Service
Opening a UK business bank account from abroad
The bank account is the slowest step in any UK set-up and the one that stops everything else. We prepare the application a provider expects to see and run a second route in parallel.
UK banks apply enhanced due diligence to companies with overseas directors and owners. A high-street bank can take four to twelve weeks and may decline without reasons. A regulated electronic-money institution such as Revolut Business typically opens in days, provides GBP, EUR and USD accounts with UK sort code and account number, and is accepted by HMRC, Companies House and UK customers for ordinary payments.
Our default route is Revolut Business. We assemble the pack — incorporation documents, ownership chart, proof of address for each director and PSC, a plain description of the business and its expected flows — and submit it with the application. Where a client needs a traditional bank (for lending, merchant facilities or a customer’s procurement policy), we start that application on the same day so the two run together.
Approval is always the provider’s decision. We cannot guarantee an account, and we say so on every page. What we can do is remove the reasons applications usually fail: incomplete ownership evidence, a vague business description, or a director who cannot be reached.
What’s included
- Eligibility check against provider criteria before you apply
- Application pack: documents, ownership chart, business description
- Revolut Business application submitted and tracked
- Optional parallel high-street or challenger bank application
- Introductions for merchant acquiring and FX where needed
- Bank feed connected to Xero once open
How it works
What happens, in order
Eligibility and route
We check the company, its owners and its activity against provider criteria and agree the primary and, if needed, secondary route.
Pack and submit
You supply documents once; we assemble and submit. Revolut Business decisions typically arrive within a few working days.
Open and connect
Account details, cards and user access set up; the bank feed is connected to your bookkeeping so reconciliation starts from day one.
When you need this
Who this is for
Every newly formed UK company, and existing companies that have been declined or are stuck in a bank’s queue. Certain sectors and countries of ownership are outside most providers’ appetite; we tell you before you pay.
Common questions
Can a non-UK resident open a UK business bank account?
Is a Revolut Business account a real UK bank account?
How long does it take?
Do I need to visit the UK?
Related reading
Fees exclude VAT and third-party disbursements (Companies House fees, HMRC penalties, courier costs) which are passed through at cost. Identity and ownership checks apply to every engagement. Bank account opening is subject to the provider’s eligibility criteria. Revolut Business is a trading name of Revolut Ltd, authorised by the FCA under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011. We are not a bank and receive no fee from providers for introductions.