Proof of residency

a bill for electricity or gas in your name at that address,or a credit/debit card bill or a council tax bill .Most councils /doctors will accept those

Thank you paddyanne. We haven't lived in the UK for many years, and we will be moving there from France. Do we just register with an electricity provider and ask for bills to be in our name? All our documentation such as bills etc are for France.

I'm interested in this too as we might be moving back soon.
Have you still got your old NHS card?
For proof of residency you might have to ask your daughter to write something on your behalf.
I would ask the utility providers what they need.

Can you get on the electoral roll?

yes you should register with a utilities company and the council tax will probably be in your name ...otherwise you wont be on the electoral register .The utility providers will need to know who the last supplier was and your daughter can find that out before you contact them

Won't matter about tax for being on the electoral register - they make a new register every Autumn but you can contact the local electoral office and register with them. DS lives in a rented house and has all utilities in his name.

Welshwife is right you don't need to be a Council Tax payer to be on the electoral register.

And being on the electoral register may not count as residency for banks etc anyway. I tried producing a poll card and the bank said, "Ooh, that's not on our list!" When you have all your banking and bills online, it can be hard to find the required bits of paper.

But yes, the most generally accepted documentation is something like a water bill or fuel bill, or council tax bill, addressed to you at the address in question. You will still be the householders even though you don't own the property.

Antonia you would be there as a tenant (albeit a rent free one) and therefore you are able to register to pay Council tax, and have utility bills in your name, all of which will provide proof that you are resident in the flat. Driver's licences are also proof of residential address.

Best wishes for your move.

Thank you all for your helpful replies. We will probably get in touch with the energy suppliers and ask for bills to be in our name. I have NI numbers but we don't:t have (can't find) NHS cards. DH has a French driving licence now and I have my old UK one, but it is registered to our last UK address which was nearly 20 years ago.

I once asked about french driving licences in the UK and someone said they're valid for 3 years after coming to live there. Ours are both french.
A problem that could crop up eventually is that in France a driving license is for life - no need for medical checks etc (unless you have a serious accident.) Whereas in the UK I believe that after 70 you have to have 3 yearly checks?
It's quite normal here to see people of 90+ driving to the shops for their groceries etc.

You can renew your UK driving licence.
When you organize your bank accounts you will get written confirmation details. For anything on line you'd be able to print out electronic correspondence or a statement with your address on it.

They won't normally accept anything you've printed off the internet such as an online bank statement, they're too easy to copy and forge. What they want is something official-looking that's been posted to you, preferably on headed paper.

Usually this means utility bills, must be recent.
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