STRICT NON-RESIDENT: NO VISA, NO LOCAL ADDRESS, NO LOCAL TAX NUMBER
Bank Accounts for Non-Residents
Most banks answer no. Eighteen accounts answer yes - some fully remote, some with one branch trip, three only for big deposits. The board ranks them by how you open: remote first, then one-trip, then high-bar offshore. Next to it: the minimum to open, the monthly fee, how many currencies you get and which card ships. Hover any row for documents, deposit protection and catches.
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accounts that say yes
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easiest remote bank
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biggest min deposit
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effectively closed
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fully remote
The leaderboard
One row per account a strict non-resident can open - you live abroad, no local visa, no local address. Ranked by openness: fully remote first, one-trip second, high-bar offshore last. The loan column of the mortgage page becomes the minimum deposit here, followed by Fees - the monthly charge plus the one extra that matters (free wires, FX rate, waivable condition) - Safety (money safety: A full guarantee, B capped or pass-through cover, C no backstop) and currencies + card. A ? means branch-by-branch pricing you must confirm. Under every bank name, a Residents: line says residents of which countries can apply. Click a bank name for its website, a fee for its fee schedule; hover for documents, protection and catches.
Region
How open
#Bank & countryCur/card
Nothing matches all of that. Try another filter.
Best account for each need
The best non-resident account in each situation, with the next three behind it. Click any name to open the bank's website.
The price of admission
Minimum to open (capped at USD 100k)Monthly fee (full bar = free)
What the numbers say
Frequently Asked Questions
Switzerland (Dukascopy, Swissquote - fully remote; UBS for big deposits), Georgia and Armenia (one trip, or remote via POA + agent), Spain and Portugal (one trip + tax number), Cyprus (visit or intermediary route), Turkey (visit + tax number), Panama and Hong Kong (visit + heavy docs), the USA (Mercury/Relay/Airwallex remote for eligible companies, FV Bank, BoA in branch for personal), plus offshore Jersey/Isle of Man/Mauritius/Andorra for big deposits. The UAE, Thailand, Singapore, Germany, France, Japan, Australia, Estonia and most of the EU are effectively closed without local residency, an address or real local ties.
Yes: Dukascopy and Swissquote (video-ID), Mercury, Relay, Airwallex and FV Bank (eligible company; no SSN for the US LLC ones), Wise (minutes, most countries), Santander/HolaBank Spain (video call, eligible countries only), HSBC Expat and Barclays International (remote paperwork, but £75k/£100k minimums). Georgia and Armenia go remote via a notarized + apostilled power of attorney through an agent.
Always a valid passport. Usually proof of foreign address. Often a local tax number: NIF for Portugal (non-EU needs a €150-400/yr fiscal representative), NIE for Spain, tax number for Turkey, social card for Armenia. Always an explanation of source of funds. For US business banking: LLC formation docs + EIN. US citizens add W-8/W-9 and FATCA forms nearly everywhere.
No. Wise is an Electronic Money Institution: your money is safeguarded in ring-fenced accounts at major banks but has no government deposit guarantee (unlike €100,000 at EU banks or $250,000 FDIC in the US). Use it for moving and holding working money across 40+ currencies - not for life savings. Its EU IBAN is Belgian, which some employers and landlords reject.
Yes, in almost all cases. Every bank on this page except the US ones reports your balance to your country of tax residence under the CRS automatic exchange; US banks and fintechs use FATCA instead. Offshore has not meant secret since 2017. The compliant route to zero reporting friction is moving tax residency to a territorial country (Panama, Paraguay, UAE) and getting a Tax Residency Certificate.
Business is easier in the USA (Mercury/Relay remote with an LLC + EIN, while personal needs a branch visit) and doable in Panama and Mauritius with company papers. Everywhere else personal is easier: Georgia, Armenia, Spain, Portugal, Turkey and Switzerland onboard individuals with just a passport plus local extras. Filter the board with your need in mind - hover a row for who each account serves.
No. Thailand's major banks require a long-term non-immigrant visa (tourists and DTV holders are refused since the 2026 tightening). UAE banks require an Emirates ID. Singapore's DBS, OCBC and UOB require a work/student/dependent pass or approval letter. In all three, the practical answer is an offshore multi-currency account (or Wise) until you have the visa.