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Questions & Answers
 


1.0 How do I open an account?
2.0 How do I make a deposit?
3.0 How do I make a withdrawal?
4.0 How do I make withdrawals by Telephone/Fax?
5.0 How do I transfer funds between Britannia International accounts?
6.0 What is an IBAN?
7.0 How do I change interest payment details?
8.0 How do I register a change of address?
9.0 How do I change account-holder details?
10.0 How do I provide satisfactory identification?
11.0 What do I do if an account-holder dies?

12.0 What do I do if I have any queries on my account?

13.0 What is the European Union Savings Tax Directive?



1.0 How do I open an account?

1.1 You can open an account by completing the appropriate Application Form and posting it to us together with your cheque or details of your electronic funds transfer, and two forms of identification. If you live in the Isle of Man, you can make your deposit at any branch of Britannia International. For a list of the identification documents accepted please refer to question No.10. Your account will be opened on the day that we receive the funds and you will start to earn interest from this date, providing we have all the information we require.

Click here to go to 'forms' where you can print the Application Form for the account that you wish to open.

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2.0 How do I make a deposit?

2.1 You can make additional deposits to your account in the following ways:

  • By Sterling Cheque made payable either to yourself as account holder or to Britannia International with your name and / or account number. Please note that it is not sufficient for the cheque to be made payable to "Britannia" or Britannia International".
  • By electronic funds transfer, by providing the following information:
    Bank: NatWest Plc, Prospect Hill, Douglas, Isle of Man IM99 1AQ.

  • Sort code: 60-07-03.
    Account name: Britannia International
    Account number: 71040625.
    Payment Reference: Your 9-Digit Britannia International Account number and your name.
    If sending from anywhere other than the Isle of Man and the UK, please also add our swift code which is RBOSIMDD and our IBAN number which is GB44NWBK60070371040625 (please refer to question No. 6 for an explanation of IBAN number)

  • By Standing Order (Sterling only)
  • By cash – if you are resident in the Isle of Man you can deposit up to £5,000 in cash at any of our Island branches. Please note you will be asked to provide evidence of the source of large cash deposits.

2.2 You can also pay in cheques in currencies other than Sterling or those drawn on non-UK banks. Please note that interest cannot be paid on these deposits until clearance is received and this can take several weeks. Bank charges incurred for this service will be passed on to you.

Click here to print a Deposit Form.

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3.0 How do I make a withdrawal?

3.1 You can make withdrawals by the following methods:

  • By Sterling cheque. Provided we receive your request by 3pm we can send a Sterling cheque by post, free of charge, on the same working day.
  • Electronic funds transfer. We can send a withdrawal direct to another bank account by electronic funds transfer. We can do this on the same working day providing we receive your request by 11am. There is a charge for sending electronic funds transfer.
    All customers making a withdrawal to a European country need to provide us with a BIC and IBAN (please refer to question No. 6 for an explanation of IBAN number) for any outgoing payment.
  • Cash. If you are resident in or visiting the Isle of Man you can withdraw up to £500 per account in cash at one of our branches.

Click here to print a withdrawal form.

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4.0 How do I make withdrawals by Telephone/Fax?

4.1 For additional convenience, you can arrange to make withdrawals by telephone and/or fax to nominated bank accounts.

Click here to print a Telephone/Fax Withdrawal Form.

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5.0 How do I transfer funds between Britannia International accounts?

5.1 To transfer a sum of money between accounts simply complete a transfer form.

5.2 To transfer your entire account to another Britannia International product simply complete a new application form ensuring you indicate clearly from which account you want your existing funds transferred.

Click here to print a Transfer Funds Form

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6.0 What are IBANs and BICs?

6.1 IBANs (International Bank Account Number) were introduced in July 2003 to clearly identify your bank and account details and make payments more efficient. They include a country code, corresponding bank code, sort code of beneficiary bank and beneficiary account number. For example Britannia International's IBAN is GB44NWBK60070371040625.

6.2 An IBAN is important when you are sending funds to Britannia International or withdrawing funds within the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Throughout 2006 European banks are working towards having IBANs and Bank Identifier Codes (BICs - also known as SWIFT codes) as the only valid means of identifying beneficiary customer accounts for cross border payments in Europe. With immediate effect, payments that do not carry this information may be subject to delay and higher fees levied. With effect from 1 January 2007 payments without beneficiary IBANs and BICs may be rejected.

6.3 The beneficiary bank will supply you with an IBAN and this should be included in your withdrawal instructions. Many banks now provide the IBAN on bank statements and correspondence, or publish it on their website.

6.4 When sending funds to Britannia International, please quote our IBAN (GB44NWBK6007037104625) and remember to include your name and account number as a reference.

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7.0 How do I change interest payment details?

7.1 Many of our accounts offer a choice of annual or monthly interest payments.

7.2 You can also choose to have your interest reinvested or to have it paid away to an Isle of Man, UK or Channel Islands bank account in your name.

Click here to print a Change of Interest Payment Form.

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8.0 How do I register a change of address?

8.1 Please remember to ensure we have up to date address details for you.

Click here to print a Change of Address Form.

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9.0 How do I change account-holder details?

9.1 If you need to:

  • add a new account-holder to your account
  • remove an account-holder
  • change personal details (eg change of name on marriage)

Click here to print a Change of Account-Holder Form.

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10.0 How do I provide satisfactory identification?

10.1 Like all building societies and banks, Britannia International is required to confirm the name, address and signature of all new customers and re-verify existing customer details. This can be done by providing one document each from List A and List B, shown below, for each applicant:

Proof of Identity (List A)
Full driving licence with photograph
Current full passport
Armed forces ID card
Employer ID card with photograph
Government issued national identity card with photograph

Proof of Address(es) (List B)
Utility bill
Council tax bill
Bank statement*
Mortgage statement*
Credit card statement*

10.2 Documents from List A must be valid, show your signature and be supplied in the form of certified copies. A certifier must be a suitable independent person from the following: a lawyer, solicitor, accountant, director or manager of an authorised credit or financial institution, a notary public, a member of the judiciary, a senior civil servant, a British Embassy official or a serving police officer. The certifier should sign and date the copy document (printing their name clearly in capitals underneath) and clearly indicate their position or capacity on it. The certifier must state in English that the document has been “certified as a true copy of the original”.

The items supplied in List B must be original, show your current address(es), be recent and not more than three months old. Items marked * must be issued by a recognised bank or building society. We promise to send any original identification documents back to you by return post.

Please note we will require proof of both residential and correspondence addresses, if they differ.

10.3 By providing the above information when we request it, you are helping us to guard against financial crime as much as we possibly can. The information is needed to clearly identify that you are who you say you are - this makes it harder for criminals to use false or stolen identities to access the financial system. The Financial Supervision Commission has produced this leaflet which explains the reasons for our identification requirements in more detail.

'Help Fight Crime and Terrorism'

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11.0 What do I do if an account-holder dies?

11.1 If the account is held by joint account-holders, the account can generally be transferred to the surviving account-holder.

11.2 If the account is held by a sole account-holder, it will generally be necessary for a representative of the deceased’s estate to apply for Manx Probate before funds can be released. We can supply details of how to obtain Manx Probate.

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12.0 What do I do if I have any queries on my account?

Please click here to link to our address, telephone, fax and email information, along with our office and branch opening hours.

Customer Satisfaction Process

Should you need to make a complaint, please click here for full information about our customer satisfaction process.

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13.0 What is the European Union Savings Tax Directive?

For full information please click here.

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If you have further questions that are not covered above, please contact us.