We worked with other UK business bank account providers to agree the basic information we need from customers to set up their new account. Check the UK Finance guide to opening a business account for more information.
Please select your business type below for a list of documents we need from you:
Sole Trader
Sole Trader
We will need proof of identity and proof of UK address for everyone involved in opening the business account including:
- account operators: authorised signatories or nominated persons
- responsible individuals: anyone who directly or indirectly controls 25% or more of the capital or profits of the business, or 25% or more of the voting rights
- company officials: we may be required to identify a minimum of two company officials (two directors for limited companies) if there are two or more. If only one company official is appointed, we must identify them
- trustees of registered charities: two trustees (if five or more exist) OR all trustees (if four or fewer exist) – as registered with the Charity Commission
- key officials: a minimum of two key officials (where there are two or more) who have signed the Minutes of the Meeting for a club/society/association/registered charity.
Proof of identity
Show suitable ID documents Hide suitable ID documents
Choose one of the following documents:
- valid UK/EEA/Switzerland passport
- valid UK full/provisional photocard driving licence
- valid EU member state national ID photocard
- valid firearms certificate or shotgun licence.
ID must be in-date, undamaged and machine-readable. We don’t accept handwritten or photocopied passports or ID cards.
Proof of UK address
Show suitable proof of address documents Hide suitable proof of address documents
Choose two of the following documents:
- A current UK full/provisional photocard driving licence
- A Council Tax bill/demand notice/statement (valid for the current financial year or issued in the last 3 months)
- A bank/building society/credit union statement, dated within the last 3 months, in the name of the person and not the business
- A credit card statement, dated within the last 3 months, in the name of the person and not the business
- HMRC documentation (PAYE Coding Notice/Tax Notification/Self-Assessment/Statement of Account/NI contributions bill issued in the last three months or valid for the current tax year). We do not accept P45 or P60 forms
- A notification letter from the Benefits Agency/your local authority confirming your right to benefits (Department for Works and Pensions, Jobcentre Plus, Universal Tax Credit, Benefits Agency or Veterans Agency), dated within the last 12 months
- A current tenancy agreement, from a local council or a recognised letting agency
- A mortgage statement from a recognised lender, dated within the last 12 months
- A life assurance/life insurance policy, dated within the last 3 months but outside of the cancellation period
- A motor insurance certificate, valid for the current year but outside of the cancellation period – we cannot accept cover notes
- A Sky/cable/utility (gas, electricity, water) bill, dated within the last 3 months
- A TV Licence letter or Direct Debit schedule for a TV licence dated within the last 12 months.
All documents must include your current address, and must contain the unique customer number or reference that you have been given by the sender.
Business verification
Show suitable business verification documents Hide suitable business verification documents
For all businesses we need one of the following documents to confirm the name(s) of the business owner(s), the business’ trading name, and the business address:
- A business bank statement (dated within the last three months)
- A utility bill (dated within the last three months)
- An invoice from a supplier (dated within the last three months)
- A letter addressed to Metro Bank from an accountant acting on behalf of your business
- Correspondence from HMRC (dated within the last 12 months).
Alternatively, we will visit your business premises (which must be different to your residential address) to verify that it is an established business.
We can only accept original documents, not photocopies or printouts.
Limited company or Limited Liability PartnershipLimited company or Limited Liability Partnership
We will need proof of identity and proof of UK address for everyone involved in opening the business account including:
- account operators: authorised signatories or nominated persons
- responsible individuals: anyone who directly or indirectly controls 25% or more of the capital or profits of the business, or 25% or more of the voting rights
- company officials: we may be required to identify a minimum of two company officials (two directors for limited companies) if there are two or more. If only one company official is appointed, we must identify them
- trustees of registered charities: two trustees (if five or more exist) OR all trustees (if four or fewer exist) – as registered with the Charity Commission
- key officials: a minimum of two key officials (where there are two or more) who have signed the Minutes of the Meeting for a club/society/association/registered charity.
Proof of identity
Show suitable ID documents Hide suitable ID documents
Choose one of the following documents:
- valid UK/EEA/Switzerland passport
- valid UK full/provisional photocard driving licence
- valid EU member state national ID photocard
- valid firearms certificate or shotgun licence.
ID must be in-date, undamaged and machine-readable. We don’t accept handwritten or photocopied passports or ID cards.
Proof of UK address
Show suitable proof of address documents Hide suitable proof of address documents
Choose two of the following documents:
- A current UK full/provisional photocard driving licence
- A Council Tax bill/demand notice/statement (valid for the current financial year or issued in the last 3 months)
- A bank/building society/credit union statement, dated within the last 3 months, in the name of the person and not the business
- A credit card statement, dated within the last 3 months, in the name of the person and not the business
- HMRC documentation (PAYE Coding Notice/Tax Notification/Self-Assessment/Statement of Account/NI contributions bill issued in the last three months or valid for the current tax year). We do not accept P45 or P60 forms
- A notification letter from the Benefits Agency/your local authority confirming your right to benefits (Department for Works and Pensions, Jobcentre Plus, Universal Tax Credit, Benefits Agency or Veterans Agency), dated within the last 12 months
- A current tenancy agreement, from a local council or a recognised letting agency
- A mortgage statement from a recognised lender, dated within the last 12 months
- A life assurance/life insurance policy, dated within the last 3 months but outside of the cancellation period
- A motor insurance certificate, valid for the current year but outside of the cancellation period – we cannot accept cover notes
- A Sky/cable/utility (gas, electricity, water) bill, dated within the last 3 months
- A TV Licence letter or Direct Debit schedule for a TV licence dated within the last 12 months.
All documents must include your current address, and must contain the unique customer number or reference that you have been given by the sender.
We can only accept original documents, not photocopies or printouts.
With your permission, we will carry out an electronic business search at Companies House. If the results are satisfactory we will not need any more documents from you. Otherwise you will need:
For Limited Companies:
- a Certificate of Incorporation, and
- (If your limited company is using a ‘trading as’ name) we may need a copy of the company board resolution (signed by two directors, or one director and the company secretary – or by the sole director, if there is no company secretary), authorising the use of the ‘trading as’ name.
For LLPs:
- a Certificate of Incorporation, and
- a registered members list to clarify the details of the members and their individual shareholding within the company.
Partnership
We will need proof of identity and proof of UK address for everyone involved in opening the business account including:
- account operators: authorised signatories or nominated persons
- responsible individuals: anyone who directly or indirectly controls 25% or more of the capital or profits of the business, or 25% or more of the voting rights
- company officials: we may be required to identify a minimum of two company officials (two directors for limited companies) if there are two or more. If only one company official is appointed, we must identify them
- trustees of registered charities: two trustees (if five or more exist) OR all trustees (if four or fewer exist) – as registered with the Charity Commission
- key officials: a minimum of two key officials (where there are two or more) who have signed the Minutes of the Meeting for a club/society/association/registered charity.
Proof of identity
Show suitable ID documents Hide suitable ID documents
Choose one of the following documents:
- valid UK/EEA/Switzerland passport
- valid UK full/provisional photocard driving licence
- valid EU member state national ID photocard
- valid firearms certificate or shotgun licence.
ID must be in-date, undamaged and machine-readable. We don’t accept handwritten or photocopied passports or ID cards.
Proof of UK address
Show suitable proof of address documents Hide suitable proof of address documents
Choose two of the following documents:
- A current UK full/provisional photocard driving licence
- A Council Tax bill/demand notice/statement (valid for the current financial year or issued in the last 3 months)
- A bank/building society/credit union statement, dated within the last 3 months, in the name of the person and not the business
- A credit card statement, dated within the last 3 months, in the name of the person and not the business
- HMRC documentation (PAYE Coding Notice/Tax Notification/Self-Assessment/Statement of Account/NI contributions bill issued in the last three months or valid for the current tax year). We do not accept P45 or P60 forms
- A notification letter from the Benefits Agency/your local authority confirming your right to benefits (Department for Works and Pensions, Jobcentre Plus, Universal Tax Credit, Benefits Agency or Veterans Agency), dated within the last 12 months
- A current tenancy agreement, from a local council or a recognised letting agency
- A mortgage statement from a recognised lender, dated within the last 12 months
- A life assurance/life insurance policy, dated within the last 3 months but outside of the cancellation period
- A motor insurance certificate, valid for the current year but outside of the cancellation period – we cannot accept cover notes
- A Sky/cable/utility (gas, electricity, water) bill, dated within the last 3 months
- A TV Licence letter or Direct Debit schedule for a TV licence dated within the last 12 months.
All documents must include your current address, and must contain the unique customer number or reference that you have been given by the sender.
We can only accept original documents, not photocopies or printouts.
We will also need one of the following documents:
- An existing business bank statement (dated within the last 3 months)
- A utility bill (dated within the last 3 months)
- An invoice from a supplier (dated within the last 3 months)
- A letter addressed to Metro Bank from an accountant acting on behalf of your business
- HMRC correspondence (dated within the last 12 months)
- A business premises rates bill (dated within the last 12 months)
The document provided must show the partner's names, the business address and the trading name (if applicable). If your business address is different to your residential address and you can’t provide any of these documents, we will visit your business premises to verify that it is an established business.
Not-for-profit organisationsNot-for-profit organisations
We will need proof of identity and proof of UK address for everyone involved in opening the business account including:
- account operators: authorised signatories or nominated persons
- responsible individuals: anyone who directly or indirectly controls 25% or more of the capital or profits of the business, or 25% or more of the voting rights
- company officials: we may be required to identify a minimum of two company officials (two directors for limited companies) if there are two or more. If only one company official is appointed, we must identify them
- trustees of registered charities: two trustees (if five or more exist) OR all trustees (if four or fewer exist) – as registered with the Charity Commission
- key officials: a minimum of two key officials (where there are two or more) who have signed the Minutes of the Meeting for a club/society/association/registered charity.
Proof of identity
Show suitable ID documents Hide suitable ID documents
Choose one of the following documents:
- valid UK/EEA/Switzerland passport
- valid UK full/provisional photocard driving licence
- valid EU member state national ID photocard
- valid firearms certificate or shotgun licence.
ID must be in-date, undamaged and machine-readable. We don’t accept handwritten or photocopied passports or ID cards.
Proof of UK address
Show suitable proof of address documents Hide suitable proof of address documents
Choose two of the following documents:
- A current UK full/provisional photocard driving licence
- A Council Tax bill/demand notice/statement (valid for the current financial year or issued in the last 3 months)
- A bank/building society/credit union statement, dated within the last 3 months, in the name of the person and not the business
- A credit card statement, dated within the last 3 months, in the name of the person and not the business
- HMRC documentation (PAYE Coding Notice/Tax Notification/Self-Assessment/Statement of Account/NI contributions bill issued in the last three months or valid for the current tax year). We do not accept P45 or P60 forms
- A notification letter from the Benefits Agency/your local authority confirming your right to benefits (Department for Works and Pensions, Jobcentre Plus, Universal Tax Credit, Benefits Agency or Veterans Agency), dated within the last 12 months
- A current tenancy agreement, from a local council or a recognised letting agency
- A mortgage statement from a recognised lender, dated within the last 12 months
- A life assurance/life insurance policy, dated within the last 3 months but outside of the cancellation period
- A motor insurance certificate, valid for the current year but outside of the cancellation period – we cannot accept cover notes
- A Sky/cable/utility (gas, electricity, water) bill, dated within the last 3 months
- A TV Licence letter or Direct Debit schedule for a TV licence dated within the last 12 months.
All documents must include your current address, and must contain the unique customer number or reference that you have been given by the sender.
We can only accept original documents, not photocopies or printouts.
We need one of the following documents to confirm the name(s) of the business owner(s), the business’s trading name, and the business address:
- Registered charity: Minutes of the Meeting and Charity Commission number
- Registered and limited charity: Charity Commission number and company registration number
- Club/society/association: Minutes of the Meeting and constitution documents. If there are no constitution documents available, a letter on headed paper with the same information.
Constitution documents must state:
- the name of your registered charity/club/society/association
- the purpose of your registered charity/club/society/association
- the key official roles for your registered charity/club/society/association (e.g secretary, treasurer).
Minutes of the Meeting must state:
- the agreement to open an account with Metro Bank
- who has been appointed to the key official roles
- who is authorised to operate the bank account and the account signing rule.
The Minutes must be signed and dated within the last three months, by at least two key officials of the registered charity/club/society/association where there are two or more.