US bank account for non-US citizen
 

Hello,

My business plan has hit a wall I now realise that I'm going to need a bank account in the US that can accept ACH transfers. However I'm not American, I've never been there and I don't have any residence there.

I need a US account for my UK Ltd but I haven't a clue where to start. Some banks here offer dollar accounts but the fees for transfers are the same as standard sterling accounts.

I'm thinking either I incorporate a subsidiary in the US and have that hold the account or I travel over there and try to open one direct with my UK Ltd. The former seems easier than the latter.

Has anybody ever done this?

If you want to be paid in the United States, for example ACH in to a US account, you're going to have to provide US tax information (tax id number) to the company paying you. I ran in to that issue lately.

It used to be inconvenient, then new laws made it worse. You might try doing these two things. First, figure out exactly what you need to accomplish. Is your aim to receive ACH transfers denominated in US dollars? That's a slightly different thing than "open a US bank account".


Then, go to your local branch of the huge multinational banks like JP Morgan Chase and HSBC, starting with the US based ones that have branches in your area.

Since Chase and Bank of America have branches in the UK, I bet opening an account won't be too big of a problem. Since they are US based, receiving USD ACH shouldn't be a problem. HSBC is UK based, so opening an account in the UK souls be a none issue, but they are also big in the US so I'd expect USD ACH to be routine for them.

Some medium sized banks use Chase as a middleman for international transfers, so you may get better rates and quicker transfers using Chase directly.

go to the hsbc they can set you up an account in dubi but it still works as a us account

You need to travel personally to the USA for identification in order to open a US based bank account. If anybody knows any way around this I am all ears....

Also it is NOT the same where you incorporate in the USA.

You might want to look up Wyoming and Delaware.

Wyoming being the better option for small business.

If you are in adult then you may want to check WY regulations just to be 100%.

All the UK international banks I've looked at including HSBC don't offer ACH transfers. Even Citi here in the UK said I can only accept Swift on US dollar accounts. Also these are personal accounts which don't have the facilities I require such as bulk ACH through CSV etc.

I've heard Chase are the best to approach for foreign businesses. I'll look into them.

Have a look at LloydsTSB in Jersey - They used to offer an account than ran as if it was in the US.

That was a while ago and I know things have changed.

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I'm not sure which country you're in, but I'd start by asking the bank where you currently do business with since they'd likely be familiar on what you need to do to accomplish getting paid in the US.
WG

You can get a Payoneer account and then request a virtual ACH account from them as an additional add on to your Payoneer card / account.

Then you get a number, which people can send ACH transfers to and they get deposited right into your Payoneer account.

Ask Payoneer support more about this and the fees involved, but it works even if you are not from or currently residing in the US.

I'd avoid incorporating in the US or opening a bank account there unless it's absolutely necessary. Once you go that way, you'll have "US activities" and your tax related paperwork will multiply.

This will do,only problem is their outraging fees but if it's only way to get payment it will do.

Wyoming.

If you are a non-US resident it is actually a tax heaven.

Look it up it will be worth you while.

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Felitza's

Payoneer may be solution, right.

Come to America... It sux here!

Yeah, Payoneer works for this...
Im using this feature to cashout Paypal.

But recent policy change only allows receiving ACH from a number of several well-known companies like Paypal, Freelancer etc - full list is provided there.

Still liable for federal taxes though, right?

I get the Leon quote very good.

I need to except ACH and Dwolla on the account from random customers so Payoneer isn't an option.

Almost any check cashing place in the US will sell you a prepaid loadable credit card that can be fixed to accept ACH transfers.

The card costs $5.

If Chase or something else works out well for you please let us know.

I have a TDBANK usa account ( with an LLC corp by a non-resident alien : me ) ...

But that was pre-2001 ... things have changed.

I've read online that before 2001 it was easy. Even post 2001 E-Trade used to offer accounts but not anymore.

The best advice is opening an account with a large bank in your own country that has a branch or branches in US.

They will then (having verified you) be able to introduce you to their US branch. They may need you to hold an account for a period of time before doing so, but it is a hoop worth jumping through as there are not many shortcuts to this.

As Raymor said HSBC is perfect for this.

good info in this thread

I asked HSBC about this a few months ago, they have some way of being able to apply for a USA account, but acceptance is not guaranteed. (If they reject your app they very kindly refund the $200 fee.)

The catch was that their bank couldn't accept cheques via mail, but ACH should still work, then to get funds back to your "home" account you send a wire.

I'm in Australia but presumably this would also be possible elsewhere. I don't know anything about the criteria for application, whether they're checking you're solvent, or whether they want to know more detail about what business you're conducting.

Awesome movie, Was the title Leon The professional?

Yes it is.