Opening a US bank account: the documents the law and the bank require

If you fly to America to open an account, you don't want to fly home without one. What you need to bring comes down to two levels: the minimum that US anti-money-laundering law requires of every bank, and whatever your bank asks for on top of that. Here you'll find both, from your passport, home address and tax number to your phone number, plus what the bank reports to the IRS about your account.

1Two levels: the law and the bank

Under anti-money-laundering law, every bank in the US must have a written program for identifying its customers: the Customer Identification Program. The rule is set out in 31 CFR 1020.220, issued under the Bank Secrecy Act. It defines the minimum a bank must know before opening an account, and requires the bank to verify that information to the extent reasonable and practicable. The rule states its own goal: the bank must be able to form a reasonable belief that it knows the true identity of its customer.

How it does that is largely up to each bank. The procedures are meant to be risk-based, reflecting the types of accounts, how they are opened, the information available, and the bank's size, location and customer base. That's why two banks on the same street can ask you for different things. What the law requires is the floor. Anything extra the bank asks for is its own call, and so is the decision whether to open an account at all.

For your preparation, that's good news and bad news. The good news: the floor is manageable and explicitly covers foreigners. The bad news: there's no single list that works at every bank. Come with a complete folder that goes beyond the minimum, and you'll have the best odds.

2The four required details

Before a bank opens an account, it must collect at least four details from you: your name, your date of birth, an address and an identification number. The rule is precise about the address and the number, and that's exactly where most of the questions from readers in Europe come up.

For the identification number: from US persons, the bank requires a tax number, usually the Social Security Number. For non-US persons, one or more of the following is enough: a tax number, your passport number with the country of issuance, an alien ID card number, or the number and country of issuance of another government-issued document that shows your nationality or residence and bears a photo. Legally speaking, then, your passport is enough, with no US number at all.

The bank may verify your details with documents, with other methods, or both. As a document, the rule names a valid government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license or a passport. Other methods include calling the customer, checking with a credit bureau or public database, references from other banks, or proof of assets. This matters especially if you have no US credit file: if the bank can't find you in any American database, it leans more heavily on your documents.

The bank must also tell you before opening the account that it is collecting information to identify you. You'll often see this notice as a short text in the application or posted in the branch. The table shows the required details for you as an individual and for a company side by side.

3Passport, second ID and what else the bank wants to see

Your most important document is your passport. It has a photo, a number and the issuing country, and along with the driver's license it's the document the identification rule explicitly gives as an example. Make sure it will still be valid for a while when you open the account; an expired ID doesn't meet the rule.

Some banks want to see a second ID. That's allowed: the law requires every bank to have an identification program, and when asked whether a bank may require two photo IDs, the banking regulator OCC says yes. Good options for a second document are your national ID card or a driver's license. A US driver's license is better if you already have one. Whether the bank accepts a European document is its own decision.

What else goes in your folder depends on what the account is for. If you have a visa, show it; if you're already in the US, bring proof of your status, such as a printout of your I-94. Expect questions about your occupation, where the money you plan to deposit comes from, and what the account is for. Answer briefly and honestly. If you want to buy a house, say so; if you plan to move in a few years, say that too.

4The address: where things most often go wrong

For an individual, the rule requires a residential or business street address. If you have none, you may give an APO/FPO military address or the residential or business address of a next of kin or another contact person instead. A PO box is not a street address, and a pure forwarding address with no home behind it effectively isn't one either.

Which address a bank accepts in a given case is up to the bank. One bank may take your address in Europe; another may require a US address for your debit card, PIN and statements. Proof can be a document showing your name and address, such as a utility bill, a lease or a statement from another bank; the bank will tell you which it accepts.

Hence a practical tip: decide before your appointment which address you'll give, and bring matching proof. If you give a US address, mail really has to reach you there. An account whose card goes to an address where nobody collects the mail is quickly closed again. The address also matters for later card applications, because your US credit file is tied, among other things, to your addresses over the past few years.

5SSN, ITIN, EIN: which number is for what

You'll come across three nine-digit numbers in the American financial system, and they're often mixed up. The Social Security Number is issued by the Social Security Administration. According to the IRS, US citizens and foreigners authorized to live permanently or work in the US are eligible for an SSN. Anyone who isn't needs an ITIN for tax purposes instead.

The Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, or ITIN, is issued by the IRS to people who need a US tax number for federal tax purposes but can't get an SSN, regardless of immigration status. It is used for tax purposes only. It doesn't let you work in the US, doesn't change your immigration status and isn't an ID outside tax law. It's still useful at the bank, because it counts as a tax number under the identification rule, and banks and card issuers ask for an SSN or ITIN for many products; the FDIC explicitly lists the ITIN, alongside a foreign passport, for account holders who aren't US citizens. You apply to the IRS on Form W-7. We apply for your ITIN through ITIN Express, a special procedure we developed together with the attorneys on the firm's team, with no need for you to file a tax return first. For applications from abroad, the IRS quotes nine to eleven weeks of processing, and the IRS alone decides whether to issue it. If the ITIN isn't used on a federal tax return for three tax years, it expires on December 31 of the third year.

The Employer Identification Number, or EIN, is your company's tax number. You don't need it for a personal account, but you do for your LLC's or corporation's account. More on that below and in Business account for your US LLC. The table puts the three numbers side by side. If you don't have your company yet, our guide explains how to form a US LLC without living in the US.

6Form W-8BEN and what the bank reports to the IRS

When you open the account, the bank will usually hand you a tax form. US persons sign the W-9, everyone else signs the W-8BEN. With it, you confirm as an individual that you are not a US person and that you are the beneficial owner of the income in the account. You give it to the bank, not to the IRS. It is generally valid from the day you sign until the end of the third calendar year that follows. If something material changes, for example because you move to the USA, you must tell the bank within 30 days and submit a new form. You'll find more on the W-8 forms on our page about withholding tax.

Many readers ask what the bank does with this information and whether their account will show up with the tax authorities at home. The answer has two parts. For foreigners, interest on bank deposits that isn't connected to a US business is not subject to US withholding tax. It is still reported, though: if a bank pays a foreign individual 10 dollars or more in deposit interest in a year, it must report this to the IRS on Form 1042-S, provided the person lives in a country that has an agreement with the USA on exchanging tax information. The IRS sets out which countries these are in a list, currently in the version of Revenue Procedure 2024-42.

7Phone number, email and online banking

No law requires a US phone number. Even so, the bank almost always makes it part of the account opening, because it wants to be able to reach you and to verify you with security codes when you log in to online banking and make payments. The identification rule explicitly names contacting the customer as one way to verify information.

So bring a number to your appointment that you'll keep for good and can also receive in Europe. A vacation prepaid SIM that expires after three months is a poor choice: by the next security code at the latest, you'll lock yourself out of your own account. How to get a permanent US number is explained in US phone number for banks and government agencies. Add an email address you check regularly, because the bank will write to you there too.

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8For your company: what a business account also needs

If you open an account for your US company, the company is the customer, and the rule calls for different information. Instead of a residential address, the bank needs the company's principal place of business, a local office or another physical location. Instead of your ID, it needs documents proving the company exists, such as certified articles of organization, a business license or an operating agreement, and the EIN as its number.

On top of that comes the beneficial ownership rule in 31 CFR 1010.230. The bank must identify and verify every individual who directly or indirectly holds 25 percent or more of the ownership interests, plus one person with significant control over the company, such as the managing member or the manager. That can be up to four owners and one controlling person; with a single-member LLC it is often one and the same person. The same ID rules as for personal customers apply to each of them, and copies of the ID are acceptable here. Since a FinCEN order dated February 13, 2026, banks may limit this identification to the first account opening and need not repeat it for every additional account, as long as there is no doubt about the information.

How the business account is actually opened, remotely with Mercury or in person at a branch bank, is covered in Business account for your US LLC without US residency.

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9Your folder for the bank appointment

In the end, it all comes down to one folder you take to your appointment. For a personal account, it should contain:

• your valid passport and a second government-issued photo ID,
• your ITIN notice from the IRS, if you already have an ITIN,
• proof of the address you give, such as a utility bill or a lease,
• a US phone number you'll keep for good, and an email address,
• if you're staying in the USA, your visa and a printout of your I-94,
• proof of where the money you want to deposit comes from, if it's a larger amount,
• the details of your European account for the first transfer.

For a business account, add the articles of organization, the operating agreement, the EIN notice from the IRS and the IDs of all beneficial owners, plus a resolution stating who may operate the account on the company's behalf.

How to get your first deposit from Europe into your new account is explained in Sending money to the USA. And how bank accounts, credit cards and credit history fit together is covered in the overview US bank account and US credit. If you're starting without an SSN, our article Opening a US bank account as a non-resident without an SSN is also worth a read.

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In short

• US anti-money-laundering law requires every bank to collect at least your name, date of birth, a street address and an identification number; as a foreigner, your passport number and issuing country are enough for this.
• Anything beyond that is set by the bank under its own risk program, such as a second ID, proof of address or a phone number.
• Only people with work authorization get an SSN; the ITIN is the tax number for everyone else, and the EIN is your company's number.
• With Form W-8BEN, you confirm to the bank that you are not a US person. The bank reports interest of 10 dollars or more to the IRS on Form 1042-S if you live in a country with an information exchange agreement.
• A business account also needs formation documents, the EIN and details on everyone holding 25 percent or more.

How we help you

• ITIN ExpressYour ITIN through our special procedure, no tax return needed.
• US Bank Account OpeningYour own access to the American financial system, even without an SSN.
• Credit BuilderCredit for your company and for you, built step by step.
• ConsultationOne hour with the firm: your case, your questions, a clear answer.