Reply To: Foreign Bank Accounts

you need a canadian address or some form of VALID canadian ID to open a bank account.You cant just come here on vacation and open a bank account .Student ID cards are accepted so foreign students can get one , I was incorrect to generalise that you had to be citizen but residency is a requirement or being a student . Some banks even require a credit check just to open a bank account.

Ok, that makes much more sense. It’s identical here in the UK – you need a couple of proof of address forms like a utility bill, so it’s practically impossible to open an account unless you’re living here for some time.

It can be a catch-22 for expats sometimes – you can’t rent an apartment without a bank account and you can’t open a bank account with proof of address forms.

But I’m sure there are enterprising ways to get around this (legally).

If I was a US affiliate earning a lot of money, and worried about bringing that into the US, I’d consider buying a small place in Canada and then renting it out. That’d give me the legitimate docs I need to open a foreign bank account, and if I chose wisely I might also make a profit on the property. (And if things got really bad and I wanted to emigrate, I’d already have a foreign base.)