If you're sofa surfing or staying in a hostel or refuge, you might not have things like a passport, driving licence or bills in your name.
It's still worth going into a high street bank to ask about a basic bank account.
Take a friend, relative or support worker with you to help explain your situation.
Ask the bank what ID and proof of address they accept.
Getting universal credit can help as you'll already have passed the DWP identity checks.
If you don't have photo ID, the bank might accept a letter from a college, hostel or refuge that confirms who you are.
If you have no proof of where you live, you could use a temporary address.
You could provide a letter from a hostel, refuge or the council.
Ask the bank if they can be more flexible with their checks and try another bank if the staff aren't very helpful.
All banks should treat customers fairly and you can complain if they don't.
