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Barclays account opening

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Aug 2024
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Getting started with Barclays

Are you a new investor considering opening a brokerage account at Barclays but don't know how to do it? Are you wondering how long the process takes and how difficult it is?

Opening a brokerage account can seem daunting. Unfortunately, account opening is indeed not a great experience at Barclays, so if that keeps you from getting started, check some more user-friendly alternatives.

Opening an account at Barclays is not a rewarding experience
András
András Régely
Investments • Stock Market • Market Analysis

Together with my brokerage analyst colleagues, I have thoroughly tested the services of Barclays by opening a real-money account. Here’s what you need to know about account opening if you want to start investing with Barclays:

  • Account opening at Barclays is fully online and takes >3 days.

  • You will need to prove your identity and residency with documents.

  • Choose an account type that suits your needs.

  • The only available base currency is GBP.

  • The minimum deposit at Barclays is $0.

  • Browse the best brokers for beginners for some great alternatives.

Before we start, let's check if Barclays is available in your country:

No, you can't open an account at Barclays if you live in United States!
United States
Overall score
4/5
Minimum deposit
$0
Stock fee
Average
Fund fee
Low
Inactivity fee
no
Account opening
>3 days

Account opening at Barclays vs other competitors

Account opening at Barclays is fully online, meaning you can do it from the comfort of your chair. In fact, you don't even need a chair: you can simply do it on the go on your mobile phone.

See how we rated the account opening experience and how long it takes to get started at Barclays compared with its main competitors:

Barclays account opening vs similar brokers
Account opening score
3.8 stars 5.0 stars 4.4 stars
Account opening fully online
Yes Yes Yes
Time to open account
>3 days 1 day 1-3 days

Opening an account is always free of charge, but the time it takes differs from broker to broker. At some brokers, it's as quick as signing up for a new Gmail account. At others, it might take a couple of days as they run a background check on your data. At Barclays, it usually takes >3 days to have your account up and running.

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Navigating the complexities of trading can be challenging. If you're a new investor, you'll need a broker with a user-friendly trading interface and robust educational materials. So where to find such brokers? Start with our toplist of brokers we rated as good for beginners.

How to get a verified trading account at Barclays?

First, you need to go to Barclays's website and fill a registration form to apply for an account. It takes the broker a bit of time to review and verify your application - usually >3 days - after which you can make your first deposit and start trading.

The journey at Barclays

Opening a brokerage account is not unlike opening a bank account. As you go through the steps, you’ll find that it is a simple and familiar process. Once your brokerage account is set up, you’ll find that the experience is similar to what you get with a bank account that you use for savings and transactions. See, it’s just another way of managing your money!

The sign-up procedure is usually self-evident; just follow the instructions carefully. Here's what awaits you at Barclays:

Barclays Smart Investor has a fully digital account opening process. Online registration took us about 10-15 minutes, but account verification took more than a week.
The steps of Barclays account opening:

  1. Enter personal information such as your date of birth.
  2. Add further personal information, including nationality and address.
  3. Link your bank account to your brokerage account.
  4. If Barclays manage to electronically verify your details, you won't even need to provide proof of ID or proof of address.
Account opening at Barclays

The following steps are typical toward the end of the application process or after verifying your identity:

  1. You'll have to fill out a trading experience survey. It might seem scary at first, but it is nothing to worry about. This is standard procedure, as brokers need to make sure that you have some basic financial knowledge and are aware of the risks of trading.

  2. Next, you'll have to choose an account type and a base currency.

  3. As a final step, you'll need to fund your account before you can start trading.

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Which Barclays account to choose?

Brokers usually provide multiple account types. When choosing an account, consider how experienced you are in trading, and pick an account that suits your needs. Some factors to take into account: your investment goals, risk tolerance, trading frequency, and any associated fees or account balance minimums.

If you're a beginner, we recommend selecting the most basic account offered by the broker, which is the standard account.

The above apply to retail accounts opened by private individuals. If you're looking to open a brokerage account for your company, see our overview of whether you can open a business investment account at Barclays and under what conditions.

Alternatively, find out more about Barclays's specific account types in our comprehensive Barclays review for 2024.

Which base currency should you choose?

At Barclays, the only available currency is GBP. If possible, try to deposit money to your brokerage account in GBP.

Why is all this important? If you fund your trading account in the same currency as your bank account, you won't have to pay a conversion fee. Conversion fees apply if:

  • You make a deposit in a different currency than the currency of your brokerage account.

  • You trade assets denominated in a different currency than your brokerage account's base currency.

A convenient way to save on currency conversion fees is by opening a multi-currency bank account at a digital bank.

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Overall score
4/5
Minimum deposit
$0
Stock fee
Average
Fund fee
Low
Inactivity fee
no
Account opening
>3 days

Fund your account and start trading at Barclays

Once you have filled out the registration form, uploaded your documents, finished the trading survey and selected your account type and base currency, Barclays will verify your account shortly. After successful verification, you need to fund your account to be able to begin trading.

This is where you are in the account opening process at Barclays
  • Choose your funding method.

  • Enter the amount to be deposited and other necessary details for the transaction.

  • Double-check if payment details are correct.

  • If all looks OK, click to submit your deposit request.

At Barclays, the minimum deposit is $0. This means that you can deposit as little money as you wish.

Brokers that don't require a minimum deposit do so to encourage people to try their services without requiring a large initial commitment. Many brokers no longer require a minimum deposit nowadays; so if you want to compare Barclays and its rivals along other criteria, you can do so using our broker comparison tool.

At Barclays, you have multiple funding methods to choose from when you want to deposit money to your account. Check these options in the following table; and choose the one that's most convenient for you.

Broker
Minimum deposit
Bank transfer
Barclays
$0
Hargreaves Lansdown
$0
Charles Stanley Direct
$25
Deposit requirement and funding methods

After successfully funding your account, you're all set to start trading.

To explore Barclays’s top competitors, head over to our top list of the best brokers for beginners, whose low fees and user-friendly features benefit new investors like you.

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Everything you find on BrokerChooser is based on reliable data and unbiased information. We combine our 10+ years finance experience with readers feedback. Read more about our methodology.

András Régely
Author of this article
As a Broker Analyst at BrokerChooser, I'm dedicated to providing data-driven insights that simplify the world of investments. With a solid academic background, including an MSc in Accounting and Finance from LSE, I bring a deep understanding of financial markets to my role. My mission is to assist retail investors in finding the perfect broker fit by leveraging my trading experience and analytical skills. At BrokerChooser, I merge my passion for trading with a keen eye for market trends, helping clients navigate online brokers confidently and effectively.
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