Your first US bank account after the move, and how your credit gets started

Once you've moved to the USA, everything hits at once: a home, a car, a phone, school, work. Almost everyone asks for an account, a number or your credit history. Here's the order to tackle your bank account, Social Security Number and first card, which documents you need, and where your score gets checked in those first weeks.

1The first weeks: what comes first

Moving to the USA comes with a long to-do list. For your money and your credit, it boils down to four things, and the order matters more than most people think. First, a bank account, so your salary, rent and bills can flow. Second, your Social Security Number, if your status allows you to work. Third, your first credit card that reports to the three nationwide credit bureaus, because that's when your clock starts ticking. Fourth, the situations where your credit history gets checked: your lease, car financing, your phone contract.

The catch is that step four often comes before step three. Your landlord wants to see your credit before you even have a card. If you already had a US account and a first card before the move, you're in a very different position in those weeks than someone starting from zero. If you're still in Europe, read how to start building US credit from home and get going early. If you're already here, the sections below will help you tackle the first weeks in order.

2Your first account: passport, entry documents, address

Your first account follows the same federal rules as every other customer's. Before opening it, the bank has to collect your name, date of birth, address and an identification number. As a non-US person, a US taxpayer identification number or your passport number together with the issuing country is enough. So you don't have to wait for a Social Security Number.

Once you've moved, you have one advantage over people trying to open an account from Europe: a residential address in the USA. The rule requires individuals to give a residential or business street address, and that's exactly what you have as soon as your lease is signed. If you're staying in a hotel or with friends for the first few days, the rule also allows the address of a next of kin or another contact person, though the bank can still ask for more.

The bank also has to verify your details, using documents such as your passport or by other means. So bring everything that shows your status in the USA: your passport with visa, your proof of entry, your employment contract or a letter from your employer if you're employed, and proof of your new address such as your lease. The bank decides whether to open the account. An account at an FDIC-insured bank is covered up to $250,000 per depositor, per bank, per ownership category, and according to the FDIC you don't need to be a US citizen or resident for that.

3The Social Security Number

In the USA, the Social Security Number is much more than a social security number. Employers report your wages with it, and many businesses, including banks and lenders, ask for it. Non-citizens generally only get one if the Department of Homeland Security authorizes them to work in the USA. But the SSA also points out that you generally don't have to give banks and credit companies an SSN if you don't have one, and that you can, for example, get a driver's license without one.

How you get your number depends on how you came to the USA. If you arrive on an immigrant visa and already applied for your SSN with your visa application, in most cases you don't need to visit a Social Security office; the card is mailed to the address you gave on your visa application. If that didn't happen, the SSA recommends waiting ten days after arrival, because it can then verify your immigration documents online more easily and your application moves faster.

After that, you start the application online and, within 45 days, go in person with your documents to a Social Security office or card center. The table shows which documents you need. The SSA only accepts originals or copies certified by the issuing agency, no photocopies and no notarized copies. The application is free, and your card arrives by mail once the SSA has verified your documents with the issuing agencies.

4If you already have an ITIN

If you started your US credit history from Europe, you often arrive with an ITIN. That changes once you get an SSN. You're not meant to hold an ITIN and an SSN at the same time. As soon as you have your SSN, you use only that for taxes and notify the IRS, by letter or at an IRS office. The IRS then merges your tax records under the SSN and retires the ITIN.

Give your new number to your banks and card issuers too, so your existing accounts carry on under the right number. The credit bureaus match reports using all your identifying details, not just the number; your name, date of birth and address count as well. After a few weeks, check your credit report to make sure everything has come together. What else the ITIN means for your account and card is covered in ITIN and credit cards.

5Proving your address in everyday life

In many European countries, a population register takes care of a lot. The USA has no such register, and you prove your address with paperwork addressed to you: your lease, a utility bill, a bank statement, a letter from your insurer. You'll need these documents again and again, for the bank, for your state driver's license, for your kids' school and for your own credit report. Experian, for example, asks for a copy of a government-issued ID plus a utility bill, bank statement or insurance letter showing your address if you request your report in writing without an SSN.

So put electricity, internet and insurance in your own name from day one, and keep those first bills. Update your address with the bank as soon as you move from a temporary address into your home, so your debit card, PIN and statements reach you.

6Your first card after arrival

A bank account on its own doesn't build credit history. Debit cards, cash and prepaid cards generally aren't reported to the nationwide credit bureaus. Your history starts with credit: a credit card, a small credit builder loan, a car loan. Without a score, a secured card is the usual way in; you put down a deposit, and your limit is based on it.

Once you've moved, you have two advantages over an applicant in Europe. You have a US address, and you often have US income. That matters, because before issuing any card, an issuer has to check that you can make the minimum payments from your income or assets. It may take your immigration status into account, but not your national origin. The issuer decides on every application.

Then stick to the simple rules: pay every bill on time and ideally in full, keep your utilization low, and don't apply for lots of cards in a short time, because new credit makes up 10 percent of your FICO score. You get a score at the earliest once an account has been open for six months and has been reported in the last six months. Which cards are realistic without an SSN is covered in US credit cards without an SSN or with an ITIN.

7Home, car, phone: where your credit gets checked

The first big check usually comes from your landlord. Landlords may pull consumer reports to screen tenants, and according to the FTC they can see the balances on your credit cards and other accounts, along with your payment history. If a landlord turns you down because of such a report, or asks for higher rent, a co-signer or a bigger deposit because of it, they have to tell you, orally, in writing or electronically, and name the credit bureau. Within 60 days of that notice, you can request a free copy from the bureau.

If you don't have a score yet, preparation helps. Bring your employment contract, proof of income, bank statements and proof of your assets, and ask openly which alternatives the landlord accepts. For more on finding a home without a score, read Renting in the USA without a credit score.

The same principle applies to cars and phone contracts. A financed car with payments made on time can help your credit history; a car paid in cash won't. How buying, registration and insurance work is covered in Buying a car in the USA as a newcomer, and your first contracts for phone, internet and electricity are covered in Setting up phone, internet and electricity.

8Keeping an eye on your score

Once your first accounts are being reported, it's worth checking your file. Each of the three nationwide credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, gives you a free report once a week, but only through AnnualCreditReport.com. Check above all that your name, address and accounts are correct, especially if you've switched from an ITIN to an SSN.

Keep the two factors that move your FICO score the most in mind: your payment history at 35 percent and the amounts you owe at 30 percent. Pay on time every month and use only a small part of your limit, and you are doing almost everything right in the first months. For the full picture of accounts, numbers, score and business credit, see our guide US bank account and US credit.

9Start early, arrive differently

Everything in this article can be done after your move. But every week your credit history starts earlier is a week you won't be missing later. Start one to two years before the move with an ITIN, a US address, an account and your first card, and you arrive with a score instead of waiting six months for one. Especially in those first weeks, when landlords and car dealers check you out, that is the difference between a normal application and a special negotiation.

If you are still planning your move, put credit on your list right next to your visa, where you'll live and health insurance. For everything else to consider, see our overview of moving to the USA.

In short

• You open your first account with your passport, your entry documents and your new US address; the bank decides whether to open it.
• You get a Social Security Number once you have work authorization. With an immigrant visa it usually arrives by mail; otherwise the SSA recommends waiting ten days after entry before applying.
• If you had an ITIN, tell the IRS your new SSN so it can merge your tax records.
• Landlords may check your credit history and must tell you if they turn you down or ask for a higher deposit based on a credit report.
• Start a US credit history before you move, and you will be in a much better position in your first weeks.

How we help you

• US Bank Account OpeningYour own access to the American financial system, even without an SSN.
• ITIN ExpressYour ITIN through our special procedure, no tax return needed.
• Credit BuilderCredit for your company and for you, built step by step.
• Moving to the USAVisa, bank account, taxes and where to live: your move with Mount Bonnell Advisors.