UKVI Approved Banks in India and Bank Statement Requirements 2026

The maintenance fund requirement seems simple until you look at it from the perspective of a UKVI caseworker reviewing an Indian bank statement. The rules that feel intuitive — "just show you have the money" — are actually a precise evidentiary checklist. Getting any part wrong does not result in a request for clarification. It results in a refusal, with no refund of the visa fee or IHS.

What the Maintenance Requirement Actually Is

Unless your Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) is issued by an A-rated sponsor who has certified maintenance on the document, you must demonstrate that you have held at least £1,270 in a qualifying account for 28 consecutive days. For most Skilled Worker applicants, A-rated sponsors do certify maintenance, which means you may not need to show bank statements at all. Check your CoS carefully before gathering any financial evidence.

If maintenance is not certified on your CoS, the following rules apply strictly.

Which Indian Banks UKVI Accepts

The Home Office does not maintain a published "approved list" in the same format it used to. Instead, the guidance refers to regulated financial institutions that provide verifiable account records. In practice, the following Indian banks are consistently accepted:

Public sector banks: State Bank of India (SBI), Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Canara Bank, Union Bank of India.

Private sector banks: HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, IndusInd Bank, Yes Bank, IDFC First Bank.

Foreign banks operating in India: HSBC India, Standard Chartered India, Citibank India, Deutsche Bank India.

Banks not on this list — including smaller cooperative banks and regional rural banks — are high risk. UKVI caseworkers may reject statements from institutions they cannot verify, even if the balance is clearly sufficient.

The 28-Day Rule: Exactly What It Means

The £1,270 equivalent in INR (calculated at OANDA exchange rates, not the rate your bank quotes) must be present in a regulated account continuously for 28 consecutive days. The calculation uses the OANDA rate on the date of your application. At current approximate rates, this means you need roughly ₹1,35,000 to ₹1,40,000 to hold for 28 days.

Three specific rules govern this period:

The balance must not dip below the threshold for even one day. A single day where your balance falls ₹5,000 short because of an EMI or insurance debit invalidates the entire 28-day window. You must restart the count.

The statement must be dated within 31 days of submission. If your statement covers days 1 to 28 but you submit the application 35 days after day 28, the statement is too old. Get the statement, then apply.

Joint accounts require a letter from the co-holder. If the account is held jointly with a parent or spouse who is not part of the visa application, you need a signed letter from the co-holder confirming consent for the funds to be used as maintenance evidence.

Indian Bank Statement Format

UKVI will not accept a simple "balance certificate" — the type many Indian banks issue on request as a one-page letter. What is required is a full account statement showing every transaction for the relevant 28-day period, on official bank letterhead, with the bank's stamp and an authorised signatory.

From 2025 onwards, many major Indian banks issue digital statements (PDF format with embedded security features) that are accepted without a physical stamp, provided the document can be verified. HDFC, ICICI, and Axis Bank all issue such statements. SBI and Bank of Baroda statements downloaded from internet banking are generally accepted if they clearly show the bank name, account holder details, and transaction history.

Do not submit a statement printed from your mobile banking app without the bank's official header. Caseworkers frequently reject these.

Fixed Deposits as Maintenance Evidence

Indian professionals often keep large sums in fixed deposits rather than savings accounts. A fixed deposit can be used as maintenance evidence, but it must satisfy one condition that many FDs in India fail: the funds must be "immediately accessible."

If your FD has a lock-in period with a penalty for early withdrawal, UKVI may categorise it as not immediately accessible and reject it. To use an FD, you need a letter from the bank that explicitly states:

• The FD account number and maturity date
• The current value of the FD
• That the funds are accessible before maturity and can be liquidated within the required period

Many banks will issue such a letter on request. If yours will not, consider breaking the FD into the savings account for the 28-day holding period instead.

Gift Deeds and Unexplained Deposits

If you received a large transfer from a family member — parents gifting money to help fund your move, for example — and this transfer appears in your statement during the 28-day window, UKVI will question it. A sudden deposit that substantially increases your balance looks like borrowed money being temporarily parked to meet the threshold.

To protect yourself, you need a gift deed. This is a legal document (not just a note or WhatsApp message) signed by the donor, stating:

• The donor's full name and relationship to you
• The amount gifted
• That the gift is unconditional and does not need to be repaid
• The date of the transfer

The gift deed should be executed on stamp paper and ideally notarised. This creates a clear paper trail explaining the deposit's origin. Without it, caseworkers are trained to treat large unexplained deposits as borrowed funds — a grounds for refusal on "genuineness" grounds.

The same principle applies to property sale proceeds, mutual fund redemptions, or any other large inflow. Every significant deposit during the 28-day window needs a document explaining where it came from.

Mutual Funds and Shares

Mutual fund units and equity shares are not accepted as maintenance evidence. Even if you have several lakh rupees in a Zerodha or Groww account, these cannot be used because they are not "cash in a bank account" as defined under the Home Office's Appendix Finance rules. You would need to sell the holdings and transfer the proceeds to a qualifying bank account, then hold them there for 28 days.

A Practical Checklist

Before you submit your visa application, verify:

• [ ] Your sponsor has or has not certified maintenance on the CoS (check the document)
• [ ] If maintenance is not certified, confirm your bank is UKVI-accepted
• [ ] Your balance has stayed above the £1,270 equivalent for 28 consecutive days
• [ ] Your statement is dated within 31 days of your application submission date
• [ ] Any large deposits have a supporting document (gift deed, sale receipt, redemption statement)
• [ ] Joint accounts have a co-holder consent letter
• [ ] Fixed deposits include a bank letter confirming immediate accessibility

For a complete document checklist tailored specifically to Indian applicants — including templates for bank letters, gift deeds, and the specific statement format that satisfies Appendix Finance — the India → UK Skilled Worker Guide at immigrationstartguide.com/from-india/uk-skilled-worker/ covers each requirement in detail with Indian-specific examples.

See more United Kingdom guides →