Are you a Non US Resident and wants a US Bank Account badly so that you can open a Paypal account and start selling online? Getting A US Bank Account is simple, easy and – yes, free. I see so many people in internet forums who need a US bank account. I needed one.
Want to know how I did it?
Have you caught yourself saying this many times – “I’m here in South Africa (or in India) and nobody loves us. Especially not PayPal.” Well, here is the good news. I am from India and I got a US bank account, linked it to Paypal, got verified, got a VISA debit card, got a Paypal Debit Card, and now happily withdraw my cash out an ATM anytime.
It’s no secret. Just few simple steps. Follow them asis and you will soon have your own “US Bank Account” and a “Paypal Account”.
Step 1: First, you will need a US mailing address. This is so you can get all your letters, cards etc to you. It’s not really quick to get mail to you – but it works.
These are few of the best mailing services:
· http://www.usa2me.com – Highly Recommended!
· http://www.myus.com
· http://www.usglobalmail.com
Step 2: Next you will need a Paypal account. Paypal.com is the place, and its free. Signup free, and use your mail address the US mail forwarding service gave you.
If you have already signed up for Paypal, sign up again under a different email, or delete your account and start again with a fresh one.
Step 3: Now, time to get a US bank account. We will use E-trade. http://www.etrade.com. I have attached the forms that you need to fill up and send.
Follow my instructions below and you will have an account with them sooner than you’ve expected.
How to fill in the forms:
Download the form from here: [http://myimlab.com/uploads/emea_us_brokerage_application.pdf]
Note – A more recent version of form can be downloaded from https://us.etrade.com/e/t/home/openanaccount
Fill ONLY the things in the steps and NOTHING else.
1. Account type: Mark the box labeled individual account.
2. Put your name, initial of middle name and Last name in the fields under “Primary Account holder. Leave the whole “Co Account Holder” side of the form blank.
3. Put your “HOME” address under address. NOT your US address.
4. Put your Home and Business phone numbers in the next field. The format must be “+91(0)9910670401”. Copy the format.
5. Mark the boxes “no” under the next three options on this side of the form and continue to the next page.
6. Put your passport number under the passport number field.
7. Put your Country under the “passport country of issuance and the “country of legal residence and the “Country of citizenship”
8. Move on to “create your investment profile” just below this.
9. Select the boxes “capital preservation”, “none”, “your income”, “you’re approximate net worth”, and “your approximate liquid worth” . I would select a medium income for all these to be safe.
10.Under (4) “Select your account features”, under “taxable income” select Etrade Financial sweep deposit account. It’s the first choice in the list.
11.Leave the “Tax exempt Income” Blank.
12. Cash management features, select “free check writing” and NOT The debit card option. This will come later and you will be charged for it if you select it now.
13.Leave the rest of the form blank and continue.
14. On page 3, under “Fund your account” select the last option “I plan to wire funds from another financial institution.
15.Under “ Sign and date your application” , select “ I am not a US person “
16.Sign this page and move on to page 4.
17. Leave Page 4 blank, but sign and include it.
18.Under” Certificate of Foreign Status of Beneficial Owner for United States Tax Withholding “
19.Under “Name of individual or organization that is the beneficial owner” put your own name
20.Under “Country of incorporation or organization” put your own country.
21.Under “Permanent residence address” put your street address.
22.Under “City or town, state or province. Include postal code where appropriate.” Put your city , then state/province , then postal code
23. Under “country”, put your country.
24. “Claim of Tax Treaty Benefits (if applicable)” tick box a) and put in your country.
25.Leave the rest of the form blank , Expect put “self” under the “category under which acting”
26.Sign and date the form.
Now you’re done with the forms.
Next Steps:
#1: PRINT OUT ALL PAGES (5 pages total)
– Application Form 4 pages – in JPEG format
– Non-US Resident Declaration Form 1 Page – in PDF format
Note: You MUST use Adobe Reader to open the Declaration Form.
The latest version is recommended.
Adobe Reader is freely available at http://www.adobe.com
(If you do not use the latest version of Adobe Reader, your personal details (such as your name and address) may not be displayed or printed properly.)
#2: VERIFY ALL PERSONAL DETAILS
Make sure your name is spelled correctly, address, passport number, etc. are correct. Page 4 of 4 of the Application Form is entirely blank. Leave it that way. But sign it.
#3: SIGN; WRITE your name in CAPITALS and today’s DATE on Page 3 of the application Form.
#4: SIGN and write today’s DATE on the Declaration Form
#5: MAKE A PHOTOCOPY of the photo-page of your passport. Please make sure it is very clear! – Make two copies – they will need two.
#6: PUT THEM IN AN ENVELOPE AND MAIL to the address on top-left of Page 1 of the Application Form. DO NOT encloses a check or cash as initial deposit. Wait for your account number to be issued first instead, then make your initial deposit by wire transfer or by adding it to your PayPal account.
Once you have your account number, you can immediately add to your PayPal account to be confirmed and verified.
When E*Trade Financial receives your application, your account will be opened within 1 week.
You will receive an email notification at your supplied email address.
For FASTEST service, I recommend you use UPS or Fedex.
Once you get that done, then login to your account and request a debit card. Comes via FedEx in a couple of days. Download money from PayPal to your Etrade account and withdraw at your local ATM.
Piece of cake!