Is the NI really a must in UK? I have heard of people working there that are working only for a few years in academia who don't have an NI - or at least so they claim.
Re:No Fixed Address Bank Account
by throw748383818 on Sunday May 08, 2022 @10:13AM
(#31304163)
I lived there just fine without one. I wasn't working, but rented a house and opened a bank account, I don't remember ever being asked for one.
Yes, of course, if you have the "money-honey", you don't work or expect maternity or jobseekers allowance, and you are not interested in state pension, you can get by without one :)
I just checked, and for healthcare you don't actually need it in the UK. In other EU countries you usually have to pay health insurance for yourself if you are not working (sometimes a LOT of money), but not in the UK.
Re:No Fixed Address Bank Account
by Beltalowda on Monday May 09, 2022 @04:32AM
(#31311831)
I got a letter threatening me with a fine if I didn't register to vote, and I needed a NI number to register.
Re:No Fixed Address Bank Account
by ricardobayes on Sunday May 08, 2022 @10:57AM
(#31304650)
yes but you're taxed at some 'emergency tax' rate which is really high.
This is a direct consequence of there being no official central registration of one's address in the UK, unlike in many other countries. You might call Austria bureaucratic for example, because you have to register within 3 days of moving (and another registration is necessary within 4 months), but then you get official papers that prove your address, so this never becomes an issue here, unlike in the UK.