opening bank account in the US

[Heaven0317 0]

hi there, it is me again,

this is with regards to opening an account. i am in the process of adjusting our status, currently still under k1/k2 visa, question is can my husband add me to his bank account? i have read that he can, but his bank told him they cant add me up since i am not a green card holder yet. well right now, i have my ss number under married name already. please enlighten me with this. thank you so much!

[sweet01 39]

hi there, it is me again,

this is with regards to opening an account. i am in the process of adjusting our status, currently still under k1/k2 visa, question is can my husband add me to his bank account? i have read that he can, but his bank told him they cant add me up since i am not a green card holder yet. well right now, i have my ss number under married name already. please enlighten me with this. thank you so much!

Hi Heaven0317,

Actually what we did was we opened a joint savings/checking bank account at Wells Fargo bank. The only requirements there from my side are; SS number, Marriage certificate/license and Philippine passport. I also did bring my NBI and SS from the Philippines as an option or any Philippine Gov't I.D. that you still have but they didn't need it. (just incase). My husband just showed his driver's license, and US passport that's it. Hope this helps Regards.

Edited May 21, 2015 by sweet01

[Heaven0317 0]

Hi Heaven0317,

Actually what we did was we opened a joint savings/checking bank account at Wells Fargo bank. The only requirements there from my side are; SS number, Marriage certificate/license and Philippine passport. I also did bring my NBI and SS from the Philippines as an option or any Philippine Gov't I.D. that you still have but they didn't need it. (just incase). My husband just showed his driver's license, and US passport that's it. Hope this helps Regards.

Hi Sweet01 thank you so much for the info, i appreciate it ...

will tell husband about your experience and maybe we try to visit any wells fargo branch nearest to us, thanks and God bless

[SennaBrigante 92]

I think it depends on the bank. The credit union in our town wanted a state-issued ID apart from my green card and ssn

[teddy k 35]

Hi everybody good day to all, I just wanted to share my thoughts on this process, when i inquired about doing it for my wife at wellsfargo all they wanted was a ss# since they already knew my wife from all of the express sends i sent her, but every bank has their own rules

[clairegie 265]

Yeah, depends on the bank. With Navy Fed, all I had to show was my SSN and combo card. They would've accepted my Philippine passport but I didn't have my SSN yet back then.

[Greenbaum 12,258]

Hi Sweet01 thank you so much for the info, i appreciate it ...

will tell husband about your experience and maybe we try to visit any wells fargo branch nearest to us, thanks and God bless

Never had a problem with Wells Fargo Bank. Sign up was painless and the extra benefit is that my step daughters has an account there also and Mom can keep an eye on her saving and spending habits. Also, We love the ease at which se can send money to the Phil. $5 a transaction and the rate is good but not great. To me, saving a .002% on the exchange is not worth running around and finding the best deal each time I want to send money. Two to Three selections and within 15 min it's in her Mom's account at BPI in the PHil.

Call around first to other banks if you want to "shop" for your best option. For me WF suits my needs just fine.

[VOL 425]

hi there, it is me again,

this is with regards to opening an account. i am in the process of adjusting our status, currently still under k1/k2 visa, question is can my husband add me to his bank account? i have read that he can, but his bank told him they cant add me up since i am not a green card holder yet. well right now, i have my ss number under married name already. please enlighten me with this. thank you so much!

I suggest your fiancé change banks.

You should be able to put anyone you like on your bank account, I was able to add my fiancé while doing K1, we only had a SSN.

[Tahoma 2,291]

I also suggest that you change banks. I opened up a joint account with Chinook at Wells Fargo before Chinook even arrived in the U.S. No Social Security number was required. They only wanted two pieces of ID. Chinook scanned two pieces of her ID and emailed them to me.

Like Greenbaum, Chinook uses Wells Fargo for her remittances.

[sevenrider860 9]

hi there, it is me again,

this is with regards to opening an account. i am in the process of adjusting our status, currently still under k1/k2 visa, question is can my husband add me to his bank account? i have read that he can, but his bank told him they cant add me up since i am not a green card holder yet. well right now, i have my ss number under married name already. please enlighten me with this. thank you so much!

There should not be an issue as there is no legal requirement that you be a green card holder to be an account holder. There may be a bank policy, but that would be specific to the bank. There are some banks that may request an IRS W-8BEN if the account pays interest or dividends that must be reported as income. This would be removed once the AOS approval is received and replaced with a W-9.

As others have stated, check different banks. I find that some are more knowledgeable of the immigration laws and IRS regulations than others.

[Rissa92 1]

In my situation my husband add me to his bank account which is a USAA bank and make my own bank account,they need my passport,ss number and green card, we just applied online and just asked me some question about my identity. And the American Express they also need same ids.

What's bank are u applying? Every bank is different

[Heaven0317 0]

Thank you for all the replies and info you gave me. I appreciate it so very much. Here is another question, does the bank account/joint acct needed to submit when i file my aos or it is just needed for the interview ? Thank you again!!!

[Heaven0317 0]

Never had a problem with Wells Fargo Bank. Sign up was painless and the extra benefit is that my step daughters has an account there also and Mom can keep an eye on her saving and spending habits. Also, We love the ease at which se can send money to the Phil. $5 a transaction and the rate is good but not great. To me, saving a .002% on the exchange is not worth running around and finding the best deal each time I want to send money. Two to Three selections and within 15 min it's in her Mom's account at BPI in the PHil.

Call around first to other banks if you want to "shop" for your best option. For me WF suits my needs just fine.

Do I need to submit this joint accout / bank account when i file for my aos? Thanks again so much!

In my situation my husband add me to his bank account which is a USAA bank and make my own bank account,they need my passport,ss number and green card, we just applied online and just asked me some question about my identity. And the American Express they also need same ids.

What's bank are u applying? Every bank is different

My husband's bank is USAA also and that's what they told my hubby that I wait for my green card first, thank you Rissa!

[Rissa92 1]

Do I need to submit this joint accout / bank account when i file for my aos? Thanks again so much!

My husband's bank is USAA also and that's what they told my hubby that I wait for my green card first, thank you Rissa!

[Heaven0317 0]

There should not be an issue as there is no legal requirement that you be a green card holder to be an account holder. There may be a bank policy, but that would be specific to the bank. There are some banks that may request an IRS W-8BEN if the account pays interest or dividends that must be reported as income. This would be removed once the AOS approval is received and replaced with a W-9.

As others have stated, check different banks. I find that some are more knowledgeable of the immigration laws and IRS regulations than others.

Thank you! They emailed my husband that form w-8ben my husband's bank is USAA..