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Form for opening a bank account without SSN (Immigration Law)

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• Thu, 10 Jul 2003 04:50:00 GMT(1)
• Hi!
  
  I applied for a checking account 2 days after I got here. It was with
  Bank of America, and my lack of SSN wasn't a prob. They created a
  temporary tax ID, and told me to let them know as soon as I got my SSN.
  :) Your best bet would be to sit down with an associate of a bank who
  will let you open one without an SSN, and explain your situation.
  
  Kate. xxxxxxx:D:D:D
  
  --
  Posted via http://britishexpats.com
• Thu, 10 Jul 2003 08:59:00 GMT(2)
• Originally posted by Scout
  Karimi said:.............. "it is a federal regulation that banks ask for a SSN when setting up your account"
  
  Actually, no it's not. A lot of people think that, but it's not always true that you have to have a SSN.
  
  Leslie
  
  I have a family member who is a higher up at a bank and this is what she
  told me. It only means that the bank will be fined later when they are
  audited for having accounts without SSNs, not that they won't initially
  open one for you.
  
  --
  Posted via http://britishexpats.com
• Wed, 09 Jul 2003 22:23:00 GMT(3)
• Rich Coloyan wrote:
  Hello My wife got a SSN when she worked her last year. We are waiting on the K3 now but I was wondering, could I add her to my account with that SSN? Will it be recognized or does she have to do something when she comes here to get it reinstated or changed?
  
  Hi All,
  
  If she was assigned an SSN from the Social Security Administration, that's her
  SSN to the grave and beyond. Now depending on the type of card she was issued,
  she probably will want to apply for an unrestricted card once she has an I-551
  stamp or card.
  
  Take care,
  
  Mike :)
• Thu, 10 Jul 2003 00:36:00 GMT(4)
• Originally posted by leebarton
  Hi,
  
  I wonder if anyone can help. Is there a standard form for flagging that you don't have a SSN yet when you open a bank account or get added to your parters account, or is it bank specific? If it is a standard form it is available in pdf format anywhere?
  
  I did some searches on previous similar threads and couldnt find a form number but did find mention of one.
  
  Thanks in advance
  Lee
  
  Do you mean a W8-BEN ?
  
  The form:
  
  http://www.bankofamerica.com/creditcards/data/nsbw_form.doc
  
  The instructions:
  
  ]http://www.bankofamerica.com/creditcards/pdf/W8instructions6-
  pdf[/url]
  
  --
  Posted via http://britishexpats.com
• Wed, 09 Jul 2003 06:15:00 GMT(5)
• Originally posted by leebarton
  Hi,
  
  I wonder if anyone can help. Is there a standard form for flagging that you don't have a SSN yet when you open a bank account or get added to your parters account, or is it bank specific? If it is a standard form it is available in pdf format anywhere?
  
  I did some searches on previous similar threads and couldnt find a form number but did find mention of one.
  
  Thanks in advance
  Lee
  
  I'm not sure what form your referring to, but it is a federal regulation
  that banks ask for a SSN when setting up your account, so it is not
  necessarily bank specific. Most banks will go ahead and add you to your
  spouse's existing account without the SSN and you would be able to write
  checks. Not having a SSN would put an alert on the account that would
  prohibit you from using a debit card on the account.
  
  --
  Posted via http://britishexpats.com
• Thu, 10 Jul 2003 09:52:00 GMT(6)
• Kariml, My degree is in banking. I researched this thoroughly when we
  went through it ourselves. It is not a federal regulation that a bank be
  provided with a social security number when applying for an account.
  It's a good idea, but not a regulation and there are many instances when
  a bank opens an account without a SSN. We obtained an account without
  one as did Kate.
  
  You have up to 3 years to keep the account open when using the
  federal form W-8.
  
  I don't want people to get the impression that a SSN is a requirement in
  the context that we are discussing here. While I as an USC would have a
  difficult time opening an account without divulging my SSN, it is indeed
  possible for foreign visitors to this country to open one. It's done
  every day in the course of business.
  
  Cheers,
  
  Leslie
  
  --
  Posted via http://britishexpats.com
• Wed, 09 Jul 2003 22:23:00 GMT(7)
• Rich Coloyan wrote:
  Hello My wife got a SSN when she worked her last year. We are waiting on the K3 now but I was wondering, could I add her to my account with that SSN? Will it be recognized or does she have to do something when she comes here to get it reinstated or changed?
  
  Hi All,
  
  If she was assigned an SSN from the Social Security Administration, that's her
  SSN to the grave and beyond. Now depending on the type of card she was issued,
  she probably will want to apply for an unrestricted card once she has an I-551
  stamp or card.
  
  Take care,
  
  Mike :)
• Thu, 10 Jul 2003 15:15:00 GMT(8)
• Adding a Pete's name was not an option for us at the time. We were not
  yet married and the transfer of that amount of money could have been
  construed as a gift to me and thus taxable. I say "could have" because I
  never could get a straight answer out of the IRS concerning what we were
  trying to do. I did have two different CPAs (one the Comptroller of my
  Company) tell me not to do it that way. Once you are married, different
  tax rules and regulations come into play and it's not so important.
  
  This is the type of stuff that drove me nuts while waiting for the K1
  Visa to come through and is still bugging me. It's bad enough we are
  twisted every which way by the BCIS, but then we have other things to
  consider like financial matters, the IRS and tax treaties, Driver's
  Liscense, Insurance, etc........and everything is compounded by the fact
  that the love of your life is not an American Citizen.
  
  I HATE RED TAPE!!!! lol
  
  Cheers,
  
  Leslie
  
  --
  Posted via http://britishexpats.com
• Thu, 10 Jul 2003 19:45:00 GMT(9)
• As I mentioned in another thread, I went to Bank One on my second day in
  the US to have my name added to my wife's checking account. Naturally,
  I don't have my SSN yet.
  
  The woman I spoke to was knowledgeable and helpful. She looked at my
  passport and Australian driver's licence (for ID) and asked me to sign
  the W8-BEN form and a standard bank form. Then she said that my debit
  card would be in the mail within a week and that I should come back and
  give them my SSN when I receive it.
  
  It really was as simple as that. :)
  
  Anthony
  
  --
  Posted via http://britishexpats.com
• Thu, 10 Jul 2003 07:24:00 GMT(10)
• Karimi said:.............. "it is a federal regulation that banks ask
  for a SSN when setting up your account"
  
  Actually, no it's not. A lot of people think that, but it's not always
  true that you have to have a SSN.
  
  What you need is a Federal Form W-8.
  
  Here it is: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw8ben.pdf
  
  Be forewarned, a lot of Bank Employees are ignorant of this form. You
  have to be persistant . If they tell you no, ask to see a manager. Keep
  going up the chain of command until you get someone that is competent.
  
  Cheers,
  
  Leslie
  
  --
  Posted via http://britishexpats.com
• Wed, 09 Jul 2003 07:17:00 GMT(11)
• You could always let your significant other control the purse
  strings!! ;)
  
  --
  Posted via http://britishexpats.com
• Wed, 09 Jul 2003 07:17:00 GMT(12)
• You could always let your significant other control the purse
  strings!! ;)
  
  --
  Posted via http://britishexpats.com
• Thu, 10 Jul 2003 07:24:00 GMT(13)
• Karimi said:.............. "it is a federal regulation that banks ask
  for a SSN when setting up your account"
  
  Actually, no it's not. A lot of people think that, but it's not always
  true that you have to have a SSN.
  
  What you need is a Federal Form W-8.
  
  Here it is: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw8ben.pdf
  
  Be forewarned, a lot of Bank Employees are ignorant of this form. You
  have to be persistant . If they tell you no, ask to see a manager. Keep
  going up the chain of command until you get someone that is competent.
  
  Cheers,
  
  Leslie
  
  --
  Posted via http://britishexpats.com
• Wed, 09 Jul 2003 07:04:00 GMT(14)
• Originally posted by kariml
  I'm not sure what form your referring to, but it is a federal regulation that banks ask for a SSN when setting up your account, so it is not necessarily bank specific. Most banks will go ahead and add you to your spouse's existing account without the SSN and you would be able to write checks. Not having a SSN would put an alert on the account that would prohibit you from using a debit card on the account.
  
  Agreed, BOA said that I could add my spouse to the account without
  him having an SSN yet. However they did say to advise them as soon as
  he got one.
  
  --
  Posted via http://britishexpats.com
• Wed, 09 Jul 2003 06:15:00 GMT(15)
• Originally posted by leebarton
  Hi,
  
  I wonder if anyone can help. Is there a standard form for flagging that you don't have a SSN yet when you open a bank account or get added to your parters account, or is it bank specific? If it is a standard form it is available in pdf format anywhere?
  
  I did some searches on previous similar threads and couldnt find a form number but did find mention of one.
  
  Thanks in advance
  Lee
  
  I'm not sure what form your referring to, but it is a federal regulation
  that banks ask for a SSN when setting up your account, so it is not
  necessarily bank specific. Most banks will go ahead and add you to your
  spouse's existing account without the SSN and you would be able to write
  checks. Not having a SSN would put an alert on the account that would
  prohibit you from using a debit card on the account.
  
  --
  Posted via http://britishexpats.com
• Thu, 10 Jul 2003 16:06:00 GMT(16)
• Hi All
  Obtaining the SSN is easy enough by visiting a local SS office, you can phone a special telephon number in 1-2 days for the SSN number,
  
  Not any more. You need your SSN you either wait for the card or write or go
  into an SSA office.
  
  Take care,
  
  Mike :)
• Thu, 10 Jul 2003 10:20:00 GMT(17)
• Lairdside said: "If they have been properly trained they should know
  about W-8's and W-9's"
  
  That is precisely the problem! Sadly, you get what you pay for these
  days. Many bank employees simply are ignorant of the matter or
  don't care.
  
  Cheers,
  
  Leslie
  
  --
  Posted via http://britishexpats.com
• Thu, 10 Jul 2003 11:53:00 GMT(18)
• I used my ITIN to have my name added to USC husbands accounts at Chase
  Manhatten Bank.
  
  --
  Posted via http://britishexpats.com
• Thu, 10 Jul 2003 04:50:00 GMT(19)
• Hi!
  
  I applied for a checking account 2 days after I got here. It was with
  Bank of America, and my lack of SSN wasn't a prob. They created a
  temporary tax ID, and told me to let them know as soon as I got my SSN.
  :) Your best bet would be to sit down with an associate of a bank who
  will let you open one without an SSN, and explain your situation.
  
  Kate. xxxxxxx:D:D:D
  
  --
  Posted via http://britishexpats.com
• Thu, 10 Jul 2003 10:16:00 GMT(20)
• Originally posted by Scout
  Kariml, My degree is in banking. I researched this thoroughly when we went through it ourselves. It is not a federal regulation that a bank be provided with a social security number when applying for an account. It's a good idea, but not a regulation and there are many instances when a bank opens an account without a SSN. We obtained an account without one as did Kate.
  
  You have up to 3 years to keep the account open when using the federal form W-8.
  
  I don't want people to get the impression that a SSN is a requirement in the context that we are discussing here. While I as an USC would have a difficult time opening an account without divulging my SSN, it is indeed possible for foreign visitors to this country to open one. It's done every day in the course of business.
  
  Cheers,
  
  Leslie
  
  If they have been properly trained they should know about W-8's
  and W-9's.
  
  Many banks instruct their employees to ALWAYS get a valid W-8 or W-9
  instead of knowing the diference between when one is required and when
  one is not if they are unsure but they should allow people to open the
  account no probs.
  
  Strictly a W-8 is not required for a non-interest bearing account but
  they usually get one anyway.
  
  --
  Posted via http://britishexpats.com
• Thu, 10 Jul 2003 11:47:00 GMT(21)
• BoA was one of the Banks here in Atlanta that insisted you couldn't open
  an account without a SSN. Anyone here see any consistency? lol
  
  Cheers,
  
  Leslie
  
  --
  Posted via http://britishexpats.com
• Wed, 09 Jul 2003 07:04:00 GMT(22)
• Originally posted by kariml
  I'm not sure what form your referring to, but it is a federal regulation that banks ask for a SSN when setting up your account, so it is not necessarily bank specific. Most banks will go ahead and add you to your spouse's existing account without the SSN and you would be able to write checks. Not having a SSN would put an alert on the account that would prohibit you from using a debit card on the account.
  
  Agreed, BOA said that I could add my spouse to the account without
  him having an SSN yet. However they did say to advise them as soon as
  he got one.
  
  --
  Posted via http://britishexpats.com
• Thu, 10 Jul 2003 00:36:00 GMT(23)
• Originally posted by leebarton
  Hi,
  
  I wonder if anyone can help. Is there a standard form for flagging that you don't have a SSN yet when you open a bank account or get added to your parters account, or is it bank specific? If it is a standard form it is available in pdf format anywhere?
  
  I did some searches on previous similar threads and couldnt find a form number but did find mention of one.
  
  Thanks in advance
  Lee
  
  Do you mean a W8-BEN ?
  
  The form:
  
  http://www.bankofamerica.com/creditcards/data/nsbw_form.doc
  
  The instructions:
  
  ]http://www.bankofamerica.com/creditcards/pdf/W8instructions6-
  pdf[/url]
  
  --
  Posted via http://britishexpats.com
• Leave a Comment Now.

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