New bank account on K1

[jesswill89 11]

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I need some help!  My fiancé (France) just got here on a K1 (Texas).  He has received his SSN.  Chase refused to open him a bank account saying he didn't have enough proof of ID/residency.  He has his passport/ I94 and SSN.  They said he needs something with his US address on it like a utility bill (the SSN letter with his address apparently wasn't proof enough).  Problem is, he lives with me in my all bills paid apartment which is under my name.  The apartment will only add his name to the lease for an additional $400, ugh.  Phone bill is also under my name as it was cheaper to add to the family plan.  I have internet but idk if you can just switch a name, without canceling and getting a whole other one, which is a hassle.  Does anyone have any advice or recommend a bank they had a good experience with?  Or is he just out of luck for a bank account?  We haven't tried another bank quite yet.

[Texas stylist 63]

I bank at chase and I just added my husband to my utilities because I own my home and it was fine. You will have to have proof of residency at any bank so you may have to pay the $400 because it will be needed for evidence of marriage for your AOS interview. 

[Loren Y 2,755]

Chase is always picky, or it could just be that branch. I recommend a credit union over banks myself, but there are plenty of big  banks that should take you. I have Cox Cable internet and that was the easiest utility to add my fiancee at the time, just took a phone call, and she was listed on the next bill. With what you have you should be able to get a state ID card no problem for proof of address, might not be real ID compliant because until he is on a few utility bills it's hard to prove he is at your address. But a basic state ID should get the bank account open if you really want Chase. US bank was no issue as my wife and I have our joint account there. I can suggest a few more if needed, but you should be good. Another benefit of a credit union is most are free to open and maintain without direct deposit or a minimum balance.

[fip & jim 452]

Did you take the letter from the SSN with your address on to the bank? That's all I had personally addressed to me for the first few weeks. I also went to a larger branch in a bigger town because the branch closest to us weren't very helpful. I wasn't added to our joint account until after we were married, so we had more papers by that point. Is this an individual account for him, or adding him to yours so you have a joint account?

[Cathi 5,747]

I added my husband to my utility bills without any problem. Some utility companies allow you to add someone online, if not a quick phone call will do it.

[TBoneTX 45,267]

Regional or local banks may be more flexible than the national outfits.

If your account is at Chase and Chase is inflexible, consider switching everything to a more amenable bank.

Just remember the great value of Saturday lobby hours!  

[Mike E 11,739]

Sorry about your problems with Chase. 

 

We we had no problem opening a joint and individual accounts at Wells Fargo.  She had her passport for the first one and California state ID for the second one. 

 

Keep shopping banks. You will find one.  

[Just Paul 4,595]

On 4/19/2019 at 6:58 AM, jesswill89 said:

Chase refused to open him a bank account saying he didn't have enough proof of ID/residency.

Chase is terrible.   I couldn't add Mary to my checking account. after getting a bunch more IDs and added to my other accounts they finally added her to two credit card accounts.

 

I was able to open a brokerage account :) 

 

Capital one added her to my credit card even before we were married.   My regional bank and credit union were not a problem.

[Prizm123 1,086]

i recently switched ISPs and my new internet bill has my name and my fiancees name on it already and she isnt here yet. but i figured i might as well do it now

[millefleur 5,046]

Like the others said, avoid Chase...they are very picky about this and also about receiving money transfers from abroad. 

 

1 hour ago, Prizm123 said:

i recently switched ISPs and my new internet bill has my name and my fiancees name on it already and she isnt here yet. but i figured i might as well do it now

This is what I did for my joint US bank account. I managed to get my husband added to my account before he even had a US visa or had ever been to the US! (with USAA). I just had to call them multiple times (I was living abroad and they don't have a physical office anyway) and submit his ID's....it was relatively easy.

 

Try other banks/credit unions, call the utility places...there will be some way he can get his name on with yours if you request it.

 

[JasonGG 280]

Is your family plan with Verizon?  I asked to add my wife's name to the address on the bill and they did it over the telephone.  We did the same with our cable bill (also Verizon) over the telephone and all our utility bills.  Have you added him to your car insurance, renter's insurance, or health insurance?  They should all be able to update the address portion of the bill to include both or your names.  We did all of these over the phone in preparation for my wife's AOS interview and used the car insurance bill as proof when she got her driver's license.  I also added her to my checking account so the statements include both of our names.  She never uses it and opened her own account (a fairly easy process at our local bank), but it could be an option if you simply need to generate paperwork with your names and shared address.

 

Jason

[scottybrittas 1]

PNC Bank allowed us to open a joint account while I was still an ESTA visitor. All they wanted was something from the CBP website which showed my entry and the reference number.

 

Chase wouldn't do anything with me.