Guidance

Get a bank account and your arrival payment: Homes for Ukraine

How to find the right bank for you, and when you will receive your arrival payment.

From:
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Published
16 January 2023

You will need a bank account to receive wages, benefits, tax credits or pensions. You can also use this account to pay bills.

If you are new to the UK from Ukraine, you may want to open a UK bank or building society account.

A building society is owned by its members, so unlike a bank it doesn’t have to make a profit to pay its shareholders. The profit it does make helps to keep branches open and is sometimes shared with customers.

Choosing a bank

There are many different banks and building societies in the UK. You can choose one that suits you best.

This list shows some of the banks and building societies available in the UK. You may want to open an account with another bank not listed here. The list is in alphabetical order.

What you need to apply for an account

To open a bank or building society account, you need:

  • an email address set up in your name
  • a valid phone number
  • your identification and visa documents, which can include:
    • Biometric Residence permit
    • your Ukrainian passport
    • the letter you received from the British government allowing you to stay in the UK
    • proof of your address

Proof of address is usually an official letter which shows your name and your current address (for example, from the government, or a utility company). If you don’t have a proof of address some banks will allow you to bring your host along to verify where you live (they will need to show their ID and proof of address).

Check the bank’s website to find out what they will accept before you apply.

Apply for an account

You can apply for an account by:

  • going to a bank or building society branch (you may need to make an appointment)
  • by phone
  • online
  • a bank’s mobile app

If you go into a branch, you will need to take documents that prove your identity.

If you don’t have all your identification documents, take all the information you have with you to the bank or building society.

Banks and building societies should consider other ways to identify and verify their customers.

You can find out more about how to open a bank account if you have just arrived from Ukraine, and compare banks and building societies based on what you need. (This page is available in Ukrainian and Russian).

Account types

Banks and building societies will tell you what accounts they can offer you depending on your situation.

Sometimes a standard account is not suitable, so you may be able to open a ‘basic’ bank account instead. A basic bank account doesn’t charge any fees for using it. You can receive your salary or money from benefits, with no charge.

Some banks and building societies let you apply directly for a basic bank account, and others only offer basic bank accounts to customers who are not eligible for their other accounts.

Ukraine arrival payment

The Homes for Ukraine scheme gives you the right to access a range of benefits and services whilst you are in the UK.

One of these benefits is the £200 that you, and each family member with you, will get to help you pay for any immediate costs you have when you arrive in the UK.

Your local council will give you this money and it does not need to be paid back. Most councils are asking sponsors to confirm that their guests have arrived before they will send the money out. You can find out the process from your local council.

If you don’t know what your local council is, you can find your local council online.

This will not be counted towards any other benefit scheme which you may be able to claim.

Published 16 January 2023
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