How to get a US Bank Account for non-US citizens from abroad?

[jbw]

@Corey_Bryant

Without bringing up too much controversy, it is actually against the law to request a social security number to have just a checking account unless it is an interest bearing account. Review http://www.privacyrights.org/ for more information on this subject.

I have not had a chance to check myself, I know this used to be the case,
that it was not required unless the account was interest bearing.

I was told this was changed as part of the acts passed since 2001 though.
Do you know if that is just a myth and your information is still current?

[El_Camino]

@karen

It sounds like you have a Canadian bank account that holds US currency. And being a Canadian bank, you can not withdraw US funds through a bank machine, even in the US.

Contact your bank and see if they have a US affiliated bank. If they do, you should be able to open a US account in a US bank directly through them. The TD and Royal both have US affiliated banks.

Karen

You can access your Canadian accounts in the US if you have an ABM card with the Cirrus or Plus logo. You can even use an ABM card in Mexico to withdraw from a Canadian account.
Canadian banks do offer US dollar accounts (the money is kept in US dollars and not converted to Canadian) but usually US dollar accounts do not allow withdrawls thru ABMs.
To get a US bank account thru TD you have to open a brokerage account with TD Waterhouse but they have recently made this a lot harder to get due to US banking regulations.
TD & Royal have US affiliated banks but they are totally separate entities and you still have to meet US banking regulations (Social Security card etc…) to get an account.

[jbw]

What you need to do is get a TIN number. To get this you will need the IRS form (available as a pdf), and you will need to get your signature verified at your us embassy or consulate. With that you can then open a US bank account. Some banks are better at knowing this then others. The best choice is often stock companies that offer a checking account as your money holding vehical, as they are often more aware of how to handle this then most banks are.

[jbw]

@El_Camino

TD & Royal have US affiliated banks but they are totally separate entities and you still have to meet US banking regulations (Social Security card etc…) to get an account.

You do not need, nor can you get an SSN for the purposes of opening a banking account. You need to get the TIN instead.