Before you start

Passport and an eVisa share code
A UK mobile number
A Cambridge address, for a traditional bank
Proof of that address — a tenancy agreement, Council Tax bill or employer letter

Step-by-step

1
Open a digital account before or on the day you arrive
Monzo, Starling, Revolut and others open from a passport and a video selfie with no proof of address. This is how most newcomers get a UK sort code on day one, which then unlocks the tenancy, the phone and payroll.
Mobile appWho: YouDay 1
2
Ask your department or HR for a letter
The university, the colleges, the research institutes and the larger science-park employers all issue employment and address letters for international staff routinely, and high-street banks accept them as proof of address. This is faster than waiting for a utility bill and it is a genuine local advantage — ask rather than assuming you must produce a bill.
Via employerWho: You
3
Register for Council Tax and claim your discount
Register with Cambridge City Council on moving in. A 25% discount applies to a single occupant and a full exemption to an all-student household — and in a city with this many postgraduates, the student exemption is claimed far less often than it should be. Neither is applied automatically.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
4
Set up Direct Debits for everything recurring
Rent, Council Tax, energy, water and phone all run on Direct Debit here, and paying that way is often cheaper. The Direct Debit Guarantee gives you a strong statutory right to reclaim an incorrect payment.
Mobile appWho: You
5
Start building a UK credit file
UK credit scoring is separate from anywhere else and you arrive with nothing. The electoral roll where eligible, a mobile contract and an account in good standing all help. In Cambridge it matters mainly for buying, which on local prices is a longer project than in most English cities.
OnlineWho: You
6
Know the legal ceiling on move-in money
Under the Renters' Rights Act an English landlord cannot demand more than one month's rent in advance, on top of a deposit capped at five weeks' rent. In a market as competitive as Cambridge's, some landlords historically preferred applicants who could pay a year up front. That preference can no longer lawfully be acted on.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport
eVisa share code
UK mobile number
Employer or department letter confirming employment and address
Tenancy agreement or Council Tax bill

Things most newcomers don’t know

Your department's HR letter is the shortcut nobody mentions.

The classic proof-of-address problem assumes you have no institution behind you. In Cambridge most arrivals do — a college, a department, an institute or a science-park employer — and those HR functions produce employment and address letters for international staff as routine. High-street banks accept them. Ask on day one instead of spending three weeks waiting for a utility bill.

Source: community-reported

The all-student Council Tax exemption is total, and it is under-claimed.

A household where every occupant is a full-time student is exempt from Council Tax entirely — not discounted, exempt. In a city with Cambridge's postgraduate population this is worth well over a thousand pounds a year to a shared house, and it must be claimed with proof of student status. Households routinely pay for months before someone works it out.

Source: GOV.UK — Council Tax discounts and exemptions

There is now a legal cap on rent in advance, and it particularly helps here.

The Renters' Rights Act limits an English landlord to one month's rent in advance plus the capped deposit. In a market where demand exceeds supply as sharply as Cambridge's, paying a year up front was a real competitive advantage for applicants who could afford it, and an insurmountable barrier for those who could not. That lever no longer exists.

Source: GOV.UK — Renters' Rights Act: overview for tenants

Free current accounts are genuinely unusual, so do not pay for one.

Arriving from Germany, France or much of Asia, the instinct is to accept a packaged account with a monthly fee. UK banks make their money elsewhere and standard current accounts cost nothing. Packaged accounts bundle insurance you may already hold; there is no reason for a newcomer to start with one.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Waiting for a utility bill when your department would have written an address letter the same day.
Not claiming the all-student exemption or the single-occupant discount on Council Tax.
Agreeing to pay six or twelve months' rent up front, which is no longer lawful in England.
Walking into a high-street branch before you have any proof of address at all.
Paying a monthly fee for a current account when free ones are the norm.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.