Who can apply for a Tide account?

We offer business accounts to sole traders and directors of limited companies. To apply, you must:

• Be a minimum of 18 years old

You can register a domain name in 2 ways: 

• Have a valid UK mobile phone number

• Have a device that's registered to a UK App or Goggle Play store.

• If you didn’t register your domain when you incorporated your company, you can still do this by heading to Startup Hub once you sign in to your Tide account

Sole traders or freelancers must also

1. Sign in to your Tide account 

2. If you’re using Tide on the web, go to the Startup Hub tab, or

3. If you’re using the app, go to More > Startup Hub

• Have a valid UK home address

In Startup Hub, select Domain name to register your domain

• Be registered with HMRC 

Directors of limited companies must also

• Have a valid home address in the UK or overseas

• Be registered with Companies House 

We’re on a mission to help business owners spend less time on money admin.

However, there are a number of high risk industries that we can’t take on, as this would mean not being able to focus our time and energy on the rest of our members.

We don’t currently offer current accounts to businesses in the following industries:

• The holding, managing and/or controlling of a third party’s (client’s/customer’s) funds in the Tide account. This includes using the funds on behalf of other individuals

• Insurance companies (incl. insurance brokers)

• Trading of crypto/virtual currencies

• Operating as a pawnbroker

• Extraction of precious metals and stones

• Investments (incl. real estate investments)

• Money services (such as foreign exchange, loan providers, money transfers)

• Banking services (incl. BCAs, loans, digital wallets, etc.)

• Casinos, prize draws and other betting or gambling activities

• Sale of unlicensed pharmaceuticals

• Sale or trade of cannabidiol (CBD) products

• Trading of weapons, explosives or armaments

• Unlicensed trading and processing of scrap metal

• Unlicensed waste management

• Unlicensed animal breeding

• Sale, import and export of used vehicles or heavy machinery

• Escort services and other services in the adult industry

• Bidding fee auctions

• Non-profit organizations, including charities

• Operating as, but not limited to, CICs and CIOs, PLC, LLP, Partnership, Trust.

You can read more about this in our blog post: Providing financial security for our members.