What You Need to Apply for a Loan: Checklist | Dot Dot Loans

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What you need to apply for a loan

You do not need a stack of paperwork to apply for a personal loan, but a few key details make it quicker and help the lender's checks. Here is a simple checklist to get yourself application ready.

Paul Gillooly
Written by the Dot Dot Loans editorial team and reviewed by Paul Gillooly
Director, Dot Dot Loans
4 min read Last reviewed July 2026
Check my eligibility
Soft search · won't affect your credit score

A hard credit search is only carried out when you formally apply to a lender which can affect your credit score.

Representative APR 79.5% (Variable). Rates from 12.9% APR to 1721% APR.

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Key takeaways
Have proof of identity, proof of address, your income details and your bank account details ready.
You usually need to be 18 or over, a UK resident, with a UK bank account.
Accurate details help the lender complete its affordability check smoothly.
Checking your eligibility with us is a soft search, so it does not affect your credit score.

Your application checklist

You do not need much to apply, but having these details ready makes the form quick and helps the lender complete its checks without coming back to you for more.

What to have ready
Proof of identity, such as a passport or driving licence
Proof of address, such as a recent bill or bank statement
Your income and outgoings, so the lender can check affordability
UK bank account and debit card details
National Insurance number, if the lender asks for it

Basic eligibility

Most lenders on our panel start from a similar set of basics. To apply, you usually need to:

  • Be 18 or over
  • Be a UK resident
  • Have a regular income the lender can verify
  • Have a UK bank account, a valid email address and a mobile number

Meeting these does not guarantee approval, but it means you are eligible to apply and be considered.

Showing your income

Lenders need to see that the repayments are affordable, so they will ask about your income and how you receive it. How you show it depends on your situation:

  • Employed: recent payslips or bank statements usually cover it
  • Self employed: you may be asked for accounts or statements. See our guide for the self employed.
  • Other income: some lenders consider income from benefits as part of affordability

Why lenders ask for this

Under FCA rules, lenders have to lend responsibly, which means checking that a loan is affordable for you before they offer it. The details you provide let them weigh your income against your outgoings and existing commitments, so the repayments are ones you can genuinely manage.

Giving accurate, up to date information helps you get a clear decision, and avoids delays caused by details that do not match your bank or the electoral roll.

Getting application ready

A little preparation makes the whole thing smoother:

1
Gather your documents
Your ID, proof of address and a clear sense of your monthly budget.
2
Check you are on the electoral roll
It helps lenders confirm your identity and address, and it is free.
3
Get a soft search quote first
We search our panel for a potential match, with no impact on your score before you formally apply.

For the full journey from quote to funds, read our guide on how to apply for a loan.

Representative Example: £1,000 borrowed for 18 months. 17 monthly repayments at £87.22, final repayment of £87.70. Total amount repayable £1,570.44. Interest total £570.44. Annual interest rate 59.97% (fixed). Representative APR 79.5% (Variable). Any representative monthly repayment shown is for illustration only, based on our representative APR. Your actual repayments will be confirmed by the matching lender if your application is approved.

Got everything ready?

Check your eligibility with a soft search. It won't affect your credit score, and matching takes about two minutes. A hard credit search is only carried out when you formally apply to a lender which can affect your credit score.

Check my eligibility Representative APR 79.5% (Variable)

Frequently asked questions

Do I need payslips to apply?

Not always. Lenders can verify income in different ways, but having recent payslips or bank statements to hand can speed things up, especially if you are asked to confirm your income.

Do I need to be employed to apply?

No. Lenders consider income from self employment and, in some cases, from benefits. What matters is that you have a regular, verifiable income and the repayments are affordable.

What ID is accepted?

A passport or a UK driving licence are the most common forms of identity. A lender may also use electronic checks, and can ask for more if it needs to confirm your details.

Do I need a good credit score to apply?

No. You can apply with a less than perfect credit history, and some lenders focus on affordability rather than your score alone. Our guide on loans for bad credit has more.

Will checking my eligibility affect my score?

No. We use a soft search to check your eligibility, which is only visible to you and does not affect your credit score. A hard search only happens if you formally apply to a lender.

Paul Gillooly
Paul Gillooly
Director of Dot Dot Loans

Paul founded PJG Financial Limited, the company behind Dot Dot Loans, to make short term borrowing clearer and fairer. He reviews our guides to keep them accurate, clear and genuinely useful.

More about Paul
Last reviewed July 2026 · Checked for accuracy by our editorial team

We are a credit broker, not a lender. Representative APR 79.5% (Variable).