Documents list
If you do not have an official financial sponsor, you are only able to provide evidence of funding using your own bank account (including a joint account you hold with someone else) or your parents or legal guardian’s bank accounts. If the money is in someone else’s account, or in a business account that does not have your parent’s name on it, you will need to move it so that you can provide the correct documents. Maintenance must be in the form of cash funds, you cannot use an overdraft facility or credit card.
You must provide original bank statements meeting every one of the following requirements:
- In your name or your parents' name - not a business name
- Showing that the money has been in the account for a full 28 days, and that the amount of money has never gone below the required amount in this time
- Dated no more than one month before the date of your application
- Showing the account number, the bank's name and the bank's logo
If you use electronic statements then as well as including all the standard required information, they must also either be stamped on every page, or be accompanied by a supporting letter from the bank or building society confirming that the statement is authentic.
Appendix P of the Immigration Rules contains lists of financial institutions in Bangladesh, Cameroon, Ghana, India, Iran, Pakistan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka that verify financial documents to their satisfaction, and which can therefore be used in immigration applications. If you use bank statements from an unacceptable institution your visa application will be refused.
If you are using your parents' account you must also provide:
- Your original birth certificate or a notarised copy, showing the names of your parents
- A dated letter from your parents confirming that they are your parents and that they give permission for you to use their money in the UK
If you cannot provide these documents, you should read the Home Office guidance for other types of evidence that can be accepted.
Any documents not in English must be accompanied by a certified English translation.
If you are outside the UK, the translation must comply with the following guidance:
The original translation must contain confirmation from the translator/translation company that it is an accurate translation of the original document, the date of the translation, the translator/an authorised official of the translation company’s full name and signature, and the translator/translation company’s contact details.
If you are inside the UK, the translation must comply with the following guidance:
The original must be accompanied by a fully certified translation by a professional translator/translation company. This translation must include:
details of the translator/translation company’s credentials; and
confirmation that it is an accurate translation of the original document; and the translator/translation company’s contact details.
It must also be dated and include the original signature of the translator or an authorised official of the translation company.