

Ask HN: Getting a USA bank account as a foreigner? - sogen

Is there a way to get a bank account in the USA?Reason: to accept intl payments (Stripe isn&#x27;t available here)<p>Will be visiting the USA soon, and I&#x27;d like to open a bank account if possible.<p>Thanks.
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Someone1234
I'm not sure if that is possible. However you may want to look into applying
for a ITIN from the IRS before you visit, as you'll likely need one for tax
purposes if you're able to open the account (assuming you don't have a US SSN
for some reason, or are eligible for one).

Hopefully someone else can weigh in on opening a US account for non-US
citizens or residence. I assume illegal immigrants in the US must have them so
presumably it is "possible?" Or does the IRS issue illegals SSNs?

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spiralpolitik
It used to be that banks would let you open an account without an SSN but they
would automatically close it after a period of time if you did not provide
one. However since the "Know your customer" regulations Banks are a lot more
skittish about opening accounts for people without the proper identifiers.

Probably the best way to start is to talk to your existing bank and see if
they have arrangements in place for this sort of thing (most of the large ones
do). They can probably also tell you what identifiers you will need to obtain.
Be warned generally these kinds of account either require you to maintain a
minimum balance or pay a monthly fee.

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johansch
Did you try to google your question first? :)

E.g. [http://money.stackexchange.com/questions/5028/can-i-open-
a-u...](http://money.stackexchange.com/questions/5028/can-i-open-a-us-bank-
account-even-if-i-dont-live-in-the-country)

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sogen
Thanks for the link, I had googled some questions that led me to a couple of
Kickstarter blogs about opening a bank account outside USA (tl;dr: Ask a
relative).

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seekingcharlie
I recently opened a bank account in SF without an SSN. I'd recommend Charles
Schwab's global Investor account (no ATM fees globally).

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sogen
Charlie, thanks!

btw, did you find any good android resources for designers?

Send me an email if you need any help with that (email in my profile)

