Important information for Veterans UK customers who live abroad
Guidance for those receiving War Pension Scheme, Armed Forces Compensation Scheme or Armed Forces Pension Scheme payments and living in the European Union.
Overview
From 1 January 2021, you may no longer be able to use a British bank account for your War Pension Scheme, Armed Forces Compensation Scheme or Armed Forces Pension Scheme payments.
This is because the passporting arrangements between the British and European Economic Area (EEA) banks are set to end on 31 December unless a new agreement is reached with the European Union (EU). Passporting allows banks to provide services to customers in other states in the EEA without having any direct authorisation in those states. After the end of this year each UK bank will need to have a separate authorisation in every EEA country in which it operates.
Some banks have decided to close accounts in countries where they no longer wish to operate regardless of whether the UK reaches a deal with the EU, if your bank has taken this decision they should have contacted you already. If you haven’t already taken action, you need to make new arrangements now so that we can continue to pay you.
If you are affected by the changes and you do not update your bank details, your payments may be disrupted or returned to us.
What you need to do
If your British bank has contacted you to say they are closing your account, we need you to open a bank account that will allow us to pay you. Once you have the new account details, you need to contact us to update your information so we can ensure your payments continue without disruption.
We have explained, in the table below, who you need to contact to change you bank details. This will depend on which scheme(s) you belong to and receive payments from. Contact details for Veterans UK and Equiniti are listed in the ‘How to update your bank details’ section of this page.
| If you receive | Contact Veterans UK | Contact Equiniti |
|---|---|---|
| War Pensions Scheme only | Yes | No |
| Armed Forces Compensation Scheme Guaranteed Income Payment only | No | Yes |
| Armed Forces Pension Scheme occupational or ill-health pension only | No | Yes |
| Armed Forces Compensation Scheme Guaranteed Income Payment and Armed Forces Pension Scheme occupational or ill-health pension | No | Yes |
| War Pensions Scheme award and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme Guaranteed Income Payment | Yes | Yes |
| War Pensions Scheme award and Armed Forces Pension Scheme occupational and/or ill-health pension | Yes | Yes |
| War Pensions Scheme award and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme Guaranteed Income Payment | Yes | Yes |
If you receive a War Disablement Pension under the War Pensions Scheme and an Occupational or Ill-Health Pension under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme, you will need to contact Veterans UK and Equiniti Paymaster to change your bank details.
How to update your bank details
If you are a War Pension Scheme (WPS) customer, the quickest way to contact us is by calling our Helpline. Helpline staff will be able to change your details over the phone or refer you to our Payments and Maintenance Team for the change to be made immediately.
Please have your National Insurance Number to hand when contacting the Veterans UK helpline.
Alternatively, you can complete, print and sign the Overseas Bank Details form and return it to Veterans UK.
The form comes with notes telling you how to fill it in.
If you cannot download or print the form, phone or email the Veterans UK Helpline to ask for a copy.
Contact Details
Veterans UK
Freephone (UK only): 0808 1914 2 18
Telephone (overseas): +44 1253 866 043
Normal Service 8.00 am to 4.00 pm Monday to Friday
veterans-uk@mod.gov.uk
Veterans UK
War Pensions Scheme
Tomlinson House
Thornton-Cleveleys
Lancashire
FY5 3WP
If you are an Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) or Armed Forces Pension Acheme (AFPS) customer, you will need to complete the appropriate payment mandate to change your bank details.
You will need to complete the mandate with your new bank account details. You must also sign the form before sending it to our paymaster, Equiniti, at the address below.
Equiniti
Veteransukpensions@equiniti.com
Telephone: +44 1903 768625 (Overseas)
0345 121 2514 (UK)
Equiniti
PO Box 1246
Sutherland House
Russell Way
Crawley
RH10 0HZ
If you don’t have access to the internet or a printer, you can ask Equiniti to send you a mandate in the post. You will still need to complete all of the relevant sections before signing and returning the document to them in the post.
If you change your bank account to a local provider, in your country of residence, our payment provider will charge you a small administration fee. This will be deducted from your payment automatically.
Further guidance
Will Brexit or a ‘No deal Brexit’ have any impact on my War Pension Scheme, Armed Forces Compensation Scheme or Armed Forces Pension payments? No, you will continue to receive your payment(s) but you may need to change your bank account if you are advised to do so by your bank.
Your entitlement to an award under the schemes will not be affected.
Where can I find more information on how Brexit or a No deal Brexit will affect the country where I live? You should visit the GOV.UK online pages for up to date advice on how the UK’s exit from the EU will affect you. More information is available at The Brexit transition page.
If you need help
We are currently working to update all of our customer focused products to make sure that you are kept informed. Our dedicated Enquiry Centre staff are available to answer any queries you may have at this time. If you have any questions, contact Veterans UK.