also called proof of residence · address verification
A document such as a utility bill showing where you live.
A document, often a utility bill or bank statement, showing where you actually live. Banks and phone shops ask for it constantly. It is a mundane admin proof, not the same as immigration proof of residency, which is about your legal right to be in the country; this one just confirms an address exists with your name on it.
Someone newly arrived tries to open a local bank account and is asked for a utility bill in their name. They have only just moved in, have no bills yet, and are stuck in a loop where they need the account to set up utilities and the utilities to open the account.
Nomads without a fixed address struggle to open banks or get SIMs that demand it.
The difference is the whole point, so here is each one in a line.
Each proves a different thing an official asks for.
Proof of address shows where you live, such as a bill in your own name at your address of record; proof of accommodation shows where you will stay on a trip, such as a booking, lease or a host's letter of invitation; and proof of residency shows you legally reside somewhere.
Proof of income shows a steady earning at a required level, while proof of funds shows a lump sum of savings, the difference being a flow of money versus a balance sitting there.
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