What we need to keep you safe

FAQs

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How can I send you my documents?

There are 2 ways you can send them – upload online or post us certified photocopies.

You can find more details about the documents we can accept under ‘What can I use as proof of identity?’ and ‘What can I use as proof of address?’ below.

 

If you’re uploading documents online: 


And we need proof of identity only, or proof of both identity and address, we’ll send you a link via SMS. When you receive it, follow the steps to take a photo of your documents and a selfie, then we’ll take care of the rest – just so you know:

• your SMS link will be live for 72 hours
• if your link expires, contact us as soon as possible and we’ll send you a new one
• if we ask for proof of address only, upload your document(s) by visiting identify.firstdirect.com
• if you upload online you don't need to get documents certified
• you upload via any Android device with a camera and Apple device running iOS11 or above.

 

If you prefer to send your documents by post:

For security reasons we can't accept the originals so we need the photocopies to be certified by an independent professional person who's seen the originals (for more details see 'How do I get my documents certified?' in the FAQ section).

 

Any document you send needs to:

• be current/valid and not due to expire in the next 30 days
• show your full name (not initials) and address details matching your application
• be a certified copy (only if sending by post).

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What if I get an error message when I'm uploading my documents?

First, check all the relevant Frequently Asked Questions here and please try to upload again.


If this doesn't work and you're still having problems, please give us a call on one of these numbers:

• if you don’t have an account open with us yet – 03 456 00 24 24.
• if you're already a customer with us – 03 456 100 100.

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What can I use as proof of identity?

You can use any of the following to confirm your identity:

• Passport
• UK photocard driving licence
• a UK photocard full driving licence can be used as both a proof of identity and address
• a UK photocard provisional driving licence can be used as proof of identity but not as proof of address, so you’ll need to upload a separate document for that
• you can't use a Biometric Residence Permit as proof of identity.

If you don’t have any of these documents, please refer to the ID&VA checklist below.

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What can I use as proof of address?

When you’re uploading documents to confirm your address it’s worth bearing in mind:

• we have to see different ones for address and identity (unless you’re using a full UK driving licence)
• we can accept bills or statements PDF, JPEG and PNG formats
• all addresses shown on your documents need to match the address we’re confirming
• any documents you send need to include all

 

You can use any of the following to confirm your address:

• current full or provisional UK photocard driving licence (not including counterpart)
• Council Tax bill for your home address and current billing year, dated in the last 12 months or reminders and demand letters dated in the last 4 months
• utility bill for your home address, for example gas, electricity, oil or broadband dated in the last 4 months
• water rates bill for your home address, for the current billing period or reminders and demand letters, dated in the last 4 months
• landline (not mobile) phone bill for your home address, dated in the last 4 months
• Sky or cable TV bill for your home address, dated in the last 4 months
• UK bank (excluding first direct), building society or credit union statement, including your name and current address, dated in the last 4 months and showing active transactional history
• UK mortgage statement from a recognised lender (excluding first direct), showing active transactional history and dated in the last 12 months
• HM Revenue & Customs tax notification or summary, dated in the last 4 months, for example PAYE Coding Notice, Notification of Working Family Tax Credit, Notification of Children’s Tax Credit, Tax Calculation and Notification of Disabled Person’s Tax Credit
• Benefits Agency letter (Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), Jobcentre Plus, Child Benefit Office or Veterans Agency) confirming your rights to benefits, dated in the last 4 months
• your bank statements if they’re printed in a branch.

 

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How do I get my documents certified?

To certify your documents, you’ll need to ask someone from one of the following professions, who’s registered and based in the UK:

• Chartered Accountant
• Chartered Legal Executive
• Independent Financial Advisor
• Licenced Conveyancer
• Solicitor
• Dentist
• General Practitioner (GP)
• Midwife
• Nurse
• Optician
• Pharmacist

 

The person certifying the documents needs to write the relevant statement (shown below) on each of your photocopied documents and sign to say they verify them. If any are more than one page, please ask the certifier to complete the below on the 1st page and sign and print their name on each individual page.

For documents that contain a photo:

• I [full name of certifier] confirm this is an accurate copy of the original and the photo is a true likeness of [full name of customer].

For documents that don't contain a photo:

• I [full name of certifier] confirm this is an accurate copy of the original of [full name of customer].

Each document must also include the:

• certifier's signature and full name, printed on the document (they need to sign as an individual not a company)
• certifier's occupation, company (or professional) address and phone number, ideally on letter headed paper
• certifier's professional registration number if they have one
• date of certification.

 

It’s also worth bearing in mind:

• you need to follow the above instructions as without all this information we may not be able to accept your documents
• the person certifying your documents must be active in their profession and can't be a relative or someone who lives at your address
• we may contact the certifier for more details.

 

To help with certification please print and return the ID&VA checklist and ID&VA template (these can be found at the bottom of this page) adding your customer reference number and return to first direct, 40 Wakefield Road, Leeds, LS98 1FD.

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When do I need to send this information?

If you’re already a customer, we’ll contact you if we need to update your details, send you reminders and give you time to provide the information. 

If you don’t have an account open with us yet, we’ll ask you for this information as part of your application.

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Why do you need a beneficiary address to make a foreign payment?

To continually improve the security of our overseas payments, we regularly review our processes to make sure we can do the best possible job of protecting you and your money from fraud and financial crime.


As part of this we ask who and where money’s being sent to, as well why it’s being sent so we can make sure it's you making the payment (not someone else trying to use your identity) and so we can keep an eye out for anything that doesn’t look right.

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What happens if I don't provide the information?

Ultimately, if we don't receive up-to-date details we may not be able to offer you some services or facilities as without this information, it's more difficult to keep you and your money safe from fraud and financial crime.


Once we've received what we need, we shouldn't need to trouble you again.

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How will you use, store and protect my information?

We'll use it to do the best possible job of keeping you and your money safe from financial crime. Any details you send us will used, stored and protected in line with HSBC Group data and security standards and won't be passed to other parties (or other HSBC Group companies) for marketing purposes.


For full details on how we can use your information, please see our Privacy Notice.

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Why do you need to share customer data across the HSBC Group?

As more and more of our customers live, travel and trade internationally, we're always looking for better ways to help you bank safely – wherever you are in the world. So sharing this information across borders using the global reach of the HSBC Group, we can do the best possible job of protecting you and your money from fraud and financial crime.

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