buzzz

Is it possible to open a bank account in the US ( via e mail, fax or whatever) from the UK or would we have to travel there. Sorry if this sounds dumb!

Poshpaws

Not dumb at all.

When we first arrived here, many moons ago, we were denied a credit card. However, when we made mention of the fact that we had a Barclay card in good standing, this was accepted to gain credit in the US. Now, we are bombarded with credit card applications three to four times a week.

If you have good standing in the UK, it will follow you wherever you go. Opening a bank account should be a 'walk in the park' if everything else lines up.

Good luck to you, and never tell yourself no, let other's do that. Simplified, it means if you don't ask, the answer will always be NO!

Rockgurl

I'm not sure if you can open a US bank account without a US social security number. If you could then I would do it myself and transfer some money over before I leave.

nathan barley

I think Bank of America is one of the few banks that allows you to open an account without a SSN. They suck though.

I opened an account with Commerce Bank, which seems very impressive so far. 15 minutes to open it, and I walked out of the bank with my new ATM/Debit card too.
It took 2 weeks to receive it in the UK!

Ray

Some states you can.. some you can't..Florida you can...

http://www.citibank.co.uk/uk/index.jsp is a good option to open a dollar account

dudleydowg

If you call the Bank of America branch in the town in which you are going to live and talk to a customer service rep thaey will send all the relevant info and the application form to you in the UK they did this for my wife and I last years and you can set it all up by post

Pulaski

The advice above is pretty good, in parts, however, .....

The (Federal) law changed earlier this year and what people were, and were not, able to do before May 2003 is now largely irrelevant. I do not believe that state law in any state has much to say about opening accounts, or if it does it has now been superceded by the much tougher requirements of the USA Patriot Act.

You do not need a SSN to open a bank account, though many, probably most, banks will not open an account for you unless you have one. This is based on an overly cautious interpretation of the new law that many banks are using - the USA Patriot Act does not actually specify that a SSN is required. Those banks that will open an account for you without a SSN will need to see photo ID, and given that you (now) need a SSN to get a drivers licence in most states (California being a notable exception), the only thing that fits the bill is your passport.

So, in summary, I'd be very surprised if it is now possible to open an account with an American bank, without having a SSN, unless you actually visit the bank branch in person. Even if you do have a SSN it is far from certain even then that you will be allowed to open an account.

One other thing, as has been widely discussed here on other threads, your credit history does not follow you to the US. There is no mechanism for a US bank, or other business, to access your credit history in the UK, probably due to the British Data Protection Act. This is particularly frustrating if you have a good credit history in the UK.

The only exceptions to this are cases where banks have business in the UK and the US, in which case you can usually lean on the US bank to contact its UK affiliate and confirm that you are credit worthy. Examples include HSBC which has banks in both countries (though almost entirely confined to New York state in the USA), and American Express, Bank One, and MBNA which issue credit cards in both countries.

Patrick

This is what I was going to say, only less elequently and with more swear words

If you have no SSN and do not have a residence in the USA you are screwed, thats it, you can't get a bank account, sorry.

Patrick

Ray

Maybe so in NC... But I have been with 2 tourists to open bank accounts in 2 different banks in the last month..with no problem whatsover...

Rockgurl

Just out of interest....am I right in thinking that as an employment based green card holder, I should have no trouble obtaining a SSN pretty quickly, and that people that do have problems obtaining one are coming in on fiance visas and need an EAD? It's a confusing issue, and I don't want to be stuck on my own in a strange place unable to get an SSN, open a bank account, pick up my car or even work, because of some glitch. What's the average time it takes to get an SSN? My company seems to think it will be 2 weeks, but after everything that's happened I simply don't believe a word they say anymore.

Pimpbot

My SS number took 7 days. Went to the SS office on a tuesday and the SS card showed up in the mail the following tuesday. That was just over a week after I arrived in the country. See my timeline

RoB1833

I got my SSN quickly after I got my EAD. If you see a co-operative person they'll let you come back the next day to pick up the number so you don't have to wait for the card in the post.

Rockgurl

Thanx guys, that's a relief!

buzzz

I apologise for appearing thick but I am only in learning about all this. ( Hubby's company applying for L1) I don't understand a lot of the abreviations. Could someone enlighten me what is EAD and maybe any others that I may come accross. Thanks.

lairdside

I respectfully disagree. You can open a bank account as a foreign national resident abroad as long as you have a U.S. Mailing address in my experience.

If the account is interest bearing you must fillout a W8-BEN for the IRS. Even if it is a non-interest bearing account banks will often have you fill one out.

Try Citibank, they provided this service for foreign nationals on-line the last time I looked.