Who this is for
Companies opening a first business account after (or during) formation.
The short answer
Prepare one clean pack and reuse it. Most delays are incomplete ownership data, weak activity narratives, or mismatched names across documents.
Core pack
Entity
- Certificate of incorporation / extract
- Articles or equivalent
- Registered address evidence
- Directors and specimen signatures if requested
Ownership
- UBO list with percentages and control rights
- Passports / national IDs
- Proof of address for UBOs where required
- Intermediate entities in the chain (full pack each)
Activity
- Plain-language description of products and customers
- Website and contracts or LOIs if you have them
- Expected monthly volumes and countries
- Source of funds / source of wealth for founders
Authority
- Board resolution to open the account (when required)
- List of authorised users
Consistency rules
Names, dates, and addresses must match across every file. One mismatch triggers a resubmission cycle.
Provider fit
Different banks and licensed payment providers ask for different depth. Start with a full pack. Trim only when a specific provider confirms what it needs.
Disclaimer
Not banking or legal advice. Providers decide applications. No guaranteed approval.