Opening US bank account for non-residents

[Flatworld]

https://mercury.co/faq
You’ll need a U.S.‌ company with a federal EIN, your company’s articles of incorporation, and a picture of your‍ government ID (e.g. a passport or driver’s license).

 

[Reboot]

Corporate, for US LLC

 

[Milky Moon]

WellsFargo in SF⁠ (15 minutes, passport + credit card of a reputable Bank in a North European Country)⁤ Temp card was issued immediately. Address was a forwarding address, phone number a prepaid sim.⁣ ($1500 average/deposit for free account),
you can change everything to 'europe' when you are 'home'⁢ and have received your proper card.

TD Bank in NYC, same setup minus the credit︀ card. Real CC was also issued immediately, the $200 deposit was usable immediately. ($500 average︁ deposit for free account)

So, yes it is real.

 

[JohnLocke]

Thank you for your review @Milky Moon - so just to understand this clear, the‌ only thing we have to do is to take a flight to the US and‍ walk into the bank i.e. Wells Fargo or TD Bank and provide the information and⁠ documents you say ?

 

[JustAnotherNomad]

Yes. It’s really easy.
Unless maybe you’re a Pakistani citizen living in Syria.
For a‌ phone number you can also use Google Voice (use Skype or similar VoIP provider to‍ sign up for it - or a prepaid SIM). With Google Voice you can receive⁠ text messages and calls via an app or to your email inbox.

 

[Milky Moon]

Yup.

 

[Reboot]

Did you get any mail forwarding company that‌ forwards you a credit card? I've tried a couple with no sucess...

 

[extremedox101]

great find, is this bank or emi ? it's make huge difference⁠ if real bank .

 

[Martin Everson]

See this old discussion on Mercury. It is just‍ an EMI.

https://www.offshorecorptalk.com/threads/ubo-reporting-to-eu-for-llc-usa-company.27042/post-106986

 

[traveller79]

I used forwarding company, 10‍ usd / month and forwarding the card with tracking code, about 20 usd. Would have⁠ been much cheaper without tracking, but..

 

[JustAnotherNomad]

Be aware that some addresses are registered as belonging to mail forwarding agencies and banks‌ may refuse to mail credit cards to them.
You can check that on the USPS‍ website (I think it’s the zip code lookup tool that shows that information).

 

[Reboot]

I've tried MyMailbox and PlanetExpress and both got lost

 

[joeytamlovebusiness]

Hi, edimmax, so did⁢ u succesfully open an us bank account?

 

[iloveyouguys]

Personal or business account?

Can you suggest a mail forwarding service that︀ works with banks?

 

[Mr Magoo]

for US banks in general and WF specific: using VOIP numbers wont work for e.g.‌ the Zelle transfer system. Banks in US are blocking since a few years the use‍ of VOIP numbers for verification etc. Own experience with WellsFargo. So you need to get⁠ a US sim card.

 

[JustAnotherNomad]

Not generally true. Google Voice works just fine with Amex and Chase. BofA, I’m not‌ sure.
It also works with Zelle (not with Venmo though), but you can also use‍ Zelle with an email address instead of a phone number.

 

[Mr Magoo]

Many banks are starting to block VOIP numbers. WF for sure. Others may still alllow‌ it. There have been policy changes for the use of VOIP numbers. Services like Hushed‍ etc dont guarantee that their services will work for banking. Cant get my Zelle stuff⁠ working with email.

 

[JustAnotherNomad]

Well, they won’t cancel your account. Worst case is you just have to get a‌ new number somehow.

 

[Mr Magoo]

correct. Ordered a sim via Ting. Cheapest option for low cellphone usage. No plan or‌ contract, just a US shipping address and US debit/credit card.

 

[Mr Magoo]

just back to the topic: even if you manage to open a US bank account‌ as a non resident, look into how inbound/outbound transfers are done and what kind of‍ verification is needed. To avoid that you are stuck with getting the money from an⁠ ATM only.