HSBC Safeguard

What is HSBC Safeguard?

As many of our customers live, travel and work internationally, it's increasingly important to ensure your security - especially when it comes to your finances.

HSBC Safeguard is designed to allow us to better protect you and your accounts from fraud and financial crime. To do this we need to ensure that all the information we hold for you is correct, complete and up-to-date.

Changes in regulations may also mean that we require some additional information which we have not previously asked you to provide.

That’s why we may need to contact you to do one or both of the following:

Confirm or update the personal information we already hold
Provide additional information which may also require supporting documentation

Have you received a request to update your details online?

To complete this request via online banking, you’ll need to log on, select 'My Messages', open the HSBC Safeguard message and follow the instructions.

Log on to online banking

Alternatively if you’re not registered for online banking, please click on the button below and follow the instructions.

Update your personal details

Next steps

You don't need to do anything until we get in touch. When we contact you, we'll tell you what you need to do next.

Once you've updated your details, the work to protect your account happens behind-the-scenes at HSBC Expat - so it won't change the way you bank with us.

For more information on the initiative and why we're doing it, visit HSBC Safeguard.

Frequently asked questions

The information we ask for depends on your circumstances. In most cases we look to update your primary details, such as address and photographic ID.

We may also need information about your source of funds and / or source of wealth. To meet regulatory and legal obligations, we need to know where funds are coming from and going to. This also helps us to protect you from fraud and financial crime.

If you’ve received a letter/email asking you to contact us, we’ll let you know the information we need when we speak with you.

Laws and regulations vary from country to country, which is why you may have been contacted more than once for the same information. We’re sorry for any inconvenience but it is important that you respond to each of the requests that you receive.

Where regulatory rules allow us to do so and with your consent, HSBC Expat can look to contact your relationship manager if you hold additional HSBC accounts in order to update your information before contacting you.

We are required by our regulators to have this information. If we don't receive your up-to-date information we may no longer be able to provide you with our services. If you are having trouble gathering the information, need more time or have any further questions, please let us know and we will do our best to help.

Where we ask for certified documents, your documents must be:

certified within the last three months and;
be in English.

Where documents are not in English, we can accept certified copies that have been translated into English – as long as both the foreign and English copies are provided and certified.

If you have been requested to provide a certified copy or an original document to verify your residential address, the document must be dated within the last four months.

The following people can certify photocopies of your documents, on sight of the original document:

Bank Manager of a licensed, regulated bank
Embassy Consulate or High Commission Official of the country of issue of the documentation
Lawyer or Notary Public¹
A Member of the Judiciary or a Senior Civil Servant
Actuary1 of the country of issue of the documentation
Accountant or Tax Adviser¹

Most documents can be sent via email – our Safeguarding team will run through your options when you speak with them.

If you don’t want to send your documents by email, you can send them to us via post, or via your local HSBC branch staff, who can forward this on by secure mail.

¹Who is a member of a recognised professional body

If you provide original utility bills to confirm your address, these do not need to be certified. We regret that we will not be able to return these documents to you.

What is HSBC Safeguard?

Have you received a request to update your details online?

Next steps

Frequently asked questions

What information do I need to provide?

I am a customer of HSBC in more than one country. Will I have to provide the same information to each country?

What will happen if I don’t provide this information?

How do I certify my documents?

Who can certify my documents?

How do I send my documents to you?