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Caring for someone vulnerable
Court of Protection Orders

Caring for someone vulnerable

Court of Protection Orders

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What is a Court of Protection Order? Open in new window

What can you do as a Deputy? Open in new window

Interim orders and paying bills Open in new window

Information for local authorities Open in new window

Frequently asked questions Open in new window

Additional support Open in new window

A Court of Protection Order can only be put in place if the account owner lacks the capacity to make decisions for themselves.

What is a Court of Protection Order?

If there is no Power of Attorney in place and you need to manage someone’s wider financial and/or personal welfare affairs, an application can be made to the Court of Protection (COP), for you, or someone else to be appointed as a ‘deputy’. The court decides if the person nominated is suitable, and if successful, the COP Order provides the deputy with a range of powers which can be used to benefit the protected person.

Deputies are usually people with an existing relationship to the protected person such as a family member or close friend, but people acting in a professional capacity such as solicitors or local authorities can also be made attorneys. To learn more about deputies or to apply to be a deputy, visit the GOV.UK page using the button below.

Visit Gov.UK Page Open in new window

What can you do as a deputy?

Whilst the court makes the overall decision on what a deputy can and cannot do the table below gives an idea of actions a deputy can take once registered with us. In the case of multiple deputies it is possible to have more than one deputy added to an account but it must be made clear whether they will act 'jointly' or 'joint and severally'.

A deputy can

Have a Debit card or Online banking for the account/s if several deputies are acting joint and severally.
Close accounts that are no longer needed.
Open new accounts on behalf of the protected person if the instructions in the Court of Protection document allow this.
Manage the protected person's mortgage, including applying for a new mortgage or changing the rates.

Information Message

A deputy cannot

Have a Debit card or Online banking for the account/s if several deputies are acting jointly.
Apply for certain forms of borrowing, for example loans or overdrafts on behalf of the account holder.
Act outside the terms set out by the Court of Protection.
Change ownership of the account or add new parties to the account.

Information Message

Registering a Court of Protection Order

Choose one of the options below to start registering a Court of Protection Order online or at a branch.

If you’re adding more than one deputy, you’ll need to register each deputy separately online. Or you can visit a NatWest branch and bring the required documents with you.

Online applications may need extra checks, and sometimes you might be asked to visit a branch.

Get ready to apply online

Follow these three steps

Step 1: Complete the eForm

Fill in the Application to add Court of Protection Deputyship eform

Step 2: Email us your documents

Send your Court of Protection order to us at Courtofprotection@natwest.com
Add the protected persons sort code and account number in the subject line. If these are missing, we can't process your request

Other documents you may need to give us:

Photo of all deputy's signatures if they:

Act together (jointly), or
Act in a professional role

File rules:

Images must be 10 MB or less
Save documents as PDF

Step 3: Confirm your identity

Once we've received your eform and Court of Protection order, you will receive an email from our trusted security partner, Mitek

To confirm your identity:

Take a selfie
Upload photo ID
Upload proof of address (if asked)

Once we’ve confirmed your identity and received all your documents, we’ll process your Court of Protection application within 10 working days.

Proof of identity we can accept when applying online

Valid passport
Full UK driving licence
EU/EEA driving licence
EU/EEA national identity card
UK provisional driving licence

Proof of address we can accept when applying online

Full UK driving licence (if not being used for proof of identity)
UK provisional driving licence (if not being used for proof of identity)
Bank statement (if using a NatWest Group statement, must be different from brand you're applying for -dated within last 6 months)
Credit Union statement (dated within last 6 months)
Mortgage statement/Solicitor mortgage correspondence (dated within last 12 months)
HMRC letter (notice of tax code or national insurance confirmation letter)
Benefit agency documents (dated within last 12 months)
Utility bill (dated within last 6 months)
Council tax bill (dated within last 12 months)

See more details on proof of identification and proof of address on our Caring for someone vulnerable page

Registering a Court Of Protection Order in a branch

Here's what you need to know

Before you visit

No appointment needed
The account holder (protected person) does not need to come with you
The branch can register your COP as long as you bring the right documents

What to bring

The original Court of Protection document or a certified copy
An acceptable form of identification
Proof of address

Both the identification and proof of address must match the details on the Court of Protection document

Proof of identity we accept when applying in branch

Valid passport
Full UK driving licence
UK provisional driving licence
Military ID card
EU/EEA national ID card
EU/EEA driving licence
Biometric residence permit
e-Visa

If you don’t have any of the documents listed above, we can accept these instead:

Benefits letter from the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP), Jobcentre Plus or Universal Credit
- Must be dated within the last 12 months and show the benefit is still valid
- If it doesn’t confirm ongoing benefit, it must be dated within the last 3 months
- Can only be used if not already used as proof of address
NI electoral office ID Card
OAP / Concessionary travel pass (only accepted with certain address documents)
HMRC letter: notice of tax coding for previous or current tax year, or national insurance confirmation letter

Proof of address we accept when applying in branch

Bank statement (if using a NatWest Group statement, must be different from brand you're applying for -dated within last 6 months)
Council tax bill (dated within last 12 months)
Utility bill/statement (dated within last 6 months)
Mortgage statement/Solicitor mortgage correspondence (dated within last 12 months)
Local council/ Housing authority tenancy agreement
Credit Union statement (dated within last 6 months)
Full UK driving licence (if not being used for proof of identity)
UK provisional driving licence (if not being used for proof of identity)
HMRC letter (notice of tax code or national insurance confirmation letter)

If you don’t have any of the documents listed above, we can accept a benefits letter from the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP), Jobcentre Plus or Universal Credit.

The letter must be dated within the last 12 months and show that the benefit is still valid
If the letter does not confirm ongoing benefit, it must be dated within the last 3 months
This can only be used if it is not already being used as proof of identity

See more details on proof of identification and proof of address on our Caring for someone vulnerable page

Find a branch near you

Use our Branch locator to find your nearest branch

Interim Orders

Use the sections below to find out more about what an Interim Order is and how you can register an Interim Order with us.

What is an Interim Order?

An Interim Order can be applied for if you urgently need to make a decision on behalf of a person that does not have mental capacity. Some examples of urgent decisions are:

Making a one off payment.
Checking account balances for accounts held by the protected person.
Viewing account statements.

To apply for an Interim Order you must be able to prove to the Court of Protection that the decision is important and must be made as soon as possible. For more information on Interim Orders, or if you need to apply for an Interim Order visit GOV.UK.

Registering an Interim Order with us

If you already have an Interim Order approved by the Court of Protection you can register this with us in one of our branches as long as you have:

All pages of the original Interim Order from the Court of Protection OR a certified copy.
A signed request detailing exactly what kind of decision you need to make on behalf of the protected person.

To find your local branch please use our branch locator tool.

Alternatively you can register an Interim Order with us by mail. Just send the documents listed above to the address shown below:

NatWest
1 Hardman Boulevard
Manchester
M3 3AQ
United Kingdom

Remember to include details of the account you would like to pay money to if you are requesting a one-off payment.

Paying bills

In some cases you might be waiting for a Court of Protection Order and may need to arrange for a bill to be paid from an account held by a protected person.

How can I arrange for a bill to be paid?

To pay any bills which aren’t covered by a regular payment already set up on the account you need to send a letter to our POA/COP team at the address below:

NatWest
1 Hardman Boulevard
Manchester
M3 3AQ
United Kingdom

Your letter should include:

A statement from the applicant detailing the payment that needs to be made.
Account details for the account making the payment and the account the payment is being made to.
An invoice with details of the payment if it is being made to a business e.g. A care home.

Information for Local Authorities

In some cases a public authority can be appointed as a deputy by the Court of Protection. For more information on this visit this GOV.UK page.

Managing a protected person's finances as a local authority.

If you are a local authority looking to act on behalf of a NatWest customer we offer a Client Deposit Manager Account.

Usually existing accounts held by the protected person will need to be closed, and the funds will need to be transferred into an account held by the local authority on behalf of the protected person.

To close the account we need you to send us:

The original COP Order OR a certified copy.
A signed request on letter-headed paper.
Details on where you would like the funds to be sent.

These items should be sent to the address below:

NatWest
1 Hardman Boulevard
Manchester
M3 3AQ
United Kingdom

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take for a Court of Protection Order to be added to an account?

A Court of Protection Order will be added within 10 working days once we have received your documents.

Additional checks may be required for some Court of Protection applications which can lengthen timescales.

How do I contact the Court of Protection team?

If you have a question or problem on the COP registration process you can contact our application team via our webchat. This can be done by clicking chat to Cora at the bottom right of your screen, typing in Court of Protection and answering some questions related to your query.

Webchat is open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.

Once I am added to an account as a deputy, how do I register for Online Banking?

Once you are added as a deputy you will receive your customer number and you can use this to register for online access to the protected person's accounts. For more information check out our guide to Online Banking. You can find out how to register and make the most of the services available.

How can I make a change to a Court of Protection Order?

If you are a deputy and want to make a change to your Court of Protection Order you need to contact the Court of Protection directly with a filled out request form and a witness statement.

If the change is approved by the court send us written details of the change and a copy of the new COP document.

More details on this are available on the GOV.UK page.

What happens to a Travel Account when a deputy is added to the linked Current Account?

If a Travel Account is linked to a Current Account held by the protected person it will be closed when the deputy is added, and any EUR funds will be moved back to the Current Account.

Funds returned to the Current Account will be based on the live bank exchange rate.

Organisations offering additional support

Make the most of extra support available to help you care for someone vulnerable. There are several organisations who could help with additional support.

NHS Social care and support guide Open in new window

Government services and benefits for carers Open in new window

Citizens Advice Open in new window

Carers UK information and support Open in new window

Money Helper information and support Open in new window

Age UK help for carers Open in new window