Help In Opening A Bank Account

J

jayjen

Registered Users (C)
hi guys,
i am trying to open a joint bank account with my usc husband and seems to be hitting a brick wall.
All the banks we have applied to are all asking me for my SSN which i don't have yet but i know some of you guys have joint accounts with your spouses so i am wondering if you can give me some pointers.
i came in on a B1/B2 visa so do not have any us id except my marriage licence which does not seem to matter as they are asking me for an identification number.
 
You need a passport and your visa. That is your form of ID. You and your wife need to go to the bank IN PERSON and request to open the account. I have opened 2 bank accounts in 2 different banks (US Bank and Wachovia) with a B1/B2 Visa.

They make you sign something that states that you are not taxable. It is not a BIG deal.

It may help if you wife opens the account and then she adds you to the account.
 
hi praetorianXI
thanks for the response, we did go to Wamu in person with my passport and even my foreign DL but they refused and insisted we come back when i have the SSN, maybe i will try the banks you opened yours.
how do you add someone who does not have SSN? my husband has opened two accounts now and he still can't add me as they still request for the SSN. the banks are Chase and Wamu.
 
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Tell them you do NOT have an SSN. You are here on a Visitor Visa and want to open a bank account. Do no go into detail about getting an SSN in the future or anything. Just show passport, visa and the green $$ :)
 
Is your B1 visa still valid? If not, then that may be the reason they are refusing to open the account.
 
You can also try Citibank. My husband had an account with them separately, then we opened one jointly with him using only his unexpired passport and a utility bill.
 
In the context of the question valid means expired. That's why the lady mentioned the expiration date. I'm sure you knew that :)
 
You can apply for ITIN (Individual Tax Identificaiton Number) through the IRS, ONLY if your US spouse put you as their dependant when they filed their tax return.

Also, here in Las Vegas if you do not have a SS# and you win a good sum of money in the casino, they (casino) will issue you a ITIN because the casino have to report your earning to the IRS, you can use that number along with 2 id's to open a bank account or joint account with your spouse.

If you are legal, illegal, visitor or a US Citizen you have to pay taxes to the IRS. They always want their money. Tha'ts a fact.
 
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trinigirl said:
You can apply for ITIN (Individual Tax Identificaiton Number) through the IRS, ONLY if your US spouse put you as their dependant when they filed their tax return.
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This is something that's been on my mind for a while, should I apply for an ITIN now so when tax season comes my husband can claim me as a dependant?? If does it have to be after he actually files?

Wachovia should be able to open an account for you.
 
Hi,

You can go to Bank of America, they only need 2 IDs. You can use your state ID and your passport (i brought a copy of my marriage certificate because it was not ammended that time. They will ask for a SSN, just say you still dont have one. When I applied with my husband, they just advised me to inform them once I have my SSN. Its no big deal because your USC spouse (who is the same account holder) has a SSN.
 
You cannot do that. You have to file the W-7 (ITIN form) along with your husband's tax return. That's only way the IRS will do it. It took forever for us to get our return, almost a year. It's not worth it. You will proberly get a ss# before ITIN. Next year you could also go back and amend 2006 return and add you as a dependant if you were married that year.
 
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trinigirl said:
If you are legal, illegal, visitor or a US Citizen you have to pay taxes to the IRS. They always want their money. Tha'ts a fact.
Click to expand...

That is HALF true. Depends on the situation, since a "visitor" should not be making any money. An an Illegal has no way of reporting income under his real name.
 
Citibank will do it. My dad has one there that we openned when he visited me , they only asked for his passport. They did not even looked to his visa or i-194, even though we offered to show it.

And Bank of America as well, both my sister and my mother in law opened accounts there (my sister with an b1/b2 and my mother in law just with her passport as she has the waiver)

None of them ever applied for ITIN number. They keep the account open until now, and actually sometimes I deposit a little bit of money on my dad/sister account and they can go to an ATM in my country and get cash.
 
PraetorianXI said:
That is HALF true. Depends on the situation, since a "visitor" should not be making any money. An an Illegal has no way of reporting income under his real name.
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PraetorianXI, Here in Las Vegas we have millions of visitors every day if they hit a jackpot they have to pay taxes. That's a loss for the casino so they have to report the money. They will actually issue a W-8 and not a W-7.

I won't get into the tax law of which I don't have all the facts. But if you make a certain amount of money in this county you have to pay taxes. Two things im sure of when you are in this county is taxes and death. And yes it all depends on the situation, with tax treaties with other countries.

People come here and buy & sell properties, you have to pay taxes on that income. If you open a saving account and make interest, you have to pay taxes on that income, the bank have to report that to the irs, thus you have to pay taxes on that income. If you invest and make money, you will pay taxes on that income. But all this depends on the amount of money involved. It's never half truth when it comes to US Government and their money. Now, if you don't report or pay that's up to you. and thats called TAX EVASION and you can go to jail for that.
 
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yeah i agree but not EVERY visitor HAS to pay taxes, only those that indeed generate an income. I see how that would apply in Vegas to a visitor who hits jackpot. But not to an ordinary tourist who does not have income, that is why in some cities they even refund a visitor's sale tax on purchases.

Also visitors can't very easily own property here (lack of SSN & credit) and their bank accounts are not taxable, that is what they made sign. Something telling IRS that my bank account is not taxable.
 
PraetorianXI said:
yeah i agree but not EVERY visitor HAS to pay taxes, only those that indeed generate an income. I see how that would apply in Vegas to a visitor who hits jackpot. But not to an ordinary tourist who does not have income, that is why in some cities they even refund a visitor's sale tax on purchases.

Also visitors can't very easily own property here (lack of SSN & credit) and their bank accounts are not taxable, that is what they made sign. Something telling IRS that my bank account is not taxable.
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Let me make this clear and i'm sorry if I didn't before. I said here in Las Vegas, as far winnings go.

Then I said you can use ITIN to open a bank account along with two forms of ID.

And if you are here buying or selling (which is not illegal for illegal or non-resident to own property) property in the US of A I would hope that money won't be an issue. That's why the IRS issue out INDIVIDUAL TAX IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS for people that do not have SS#'s please read http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc857.html
 
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