sandra, Struan makes a good point: you need utility bills with your address on them before you can do anything. Get somewhere to stay, then transfer a couple of things into your name (you might need to lay down a deposit). When the bills arrive, guard them with your life. Make sure you’ve got them paid and stamped at the post office. And register with the council to get your name on the electoral register (even if you’re not eligible to vote).
What has my country become? It’s all down to the anti-fraud and anti-terror stuff, but man they make it difficult for newcomers.
The anti-money-laundering stuff has been extant for a good few years now. It was a total bastard to implement in any meaningful way (at the corporate level), and many of the legal penalties were at the poor-clerk-taking-the-payments level. I think all of the UK Dopers could name at least one high profile money launderer, but people at his level seem to be immune from proper oversight.
Is it just me, or is the ‘utility bills’ thing a complete farce? Anybody could get any number of such bills legitimately without any background checks. All it seems to do is absolve the institution using them as evidence of guilt. Rather like birth certificates once were accepted at face value.
As I noted in my OP, I’m not talking about applying for credit when we first arrive, but further down the track. I plan on using my NZ credit card for the first 6 months or so whilst I work up a good track record with a basic transaction bank account.
You don’t happen to have an American Express card, do you? It’s my understanding that it’s fairly easy to switch an Amex card over to a different country.