How to Open A Credit Union Account

Community 4 min read

11 Jun 2019

So you’ve decided to open a credit union account, congratulations! You can sit back and relax now, safe in the knowledge that you have joined the 3.6 million credit union members in Ireland enjoying benefits such as affordable and flexible credit union loans, dividends at year end, and a safe and secure place for your savings.

So if you’re not too busy patting yourself on the back for making this great decision, read on to find out how to open a credit union account.
 

The first step in opening a credit union account

You first need to find the credit union closest to where you live or work. Every credit union has a ‘common bond’ - which simply means that each credit union serves the people living or working in its local area. You can find your local credit union here by entering your full home or work address.

Your other option is to join a credit union based on the industry in which you work. For example, there are credit unions for teachers, civil servants, health services employees etc. Again, you can find your industry credit union here.
 

What do I need to open a credit union account?

Once you have identified the credit union you wish to join, there are a few documents you will need to open your credit union account. As every credit union is independent, each one will have slightly different terms and conditions relating to the opening of accounts. As a rule of thumb, the following documents are usually needed to open a credit union account.

• One current, valid form of ID, such as a passport or driver’s licence or, in Northern Ireland, a National ID Card is accepted.

• One document which is proof of address, such as a utility bill, or a bank statement dated within the past three months. Other documents are also accepted and are listed here.

• In the Republic of Ireland you may also be asked for a PPS number.

You can also contact your local credit union if you have additional questions about the documents you need.

How to open a credit union account online?

You have the option to initiate the opening of your credit union account online with many credit unions. However, you will probably need to call in to the credit union office itself to sign the membership form, dot the ‘I’s and cross the ‘T’s! This won’t take long, and you’ll get to experience our award-winning customer service first-hand (we’ve won the CX Customer Experience national award for five years running!).

A lot of credit unions also operate outside of normal working hours (some open into the evenings and on Saturdays). So you should find it easy enough to find a few minutes to pop in and finalise opening your account.
 

Open a Credit Union Current Account

More and more credit unions are now offering a full-service current account. In fact, a credit union current account is now available to more than 2 million credit union members across the country.

You can find out more about opening a credit union current account, with a globally accepted debit card by clicking here.
 

Apply for a Loan

Once your account is open, in the majority of credit unions, you can apply for a loan right away, no waiting around! If you want to find out why so many people are choosing credit union loans, just read our blog on the topic.

Maybe you don’t want to wait to open a credit union account to find out about the loans your local credit union is offering. No problem, just submit an online loan enquiry (below) and your credit union will get back to you with all you need to know!