms of identification, so one would assume you are using an address where you will receive these back and not a fake one. BUT, do bear in mind that when you move, you need to update your address with the DVLA which incurs another cost.
Another simple option is your NHS registration. As you are required to provide proof of residence to your local clinic, the confirmation letter you receive will also suffice.
These are just a few options, but consider the whole list and decide which option is best for your circumstances. Prepare this in advance, even before departing SA to save yourself time when opening that precious account.
This is where it gets tricky, because as a migrant you will have a chicken-and-egg situation. You can't get paid an income without a bank account, you can't rent accommodation and of course you need proof of residence before you can open your account. It's frustrating at best but this can be remedied with some planning.
Follow this link to learn what the banking laws stipulate is acceptable for proof of identification and residence for individuals to open a bank account. Some branches will be a bit more flexible but to save yourself the trauma of multiple visits to the bank, I would recommend following this list to the letter.
The easiest route is to ask your bank in South Africa to update your address to your UK address, and print and certify those statements for use in the UK. You would need to do that before departure naturally but you'll have an account open within an hour or two if you go that route. Remember that you will need to provide some proof of address to the bank in SA too, so you'll have to ask what will be accepted first.
Another option is to exchange your driver's licence on arrival, using the address where you are staying. Proof of address is not required by the DVLA as you do submit all your original forms of identification, so one would assume you are using an address where you will receive these back and not a fake one. BUT, do bear in mind that when you move, you need to update your address with the DVLA which incurs another cost.
Another simple option is your NHS registration. As you are required to provide proof of residence to your local clinic, the confirmation letter you receive will also suffice.
These are just a few options, but consider the whole list and decide which option is best for your circumstances. Prepare this in advance, even before departing SA to save yourself time when opening that precious account.
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