Accepted financial documents

Please note, that you can only use bank statements in your own name, or in the name of your parents/legal guardians. It’s fine to use a joint account, in your name, and the name of any other person.

The bank statement can be printed on official stationery, or it can be an electronic record. It cannot be handwritten.

All bank statements must be in English or must be accompanied by an official translation.

Requirements

Each bank statement must contain:

• Your name or the name of your parent/s
• The date of issue
• The name and official logo of the bank
• Information about the bank (for example, contact details or the branch code)
• Account number
• Currency

It also must

• Show the balance on each day over the 28-day period (the UKVI will use the most recent transaction on your bank statement and count back 28 days)
• Have a closing balance/last transaction no more than 31 days before you plan to make your visa application

If the funds are in your local currency, please check and include the exchange rate on the OANDA website.

If you are self-financed and using your parents' bank statement for your visa application, you must meet the same guidelines as stated above and in addition you must also provide the following:

• Your original birth certificate
• A letter of parental consent confirming that this money will be used for your studies

For more information on those documents see the Additional documents section at the bottom of the page.

Example Bank Statement (PDF)

The letter must be clearly dated and no more than 31 days old before you complete your visa application online.

The letter must state that you have held the correct amount of money in your account and that you have held it for at least 28 consecutive days.

The funds must be able to be accessed at any time (ask the bank to confirm on the document that the money is immediately accessible)

The letter should also include all the following information:

• Your name or your parents’ name
• The account number
• The bank’s name and contact details or the branch code
• The date of issue

Example Bank Letter (PDF)

To be acceptable as evidence the certificate of deposit must meet the following criteria:

• It must have been issued within 31 days of the date of your visa application.
• At least 28 days must have elapsed between the date of the deposit and the date of issue of the certificate.
• The funds can be accessed at any time.
• Must include the name of the account holder
• Must include the account number
• Must have information about the bank (for example, contact details or the branch code)
• Must show the date in which the money was deposited into the account

If you are sponsored by a recognised financial sponsor, you will need a letter from the relevant provider to include in your visa application.

Recognised financial sponsors include the UK government, your country's government, the British Council, international organisations, international companies, and universities.

The sponsorship letter must be issued within the last six months before your visa application.

The letter must usually include:

• the date
• the name of your scholarship provider
• contact details of your scholarship provider
• the length of your scholarship (for example, the number of months)
• the amount of money the scholarship provider is giving you or a statement that they will cover all your tuition fees and living costs

In case the sponsorship does not cover the full tuition fees and living expenses, you will need to provide additional financial evidence showing that you can cover the difference between what you are receiving and what you need to show for visa purposes.

If you have a scholarship from Goldsmiths, you do not need a sponsorship letter from us as this information will be confirmed in your CAS instead.

Example Sponsorship Letter (PDF)

If you have an educational loan to cover the cost of your studies, you can use this to meet the financial evidence requirements.

To be acceptable as evidence of funds, the loan must be in your name and provided by your government (state, regional, or national), or be through a government-sponsored student loan company or educational loans scheme. You cannot use any other form of loan for your Student visa application.

It must be dated within the last six months before your visa application.

To use your loan in a visa application, you must provide a letter from the loan provider which includes:

• Your name
• The date of the letter
• The name and logo of the institution providing the loan
• Confirmation that the money is available to you as a loan
• Confirmation that the loan is provided by a government, or through a government-sponsored student loan company educational loans scheme
• The letter needs to confirm that the financial institution that has issued the loan is regulated by the official regulatory body for the country the institution is in and where the money is held

This should be the original or the copy, showing the name of your parent(s) whose bank account you are using for your Student visa application.

If the document is not in English, an official translation will be necessary.

It is a letter written in English and signed by your parent(s)/legal guardian(s). The letter should confirm both of the below:

• the relationship between you and your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) AND
• that your parents(s) or legal guardian(s) have given their consent to the funds being available for you to study in the UK.

Example Financial Permission Letter (PDF)

If you submit an application as a Student when you are under 18 years old, you must include a letter from your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) to show that they support your application. This letter must confirm all of the following:

• their relationship to you
• that they consent to your application as a Student
• that they consent to your living arrangements in the UK
• if you are applying for entry clearance, that they consent to your independent travel to the UK