Hello all, I’m a US citizen living in Asia; and I haven’t returned to the US since I left more than two decades ago.

I’d like to open a US Bank account while living abroad that I can access online for basic personal finance and possible business ventures in the future. Ideally I would be able to connect a debit card and possibly get a US PayPal account, too.

What I have:

  • Original US birth certificate

  • US passport

  • Social Security number

What I don’t have:

  • A residential address in the US (or any close family whose address I can use)

  • A phone number in the US

I’m really clueless about my options for doing this and would be grateful for any tips you can offer. Thanks.

  • millibtc@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    You’re in luck, I’ve got the answer for you. Open an account with the State Department Federal Credit Union (SDFCU):

    https://www.sdfcu.org/membership-frequently-asked-questions

    Can I open a SDFCU account if I live abroad?

    Yes, SDFCU is one of the few credit unions in the United States which accepts members who live outside the country. SDFCU and American Citizens Abroad (ACA) have partnered to provide ACA members with a US Banking solution. ACA qualifies as an approved affiliate for SDFCU. Learn more by visiting the ACA SDFCU Account FAQ’s.

    https://www.sdfcu.org/about-us

    State Department Federal Credit Union (SDFCU) was chartered in 1935 through the efforts of eight employees of the United States Department of State. Now, decades later, our membership has grown to more than 90,000 members worldwide, and we have over $2.4 billion in assets.

    US Department of State employees stationed abroad had the same problem. So they started a credit union to let US citizens living abroad have a US bank account.

    So that takes care of the address problem. Now as for the phone number, just get a Google Voice number or pay $5 per month for something like Tello. Aim for carriers that have an eSIM that you can activate from abroad. And for the address (that nothing will be shipped to) just use your most recent address in the US (even if it’s from 20 years ago…)

    Since I have many addresses in the US from friends & family I’ve never opened an account with SDFCU myself, but if you do let me know how it goes!