I’ve recently moved to London and although you don’t need a National Insurance Number to start a job, on the long run it’s better to have one. You will be less taxed and have other benefits.
Not long after I began working, I made an appointment to apply for NINo by calling 0800 141 2075, one of the numbers available here.
The operator asked when I arrived in UK, if I have a job and that I will need to provide proof of address. I asked if a rent contract is enough, he said yes. He also asked for my name, address, post code and if I could attend the interview in two weeks time. Since my name is non English, I also had to spell it. E.g. Jamaica Oregon Nigeria England Spain (Jones).
He said I will receive a confirmation letter by mail at the address given earlier. Which arrived a few days later.
I had been scheduled to attend the interview in two weeks time, at a Job Centre 15 minutes from where I live.
I took a walk to the Job Centre the weekend before the interview to get familiar with the route and prepared the documents for the interview: the interview confirmation letter, the rent contract, the employment contract and my passport.
Got there 5 minutes earlier, went to the reception handed the interview confirmation letter and was asked to take a seat and wait.
2–3 minutes later a lady presented herself and said that she will do the interview and I should follow her to her desk. She asked for my passport to make a copy of it. She then began filling a form on paper and whenever she needed information she asked (e.g. my nationality, if I’m married, if I got a job permanent or temporary and many more).
She checked my employment contract, but never asked about the proof of address. She was quite polite, thanking me after answering each of her questions. It took 10–15 minutes for her to fill the form.
At the end she gave me a proof of registration and said that I will receive the National Insurance Number by mail in 8 weeks time. I was then asked to wait on the couch until a registration response is received. 3–4 minutes later another lady handed me my passport and I was on my way.
The whole think took about 20 minutes.
