Hi.. Just wondering if I am outside US, can I open a bank account with US so that I can deposit all my income from Adsense to that bank via EFT instead of delivering check to me to in cash in in my savings account. Is that possible? I am not really sure about this financial stuffs thing...Anybody can advise me please.. Thanks.
Tarakan, setting up a US bank account is not that straight forward if you are not a resident. If you are based in Singapore, Google sends your payment in Singapore dollars anyway, so it is already pretty convenient isn't it ?
You can open a US bank account. But I think you should set up a US address in your adsense account. Otherwise you might not set up a US bank account in adsense or you can't verify your US bank account. Because I think adsense system will send a small deposit in a local currency to a local bank account according to relevant country which you set in your adsense account as your address.
I think there are some companies (I never used them) which opens US bank accounts. Check it out on google.
Let me summarize my homework to you: You can open US bank account only if you fly there and open it face-to-face with bank teller (according to Patriot Act after Sep 11). Because online companies can't do that for you, they will cunningly take your money for a hint that you by your own can open an e*trade trading account as an alternative. Even if you have US bank account, Google won't EFT money to that account. Your address is in Singapore, they're going to send a check to you. Ok, here's the advantages if you have US bank account. You can mail the check along with deposit slip to the US bank, and have it cashed into your account instantly for free. Since most banks outside US charge arm and leg to cash US check, not to mention it may takes up to 1 month to clear, you will save a lot of time and money. P.S. I own MyOffshoreBank.com (domain for sale)
If you are outside the U.S. there is no legitimate way, through legitimate banks and services, to establish a personal checking account in the U.S. Federal laws dictate that SSN, and other verifiable information, along with a signature card (most banks require signing in person and an employees signs as witness to your signature). The only way around this is not cheap and this too will likely be a loop hole that is eventually plugged; that being going through the process to incorporate a business in the U.S. and even this is not an easy process or a fix-all. You would also need a U.S. mailing address with forwarding to yourself, a U.S. phone number, EIN, and other "work arounds". Figure up the costs and see if savings a few bucks on conversion rates is really worth it: Corporation/LLC filing and EIN about $700 US Office Address and Mail Service - about $500 setup fees, plus $400 per year, plus expenses (to forward your mail, receive packages, etc - about $20 per instance) US Bank Account Creation - about $600 set up fees
None of them is required to open the bank account, but ya, may be for google adsense account (address).
C'mon! Americans pay tax while we don't. It's no point pretending that you're an American to ease up cashing check. I'm now checking some merchant programs that process both credit card and US checks, thinking I might be able to cash my checks online and wire everything to my local bank account.
I'm not trying to be abrasive Jim, but please explain the legal process then, how a non-US citizen would be able to open a legitimate, legal checking account in the U.S.
If you are not a resident of USA, but holds a passport of some other country and visiting USA, then you can surely open saving and checking acount in USA. I am telling you this by experience.
That's what I'm asking Jim - what's your experience in this? Not for me, but obviously there are lots of people looking for this personal experience information whether your own or an associates. Was this prior to 9/11?
Just get Google to mail you the check in Singapore. You probably need to incur some local bank charges for clearing the check and it may take a little longer than normal but it is the easiest and cheapest way of doing it. The thing is that pretending to be where you are not may actually lead you into more trouble than its worth.