You must provide two recent passport photographs and your passport, along with
proof of the following:
01. A letter from each
financial institution holding your money, to confirm the amount of money
available:
The amount of money available
The total amount of available money must be £200,000 or more. If money is
held in several financial institutions, you must supply a letter from each
institution. If money is not held in the United Kingdom, the authority will use
the OANDA database to convert the
amount of overseas money into pounds sterling. The authority will use the
exchange rate that applies on the date of the application.
What the letter must show
Each letter must:
- Be an original document and not a copy;
- On the institution's official headed paper;
- Have been issued by an authorised official of that institution; and
- Have been produced within the three months immediately before the date of
the application.
Each letter must also confirm each of the following details:
- That the institution is regulated by the appropriate body;
- Your name;
- The date of the document;
- The amount of money available from your own money (if applicable) that are
held in that institution;
- The amount of money available to you, or the business that you are
running, from any third party (if applicable) that is held in that
institution;
- The name of each third party and their contact details. These must include
your full address including postal code, landline phone number and any email
address;
- That if the money is already in the United Kingdom, if it has been in the
United Kingdom for less than 12 months before the date of application;
- That if the money is not in an institution regulated by the Financial
Services Authority, the money can be transferred into the United Kingdom.
The letter should be in English, or accompanied by a certified translation
from a professional translator.
02. Additional evidence for
third-party funding:
Third parties (other contributors of money) may include family members, as
well as other investors or corporate body.
If you are relying on third-party funding, you must send each of the
following documents.
A declaration from every third party that they have made the money
available for you to invest in a business in the United Kingdom
The declaration should include:
- A letter showing the names of the third party and you;
- The date of the letter;
- The signatures of the third party;
- The amount of money available to you from that third party in pounds
sterling; and
- Their relationship to you.
This declaration must be an original document and not a copy. You must be
able to have access to and dispose of the money freely in the United Kingdom.
A letter from a legal representative confirming the validity of
signatures on each third-party declaration provided
This must confirm that the letter or letters of permission from the third
party or parties contain the signatures of the people stated.
This can be a single letter covering all third-party permissions, or several
letters from several legal representatives.
This confirmation letter must be an original document and not a copy.
The confirmation must come from a legal representative capable of providing
the information. This means it must be from a legal representative allowed to
practice in the country where the third parties or money is.
The letter must clearly show:
- The name of the legal representative confirming the details;
- The registration or authority of the legal representative to practice
legally in the country in which the permission or permissions was/were given;
- The date of the confirmation letter;
- Your name and the name of the third party;
- That the letter from the third party is signed and valid;
- The number of the third party's identity document (for example a passport
or national identity card), the place of issue and dates of issue and expiry.
03. English language:
Documents you must send to prove you are a national of a majority
English speaking country
You must send your:
- Current original passport or travel document.
If you are unable to send your current original passport or travel document
at the time of your application, you must give full reasons under the passport
information section of the application form. The only valid exceptional
circumstances in which alternative specified documents may be sent are where
your current passport or travel document has:
- Been lost;
- Seen stolen;
- Expired - returned to national authorities; or
- Submitted to another part of the UK Border Agency.
The alternative specified documents you must send in the exceptional
circumstances above are:
- Your current national identity document; or
- An original letter from your home government or embassy.
This document must be original, on the -headed paper of the government or
embassy and must bear the official stamp of that institution. It must have been
issued by an authorised official of that institution and must confirm:
- Your full name;
- Your date of birth; and
- Your nationality.
Documents you must send to prove you have passed an English language test
(e.g IELTS etc.)
The original test result certificate must clearly show:
- Your name;
- The qualification obtained; and
- The date of the award.
Documents you must send to prove your degree was taught in English
If you have been awarded a qualification:
If you have been awarded a qualification, you must send the original
certificate of award.
The original certificate of award must be on the institution's official paper
clearly showing:
- Your name;
- The title of the award;
- The date of the award; and
- The name of the awarding institution.
We will not accept original provisional certificates. The original
certificate of award must always be sent unless you are awaiting graduation or
you no longer have the certificate and the institution that issued the
certificate is unable to issue a replacement.
If you are awaiting graduation:
If you are awaiting graduation, you must provide the original academic
reference and original transcript.
If you are awaiting graduation but have successfully completed your degree,
or you no longer have the certificate and the awarding institution is unable to
issue a replacement, you should send an original academic reference from the
institution that is awarding the degree together with an original academic
transcript.
The original academic reference from the institution awarding the degree must
be on official headed paper of the institution and clearly show:
- Your name;
- The title of award;
- The date of award, confirming that it will be awarded; and
- The date that the certificate will be issued.
The original academic reference cannot be considered as suitable evidence if
the letter does not state what qualification has been awarded.
The academic transcript must be on the institution's official paper clearly
showing:
- Your name;
- The name of the academic institution;
- The course title; and
- Confirmation of the award.
04. Maintenance (funds):
What the documents must show
If you are applying from within the United Kingdom, the balance must show
that you have had at least £800 in your account at all times over the
three-month period.
If you are applying from outside the United Kingdom, the balance must show
that you have had at least £2,800 in your account at all times over the
three-month period.
Evidence must be in the form of cash funds. Other accounts or financial
instruments for example, shares, bonds, pension funds, regardless of notice
period are not acceptable.
If you wish to rely on joint account as evidence of funds, you must be named
on the account along with one or more other named individual(s).
For applications submitted outside of the United Kingdom, all evidence must
be dated no more than seven days before the application is submitted.
For applications submitted in the United Kingdom, all evidence must be dated
no more than one month before the application is submitted.
The documents are:
Personal bank or building society statements covering the three month
period immediately before the application
The personal bank or building society statements should clearly show:
- Your name;
- The account number;
- The date of the statement;
- The financial institution's name and logo;
- Transactions covering the three-month period;
- That there has been sufficient money present in the account for the past
three months.
If you wish to send electronic bank statements from an online account these
must contain all of the details listed above. You must also send a supporting
letter from your bank, on company headed paper, confirming the authenticity of
the statements provided.
Statements which simply show the balance in the account on a particular day are
not enough.
The authority will not accept statements which simply show the balance in the
account on a particular day as these documents do not show that you hold enough
funds for the full period required.
Building society pass book covering the previous three month period
The building society pass book should clearly show:
- Your name;
- The account number;
- The financial institution's name and logo;
- Transactions covering the three month period;
that there has been sufficient money present in the account for the past three
months.
Letter from bank confirming money and that they have been in bank for at
least three months
The letter from a bank or building society should state:
- Your name;
- The account number;
- The date of the letter;
- The financial institution's name and logo;
- The money held in your account; and
- That sufficient money has been in the bank for at least three months.
The authority will not accept letters which simply show the balance in the
account on a particular day as these documents do not show that you hold enough
funds for the full period required.
Letter from financial institution regulated by the Financial Services
Authority or the home regulator confirming funds
The letter from the financial institution regulated by the Financial Services
Authority or home regulator should state:
- Your name;
- The account number;
- The date of the letter;
- The financial institution's name and logo;
- The funds held in your account; and that the funds have been in the bank
for at least three months
The authority will not accept letters which simply show the balance in the
account on a particular day as these documents do not show that you hold enough
funds for the full period required.
The home regulator is the official regulatory body for the country in which
the institution operates and the funds are located.
