Summary: Many international businesses need to open a U.S. business bank accounts to make doing business with U.S. customers more convenient and to avoid the hassle of foreign currency and exchange rates. In general, it is strongly recommended that a business entity maintains a separate bank account. This would help keep entity in compliance with IRS record-keeping requirements and will provide for a better way to manage company’s cash flow. After 9/11 and with the passing of the Patriot Act it became really hard for foreigners to open U.S. bank accounts. Today all US banks are required to document verification that the person opening the account is the person on the I.D. they’re receiving. The easiest solutions practically all banks chose to go with is simply having one of the employees in their branches make sure that the person opening the account in the branch is the same person in the photo I.D. Some remote account opening options become available from time to time. You are welcome to check this post to see what options are currently available. Otherwise you are welcome to continue reading this article to find out how else you can open a bank account. Ways to Open a Business Bank Account in the US, and Alternatives So what are the possible ways to open a bank account in the US for a non-US person, not residing in the US? Let me present you with several possible solutions to this dilemma, including some alternatives to opening an account in the US: If You Have a Personal Bank Account in the U.S... If you visited the U.S. in the past and have opened a personal bank account your best bet would be to try to contact your bank (preferably the same branch) and see if the would open an account for your business remotely. Try a Few Online Bank Options Periodically it's possible to find an opportunity to open an account remotely with an online bank. For example, you can try such banks as Silicon Valley Bank）or EverBank. Also, eTrade seems to have the option of opening a bank account, even though they are technically a brokerage. It's a long shot, but worth trying before anything else. Keep in mind: online banks typically require an SSN (Social Security Number), but would open an account if you have ITIN (individual Tax Identification Number) as a replacement (ITIN has the same number of digits as SSN). Use a Reloadable Prepaid Debit Card Account Instead of Traditional Bank Account In most cases what you need is not a bank account per se, but the functions provided by a traditional bank account. For that you can use a reloadable prepaid debit card from companies such as NetSpend，Payoneer , etc. What you get is an internationally recognized debit card and an account number with routing and ABA numbers. With such an account you can set up free Direct Deposit of your paycheck, have your card reloaded at various locations (for example NetSpend list on their website more than 100,000 NetSpend Reload Network Locations throughout the U.S. to add cash or checks), and transfer money using PayPal®, a checking or savings account, or another card account (NetSpend or Payoneer). You should even consider opening accounts with several of those companies, to diversify your financial option. https://www.myusacorporation.ru/en/us-bank-account-for-non-residents.html
