I have heard so many say that they got their US bank accounts from outside the United States and did'nt even have a SSN number or US mailing address.

I in desperate need of a US bank account. If anyone can provide any information regarding this matter it will be greatly appreciated and also those of you who have already gotted US bank accounts from abroad please share your experience and how you got it.

Also do you know of any other similar Forum where I can ask this question other than webhostingtalk.com?

Try www.thebancorp.com

You are talking about Personal Account or Business Accoung ?

You can not apply for personal bank account without SSN. For business account you have to be Incorporated in USA with Federal Tax ID.

On Bancorps site it says that you have to fill in a form, and send it over to guarantee that you are a foreigner that does not live in the US. Otherwise it seems quite easy to get an account?...

/ Jonas

Well all bets _may_ be off. I asked bancorp a question about their debit card and was told they couldn't process apllications because of changes imposed by the Patriot Act. I have asked if that means never or we don't know yet.

KathySmith can you answer that? This was for a biz checking account with and/or without Delaware incorporation.

Anyone else any insights?

-
Dr Strangelove (aka Donald Rumsfeld)

I need a personal bank account.

So far I have been turned down by all the US banks I have e-mailed.

They open accounts without SSN# but the account must be opened in person which I cannot do as a trip to the US would cost me thousands of $s

Yep, I (from uk) opened a personal account in the US at keybank - keybank.com

They required I provided fingerprints...that was pretty surreal...

Was that recently stu_sp? Since the infamous Patriot Act?

It was around June/July this year, so I think (although I may be wrong!) that this was before the patriot act was passed.

I just applied at http://www.valis-int.com
Waiting for more information from them

Have you tried asking your own personal bank if they can arrange it ? many overseas banks have arrangements with overseas or "parent" banks that allow their customers to open foreign accounts.

Originally posted by SurfTurtle
I just applied at http://www.valis-int.com
Waiting for more information from them

Expensive :(

Yes its expensive but not as much it would cost me not to get a US Bank account just see what I had to go through before I decided to get this.

http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=84024

I just couried the documents to valis today, they say it'll take 1 week for themselves and 1 week for thebancorp.com to proccess it.

If you are from Canada, you can use Harris Bank which is located in Chicago, IL. This bank is a branch of BMO (Bank of Montreal), which is a big Canadian bank.

i am in Pakistan

Might be a little tougher. Hrm. Try calling some US banks and ask them if they open bank accounts, because usually this can be done over the phone.

However, when we opened a US bank account, we had to provide corporation documents, SSN documents, and personal identification..... just like if we were opening the coporate account here in Toronto.

I believe its the same process everywhere.

Its much more than tough, its almost impossible.

As soon as I tell anyone i'm from Pakistan every answer from them onwards is ,no, i'm sorry we can't, not possible, .....

I have thought about incorporating in US but that seems too much trouble and also i'm concerned about paying taxes. In pakistan there is no kind of tax on IT companies for 7 years which is great.

It's not imposible - just talk to your favorite local banker. Also check out any branch of HSBC

Can HSBC help its overseas clients to open US bank account? That'd be nice.

HSBC USA FAQ says as follows

Can I Sign Up for Internet Banking if I Live Outside the United States?
You will need a valid U.S. address to sign up for Internet Banking.

I opened a personal checking account (basic web checking) at The Bancorp Bank ( www.thebancorp.com ) online last week. I received the email confirmation that the account is open. I also spoke to their Customer Service and they told me everything is OK and all I need to do is to fax them the W8-BEN form, and then I can make my first deposit (opening deposit of $50 is required to activate the account).

In the online application, I left the SSN field blank as I'm not a US citizen.

Also, the fax# on their website is wrong, the correct one ends with 5194.

So, I opened a US bank account without much hassle, now I'm just waiting to order my debit Mastercard. :)

Hope this helped.

Matija,
Where are you from? and did'nt thebancorp ask for a reference from a account holder to open your account as that is the only reason i'm paying Valis International $130 for the reference.

Originally posted by SurfTurtle
Matija,
Where are you from? and did'nt thebancorp ask for a reference from a account holder to open your account as that is the only reason i'm paying Valis International $130 for the reference.

From their FAQ:

I am not a US resident and/or not a US citizen. May I apply for an account?
Yes, you may apply for any account offered through The Bancorp Bank. All you have to do is fill out a W-8BEN form and send it in with your application. You can download this form from our Web Site.

Thomas, it may well say that on their web site but when I ashed them a question a few days ago they said: "they couldn't process applications from no-US citizens because of changes imposed by the Patriot Act. I have asked if that means never or we don't know yet."

Anyone else have experiences like this?

Matija - have you actually had the opening of the account CONFIRMED?

--
Dr S

Man - good for you, but that makes me :angry:

I will be calling them first thing in the morning!!!!!!!!! What country are you in?

UK

I talked to them agian. They told me I need to mail or fax them:
- copy of passport
- copy of utility bill to verify address
- copy of a document that shows my Tax ID number in my country
- W8-BEN form

when they get and process all this, my account would be open.

no reference letters are required.

Has anyone used InterAccounts.com? I'm a little suspicious about them, which is why I would like to hear from anyone who has used them.

I'm from Pakistan,

looks like InterAccounts is also opening accounts with thebancorp.com

Originally posted by Matija
I opened a personal checking account (basic web checking) at The Bancorp Bank ( www.thebancorp.com ) online last week. I received the email confirmation that the account is open. I also spoke to their Customer Service and they told me everything is OK and all I need to do is to fax them the W8-BEN form, and then I can make my first deposit (opening deposit of $50 is required to activate the account).

In the online application, I left the SSN field blank as I'm not a US citizen.

Also, the fax# on their website is wrong, the correct one ends with 5194.

So, I opened a US bank account without much hassle, now I'm just waiting to order my debit Mastercard. :)

Hope this helped.

how did they accept yoru application..they refused to accept my application?and when I tried to apply online they said I have to give state in Usa but i am not in u.s. nieither u.s. citizen am an INdian citizen do u know any other bank who gives this fascility?

Contact Ken Rensick kresnick@expandyourbusiness.com as he helped me open my accounts.

I'm a Canadian Citizen and they didn't open my account (TheBancorp)

they don't open if you apply directly but if you apply through their affiliates they will open it

SurfTurtle,

You might have a problem. I don't think US Banks can open accounts for people in Pakistan at all. Canada, UK, Australia... Just about anywhere else but the Middle East.

I'll call a friend at one of the big US banks here for you and ask.

Aaron

I used to have a business account with thebancorp 12 months ago. I closd it down because I had no need of it any longer.

I re opened one again via these web page 1 month ago and was declined due to changes in these policy.

It is now getting harder and harder to get a USA bank account if you live outside of the states.

Keep trying if you may but you will get the same answer now due to the patriot act............ NO.

Regards.

My account manager at the bank said it's bank policy not to open accounts for anyone from Pakistan unless they're living in the US. She didn't know if that was due to a law or just bank policy.

Aaron

i think the best solution is go to USA for a holiday and open a bank account while you're there. simple, easy and straightfoward... pity that you can't transfer your funds out of your US bank account unless you are in USA physically since no US bank is currently allowing international wire transfer through its internet banking services.

Originally posted by lobaloba9
i think the best solution is go to USA for a holiday and open a bank account while you're there. simple, easy and straightfoward... pity that you can't transfer your funds out of your US bank account unless you are in USA physically since no US bank is currently allowing international wire transfer through its internet banking services.

thats the most common method used by people to open US bank accounts. However getting funds is no problem now as you get a free ATM/Debit card with each bank account and you can withdraw up to $500 per day from any ATM machine from your nearest bank worldwide.

I do this and ATM fees only cost me just a little bit more than it would to get a wire transfer

Originally posted by SurfTurtle
i am in Pakistan

inform us when u got the account from valis

Originally posted by WII-Aaron
SurfTurtle,

You might have a problem. I don't think US Banks can open accounts for people in Pakistan at all. Canada, UK, Australia... Just about anywhere else but the Middle East.

I'll call a friend at one of the big US banks here for you and ask.

Aaron

how about Malaysia? anyone can help me?

Originally posted by Matija
I talked to them agian. They told me I need to mail or fax them:
- copy of passport
- copy of utility bill to verify address
- copy of a document that shows my Tax ID number in my country
- W8-BEN form

when they get and process all this, my account would be open.

no reference letters are required.

your account opened?

Originally posted by SurfTurtle
thats the most common method used by people to open US bank accounts. However getting funds is no problem now as you get a free ATM/Debit card with each bank account and you can withdraw up to $500 per day from any ATM machine from your nearest bank worldwide.

I do this and ATM fees only cost me just a little bit more than it would to get a wire transfer


hmmm.... $500 limit a day is quite low.

it would be good if we could transfer funds overseas through internet banking. so far, i only know of 1 bank in the world that can do this - Westpac Australia.

other banks only allow overseas transfers to very limited no. of countries. Westpac allows transfers to 100 over countries. sigh... if only the US bank follow Westpac leads.... besides, their charges are very low. AUD$15 for each transfer. CHEAP CHEAP!!!

Why no one mention about chase bank? I read in a thread before in another forum and they say foreigner can apply for an account with chase bank only by mail.

I read it around 1 months ago so I forgot most of the details but if I am not wrong, that guy who get the account is an australian.

hey. thanks for the tip james.

just found out that www.chase.com allow overseas wire transfer to be done through its internet banking facility.

wow. that's neat. now, those who need a US bank account can open an account with Chase and wire funds from your US bank account to your local bank account through the internet.

Does this bank allow international accounts?

Regards.



Originally posted by lobaloba9
hey. thanks for the tip james.

just found out that www.chase.com allow overseas wire transfer to be done through its internet banking facility.

wow. that's neat. now, those who need a US bank account can open an account with Chase and wire funds from your US bank account to your local bank account through the internet.

yes they do.

Indeed they do..... I just found the link and application form. They are a lot harder to get an account with than the bancorp.

http://www.chase.com/cm/cs?pagename=Chase/Href&urlname=chase/pf/banking/intbank

Regards all.

Originally posted by ultrakool
inform us when u got the account from valis

I got it a few months ago

Originally posted by SurfTurtle
I got it a few months ago

what u get?
any comments on it?

i got my bank account from thebancorp.com

Originally posted by lobaloba9
hmmm.... $500 limit a day is quite low.

it would be good if we could transfer funds overseas through internet banking. so far, i only know of 1 bank in the world that can do this - Westpac Australia.

other banks only allow overseas transfers to very limited no. of countries. Westpac allows transfers to 100 over countries. sigh... if only the US bank follow Westpac leads.... besides, their charges are very low. AUD$15 for each transfer. CHEAP CHEAP!!!

How interesting. I was quite impressed when Westpac introduced that feature, but I didn't know they were (one of?) the only bank(s) to do it.

We have been using Westpac for our business accounts for well over a year now - they're the best Australian bank for us.

I also use them for my personal cheque account, savings account and Visa card.

--Shaun

hey shaun, just realized that CHASE bank also supports overseas wire transfer through its internet banking. so westpac is not the only bank in the world that supports this. OOpss..

Chase fees look confusing and expensive.

Near the top of the page they'll tell you something will set you back x amount, yet further down the page they'll tell you it will set you back y amount :confused:

I have my bank account opened with hsbc usa for two months now. I used Easy Corp Ltd to get this account opened and it was done within one month. Maybe it can help... this is totally free banking with HSBC.

http://www.***********************/main.php?f=banking

They also opened me a personal bank account in a private bank in New York. I got online banking, visa debit card and even a american express gold with them.

http://www.***********************/

i'm from asia apply for US bank account, i send all the document
to Wells Fargo 2 months ago, but there is no reply from them.

May i know average how long it take to reply you.

It was 2 months already.

I think we have to do a lot of search due there are some banks in the states where non residents are welcome. There are some banks in the US that they not always were Americans, and they are the ones who are able to open accounts for people from where they come from. For instance, HSBC can open accounts for people from Hong Kong or Shangai, etc.
I am from Latin America… I thought Miami or Florida State is the most suitable state to find a bank whose beginners were people from Latin America. I found this page: http://yp.bellsouth.com/yp.dyn?mkt=MIFL&heading=BANKS&srch=X. In this page there is a list with Miami Banks. Just there I found “Pacific National Bank”, who many years ago was called “Banco Pacífico” and it is from Ecuador. Of course, they are able to open accounts for people from Ecuador just with a signature, but I was grateful when I realize that they are helping to open accounts for people from all Latin America.
Maybe, you can find the bank from your country, or a country nears yours. They will be happy to help you.