Proving your identity when opening an account
By law we must check your identity when you open an account with us. Please follow this link to our
If you are already our customer
We will let you know if you need to provide evidence of your name and address once we've received your application.
New customers
When you open an account with us, you will need to provide two items of identification. One is to prove your name and the other is to prove your address. Please also have available your National Insurance number.
The evidence we need is shown in the following tables. We just need one item from each table.
Proof of name
| Evidence we need |
Apply at branch |
Apply by post |
| UK based bank or building society debit, credit or cheque guarantee card (not including Nationwide). You must also include an original statement which is less than three months old |
Yes |
No |
| UK based bank or building society statement without debit, credit or cheque guarantee card (less than three months old) |
No |
Yes |
| Full UK driving licence (paper or photocard and paper counterpart) |
Yes |
No |
| Valid full passport or EU member state ID Card |
Yes |
No |
| Letter from Benefits Agency (less than 12 months old) |
Yes |
Yes |
| HM Revenue & Customs notice of coding (less than 12 months old) |
Yes |
Yes |
| Birth or adoption certificate (under 18s only) |
Yes |
Yes |
Proof of address
If you want to open an account with Nationwide Building Society and live abroad, your main residence must be in the UK. For more information please follow this link to our article
We will need you to provide evidence for your current address and your previous address if you've moved during the last three months.
| Evidence we need |
Apply at branch |
Apply by post |
| Gas or Electricity bill (less than three months old) |
Yes |
Yes |
| Phone bill (not mobile, less than three months old) |
Yes |
Yes |
| Mortgage statement (less than 12 months old) |
Yes |
Yes |
| Water bill (less than 12 months old) |
Yes |
Yes |
| Council tax bill (less than 12 months old) |
Yes |
Yes |
Overseas address
If a previous address is overseas, we'll need to see:
- an overseas bank statement (less than six months old)
- an overseas utility bill (gas, water or electricity, less than six months old) or
- an overseas driving licence
Important notes
- We will return, within seven days, any documents that you send to us.
- If we cannot verify your identity, we will not be able to process your application.
More help
If you cannot produce any of the items from the lists above, please contact your local branch by following this link to our . There may be other forms of identification you can use.
Article ID: 1101