How can I open a US bank account even if I don't live in the country?

Question

Hello, I am from france, can i open US bank account either online or if when i am on vacation in US? I need many time US bank account / credit card for transactions. eg. when i try to order something from shopping site, it asks ne for US credit card.

Answer 1

There are several major US banks including Bank of America, citi and Banco Popular that will open an account for people without a SSN. Most will require an in branch visit to open the account.

As some one else mentioned American Express will open accounts in other countries based on an existing relationship or at least they used to.

Answer 2

Can you get a bank account in the US? Yes.

Can you get a bank account with a specific bank in the US? That depends on the bank. There's more paperwork involved, and not all banks offer the service. I would guess that the big retail banks (US Bank, Bank of America, JP Morgan / Chase, et al) are most likely to, but they are also the ones with the worst reputations for customer service.