How to open a bank account abroad as a US citizen (and the FATCA problem)

Why some foreign banks reject US citizens

FATCA, the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, requires foreign banks to identify accounts held by US persons and report them to the US Treasury every year. For a global bank that's routine. For a smaller local one, the cost and legal risk of onboarding a single American can outweigh the revenue, so some simply decline US citizens.

What you typically need to open an account

Requirements differ by country and bank, but the same four things show up almost everywhere:

Exact documents vary by bank and change often. Treat this as a starting checklist, not a guarantee.

The realistic order (it's a sequence, not one step)

The frustrating part is the chicken-and-egg ordering: the bank wants a local address and tax ID, but those depend on residency, which depends on a visa. For most people the path runs:

1. 1

   Secure your visa or residency permit

   Or at least arrive on a clear path to one; most later steps depend on it.

2. 2

   Register and get your local tax ID

   A NIF, NIE, CURP, or a German Anmeldung. A few (like a Portuguese NIF) can be arranged before you move via a fiscal representative.

3. 3

   Establish proof of address

   A lease or utility bill in your name at a local address.

4. 4

   Open the local account

   Passport, tax ID, and proof of address in hand, at a bank that serves US persons.

The universal workaround: a multi-currency account you open before you move

The single most useful move is to open a multi-currency account online from the US before you fly. It doesn't need a local address or residency to start, so it bridges the gap while you work through the sequence above: hold and convert dollars to euros, pesos, or pounds at the mid-market rate, spend on a debit card the day you land, and receive local-currency payments, all before any local bank will touch you.

How it differs by country

The headache is real but uneven. Pick your destination to see the local tax ID you'll need and how its banks treat Americans, or scan the full matrix.

Tool · Banking by country

Will my destination's banks take an American?

Pick where you're moving AustraliaCanadaCosta RicaFranceGermanyGreeceIrelandItalyJapanMexicoNetherlandsPortugalSpainThailandUnited Arab EmiratesUnited Kingdom

Local tax ID needed

Tax File Number

Open before residency?

Often yes

US persons (FATCA)

Generally accepted

The 'big four' (CBA, Westpac, ANZ, NAB) let you open an account online from overseas before you arrive, then verify ID (passport) in-branch within a set window after landing. As a US person you'll complete FATCA self-certification with your SSN/TIN. A Tax File Number (TFN) isn't required to open the account, but without one the bank withholds tax on interest at the top rate.

See the full Australia banking section →

Country	Local tax ID	Before residency?	US persons (FATCA)
Australia	Tax File Number	Often yes	Generally OK
Canada	SIN	Often yes	Generally OK
Costa Rica	DIMEX	Residency first	Generally OK
France	Numéro fiscal	Often yes	Some decline
Germany	Steuer-ID + Anmeldung	Residency first	Generally OK
Greece	AFM	Often yes	Generally OK
Ireland	PPS number	Often yes	Generally OK
Italy	Codice fiscale	Often yes	Generally OK
Japan	My Number	Residency first	Generally OK
Mexico	CURP / RFC	Residency first	Generally OK
Netherlands	BSN	Residency first	Generally OK
Portugal	NIF	Often yes	Generally OK
Spain	NIE	Often yes	Generally OK
Thailand	Tax ID (TIN)	Residency first	Generally OK
United Arab Emirates	Emirates ID	Residency first	Generally OK
United Kingdom	NI number	Often yes	Generally OK

Structural fields from our country research; tax-ID names are labels. Requirements vary by bank and change often, so confirm with the specific bank.

Once you're banked abroad: you'll likely owe an FBAR

Opening a foreign account doesn't itself trigger a US filing, but a balance can. It's an information report, not a tax bill, but skipping it is where the penalties live.

Where this gets people