Joint bank accounts. How?

[Kyle&Sara 0]

So the big thing I see people talk about for proof of bonafide relationship is having a joint bank account. Among that I also see things such as both names on a car title, home, etc... of which I don't see being possible for a number of reasons.

As far as the joint bank account goes, how are you all achieving this? My current bank says they can't put my wife on my account because she doesn't have a social security number (Canadian citizen, currently residing in Canada). I've called a number of other rather large national banks (as opposed to my local credit union which I use) and they all seem to tell me the same thing. Is there some magic bank that I need to go to in order to make this possible? We currently use Paypal to exchange funds for things when needed and have a proof of history from that, but regardless of showing proof to the powers that be, it would make things a lot easier having a joint account in general.

Cheers,

Kyle

[Harpa Timsah 13,260]

If you have lived apart for the totality of the marriage then it is not expected that you have a joint bank account. You can prove a bona fide relationship instead, without the financial comingling.

[Karebear 13]

I have my own bank of America account and our joint account is with them as well. They just used my passport number to open the account. Had it for 2yrs now and I'm canadian.

[superduperfriend 1]

I know what you mean! My partner had also the same problem, they didn't let him put me in his account at Commerce Bank. He was able to put me on his Walmart credit card though and Citi Bank too. Then I also opened an account in Bank of America with only my passport, it's a simple checking account but I was able to put him in that account. I know that US Bank and Wells Fargo also let you open an account with only a passport without the need of SSN.

[Ryan H 3,897]

Items such as joint bank accounts, joint ownership of property, etc. etc. are not required nor would a couple living apart in separate countries be expected to have such items.

[Raven4dragon 12]

Husband and I have a joint account and have had it for over a year now we went to TD and never had a problem.

[Sarah&Marc 22]

ok, we went through this as well and heres what I know:

The Canadian citizen can add the USC to their bank account but it must be done in person so the next time you are in Canada go to the bank branch together and provide your ID and or passport and you can be added.

If you want to add them to your US bank account you have to get them a TIN (tax identification number).

Hope that helps.

[Kyle&Sara 0]

Thanks for the info everyone! Whole I know the bank account isn't imperative for proof of relationship, it helps. The whole providing sufficient proof seems to be something that a lot of people stress about on here. If it's that bad that people freak about it, then every little bit helps.

Cheers

[twin810s 23]

We did not show any of that type of proof as bonafide relationship. Pictures and our marriage certificate were enough. The only thing then that they asked for at the interview was his birth certificate. I think the K-1 couples have to prove more since they do not have the marriage certificate. Good luck

[NikLR 13,234]

My husband added me to his bank account all via email with a w8-ben form and a signature card. Next time you're at the bank, ask to speak to a supervisor or manager and ask about adding your Canadian spouse with a w8-ben form. Canada and the USA have a tax treaty.

Also you can try to add your spouse to your car insurance (hubs did that very easily and got him a discount) and a beneficiary to a will or life insurance. None of it is needed obviously, but if you can do it, why not?

[BBCC 16]

As far as the joint bank account goes, how are you all achieving this?

My wife and I accomplished this prior to her first arrival into the US by going to irs.gov and applying for a tax ID number (TIN). Takes only a few minutes. It is the same nine digit number as a Social Security Number but without work authorization. With it, I added her to my bank accounts. I have more than one checking account. One bank required her to be physically present to add her to the account. This obvioulsy was not an option for us. But my credit union would allow this. They gave me the forms to complete and sign. I scanned them into a PDF and emailed to the head office, with the hard copy originals sent by mail.

Then, when the first statement rolled around with both our names on it, I sent a copy of that with our application package.

I did the same with our Car title, registration. We couldn't add her to the auto insurance policy until she was locally license to drive which didn't happen until after she landed (so we only used that later for ROC).

[gwenstar 66]

Agreeing with all the advice above -

I added my husband to my Chase bank account with his passport # and it wasn't an issue. Also TD is a good option because they have an american and Canadian branch and it makes it easy to transfer money.

Bona fide proof of relationship seems "scarier" than it is - I found every bit of evidence I could - but it is hard when you have never lived together/owned things together. Our main thing was we got the affidavits from people who know us and also I added my husband as a beneficiary to retirement/life insurance. Just get what you can together and if they end up needing more proof, they will request it. Dont stress about it - just follow the guidelines