Open a bank account in Europe as non resident

[Mssquirrel]

I am traveling around Europe for a few months and wondering if this is possible and if anyone had done it. EU or Eastern Europe maybe would be ok too.

 

[Sols]

Where do you live? What's your nationality? What do you need the account for? How much money can/do you plan to deposit in the account?

 

[Mssquirrel]

Paraguay residency, latam passport. Just to have it maybe send less than 10k a month some months maybe nothing.

 

[SimpleGuy]

Almost impossible. If it is for a company, Multipass may open it.

 

[Mssquirrel]

Almost impossible. If it is for a company, Multipass may open it.

I supposed it but wanted to ask anyways. Maybe I will open a company in Romania, not sure yet tho

 

[gab1]

There are definitely banks who open personal accounts for non-citizens/residents, as long as you provide your country's tax ID. I'm not sure if Paraguay is on their whitelist though, you just need to shop around and ask (ask the banks, not the forum). They have lists of countries that are low and high risk and I'm sure where Paraguay stands.

 

[Sols]

I don't think your chances of success are very high unfortunately. It doesn't sound very attractive to the bank. Even if you manage to open an account, keeping it open would be another challenge.

 

[Forester]

I am traveling around Europe for a few months and wondering if this is possible and if anyone had done it. EU or Eastern Europe maybe would be ok too.

Paraguay residency, latam passport. Just to have it maybe send less than 10k a month some months maybe nothing.

Try Verifo (a Lithuanian EMI). I guess it can work. Or maybe Paysera (also LT EMI) but there I'm not sure.

There are definitely banks who open personal accounts for non-citizens/residents, as long as you provide your country's tax ID. I'm not sure if Paraguay is on their whitelist though, you just need to shop around and ask (ask the banks, not the forum). They have lists of countries that are low and high risk and I'm sure where Paraguay stands.

IMO – generally, banks will be more reluctant than (some) EMIs. Maybe some bank in Montenegro but their fees are horrible. Or perhaps in Serbia. Nevertheless, an EMI will serve you well – if you success to onboard.

 

[jafo]

I am traveling around Europe for a few months and wondering if this is possible and if anyone had done it. EU or Eastern Europe maybe would be ok too.

You have come to the right place!

Yes, you can! I'm going to go out on a limb here and "assume" you speak Spanish fluently, right? If affirmative, keep reading:

Santander, is your first link: ¿Puede un extranjero no residente en España abrir una cuenta bancaria?

Cuenta Mundo para no residentes​

is your next link: Cuenta Mundo para No Residentes

This can be done with other banks in Spain, especially if your Spanish is fluent. Make sure you keep in touch with your account executive. Grab their business card and email. If they have a mobile number, grab that too. Stay in touch with your bank contacts at least once per month with one "¡Buen día! Te deseo una maravillosa semana libre de estrés." on a European Monday morning before the bank opens

Try to deposit at least €1000 cash with each account opening. If you want a debit card, you must have an address in Spain. Preferably, a friend's address. If you want to be fancy, you can get an address here: Home


Do NOT! I repeat, do NOT have the bank ship your debit card to Paraguay! The Aduana at Aeropuerto Internacional Silvio Pettirossi will go ape sh1t if a debit card or credit card arrives for a resident in Paraguay!


Good luck and success!

PS. No. I'm NOT Spanish or even from the South of Europe. Moreover, Spanish is NOT even close to my native language. I learned Spanish through "immersion" i.e., I dated a LOT of Latinas in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s.

 

[Piano]

You have come to the right place!

Yes, you can! I'm going to go out on a limb here and "assume" you speak Spanish fluently, right? If affirmative, keep reading:

Santander, is your first link: ¿Puede un extranjero no residente en España abrir una cuenta bancaria?

Cuenta Mundo para no residentes​

is your next link: Cuenta Mundo para No Residentes

This can be done with other banks in Spain, especially if your Spanish is fluent. Make sure you keep in touch with your account executive. Grab their business card and email. If they have a mobile number, grab that too. Stay in touch with your bank contacts at least once per month with one "¡Buen día! Te deseo una maravillosa semana libre de estrés." on a European Monday morning before the bank opens

Try to deposit at least €1000 cash with each account opening. If you want a debit card, you must have an address in Spain. Preferably, a friend's address. If you want to be fancy, you can get an address here: Home


Do NOT! I repeat, do NOT have the bank ship your debit card to Paraguay! The Aduana at Aeropuerto Internacional Silvio Pettirossi will go ape sh1t if a debit card or credit card arrives for a resident in Paraguay!


Good luck and success!

PS. No. I'm NOT Spanish or even from the South of Europe. Moreover, Spanish is NOT even close to my native language. I learned Spanish through "immersion" i.e., I dated a LOT of Latinas in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s.

which other banks beside Santander , have you experience ?

 

[latindev]

which other banks beside Santander , have you experience ?

Santander is the friendlier with foreigners, BBVA and Bankinter also opens to foreigners but they will make more questions once you visit one of their branches. I suggest trying in branches located in well defined banking zones, don't try with branches on small towns because they won't accept it mostly by not being aware it's possible

 

[scooterguy]

Try CIM Banque, it's fully online so you will never need to visit them, and their minimum balance is only 5K. The main disadvantage of this bank is that it has lots of fees that add up to around $600-$800 a year.

 

[Forester]

Try CIM Banque, it's fully online so you will never need to visit them, and their minimum balance is only 5K. The main disadvantage of this bank is that it has lots of fees that add up to around $600-$800 a year.

Good point. It does not depend on whether you are in Europe or not, in fact. So you can try Dukascopy, too – for balances under 50k it's OK.

 

[Oakgrove]

Wouldn't N26 or Bunq (or maybe even Wise) open an account for a Paraguayan? (unless something has changed those banks are pretty foreigner friendly). Or dare I say also Revolut.

 

[scooterguy]

Wouldn't N26 or Bunq (or maybe even Wise) open an account for a Paraguayan? (unless something has changed those banks are pretty foreigner friendly). Or dare I say also Revolut.

None of the "banks" you listed work for a resident of Paraguay.

 

[jafo]

None of the "banks" you listed work for a resident of Paraguay.

Is Paraguay on some sort of undesirable "list"???

 

[latindev]

Is Paraguay on some sort of undesirable "list"???

I don't think so, Paraguay doesn't even exist (latam joke)

 

[scooterguy]

Is Paraguay on some sort of undesirable "list"???

EMIs and neobanks are only available to the residents of certain countries. For example, Revolut: What countries are supported? | Revolut.

Wise accepts legal residents of a wider array of countries, but some countries have restrictions, such as an inability to have a card (this restriction applies to residents of all Latin American countries, except for Brazil: Can I get the Wise card in my country? | Wise Help Centre).

 

[TheCryptoAnt]

Stay in touch with your bank contacts at least once per month with one "¡Buen día! Te deseo una maravillosa semana libre de estrés." on a European Monday morning before the bank opens

yeah... dont do this lol

I lived in Spain for years, this is turbo cringe for them lol

It might work in LATAM but Spaniards are not hispanic.

 

[wellington]

I am traveling around Europe for a few months and wondering if this is possible and if anyone had done it. EU or Eastern Europe maybe would be ok too.

Romania ING... (do in bucharest) ro + eur