Opening a US bank account (Irish Citizen)

OU812

Does anyone know of any way to open a US bank account if you're not a US citizen?

Will be doing some business there & possibly looking at being sponsored to go I've in a year or two.

Would like to have something so that I can set up a credit history.

ProudDUB

You don't have to be a US citizen to open a traditional US bank account in a high street bank, but you do need to have a social security number to open one. You can't get one unless you are living and/or working there legally.

Your bank account doesn't have any thing to do with your credit history, unless you acquire some sort of debt through the bank such as a mortgage, car loan, the banks own credit card etc etc.

On line banks such as Ameritrade and Investec offer online options, but they wouldn't be your best bet if you wanted to take out loans and build up your credit history.

OU812

Is there any way to open one without a SSN?

OU812

I should say, I have an EIN (employer identification number)

ProudDUB

The 3 American credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian & Transunion) use your social security number to keep track of your credit history. They then assign you a numerical credit score based on it. Your employers ID number is of no use to you there. It is the SSN, assigned to you by the US government, that they need.

silja

There are non-resident accounts you can open, but I don;t think they go on your credit history due to the reasons above.

OU812

Do you know who do them silja?

Ponster

OU812 wrote: »

Is there any way to open one without a SSN?

Yes. You don't actually need a SSN to open a bank account it's just a lot of hassle if you don't already have one. The larger banks, BOA and Citibank will both open an account for you (sometimes depending on how knowledgeable the manager is) without an SSN and then just update your account details once you have one.
This does though tend to flag your account for a little extra attention and you lose out on things such as points or cashback when you use your debit/debit card.

If the goal is to open an account then your best bet is to open an account in Ireland with HSBC. When you travel to the US it takes the bank about 2 days to then open a US account for you, with minimal paperwork (my companies policy).

If you're goal is to establish a credit history before you arrive then I don't think you have any real options. Once here you can apply for a secured credit card where you deposit money with the bank to cover the max limit of the card and in about 6 months or less you'll be on the credit-tracking companies records.

silja

I know HSBC does non-resident acounts, and Bank of America, but no personal experience with opening either.
Ponster is correct that SSN is not required to open a "normal" bank account, but many bank tellers don't know that, you may need to ask for a manager; what IS required is for you to be legaly residing in the USA on a visa, greencard etc. I have found that local/ regional banks are often better at customer service and finding things out for you than the big ones.

iusedtoknow

We opened a bank account with Bank Of America on day 2 in the country (on a saturday!) with no issues (no SSN etc)

TBH, go to a branch in a big city (main branch) and they will know what to do

OU812

Thanks guys, thread got slightly derailed there. I'm not actually resident (yet). Currently resident in ROI.

It would be really convenient to have a US one for some business I'll be doing.

iusedtoknow

the problem is, when you try to open an account - they will check for a visa in your passport

so no visa...no account

rockonollie

OU812 wrote: »

Thanks guys, thread got slightly derailed there. I'm not actually resident (yet). Currently resident in ROI.

It would be really convenient to have a US one for some business I'll be doing.

Well the big problem you're going to encounter is that post 9/11, the PATRIOT act was enacted, tightening the regulations on identification of account holders.....

while some banks offer accounts that you can open online, i'm yet to find one that will let a non-resident apply......without physically going to the bank, It may be unlikely.

Ruu

You may consider applying for a credit card (secured credit card)with a small limit or small loan(with the bank you choose), then make the payments to build credit in the US. It could save you thousands in future business.