Can a foreign tourist get a bank account in Australia?

Question

Can a foreign tourist from USA get a bank account using a passport as ID in Australia?

If local ID is needed can that easily be obtained?

I would be very gratefull if you could call your bank to find out!

Thanks!

Answer 1

Yes you can get a bank account, and as ozmaniac explained you will need proper I.D.  There will also be a higher rate of tax applied to any interest earned on that account compared to what an Australian Citizen would pay.

Answer 2

A tourist can not get an Australian Bank Account, a resident can.

If you're here on a working holiday or a work visa you may well be able to. You will however need an Australian address.

I suggest researching if any US banks have branches in Australia.

You can not obtain local ID as you're not an Australian citizen.

Try http://www.stgeorge.com.au

http://www.westpac.com.au

http://www.commbank.com.au

http://www.anz.com.au

Answer 3

No,you must be a resident or in some cases if your on a working holiday visa you may qualify,you would need to ask at an australian bank

Answer 4

To open any bank account in Australia, the applicant must pass a points test. You must get 100 points and they are usually made up of the following:

Passport 70 points.

Birth Certificate 70 points.

Driver's License 40 points - with photo and address

Medicare Card 25 points - only Australians have these.

Credit card or ATM card - any two will be accepted, with 25 points each.

I believe you would have no trouble, but the bank may insist that you have an Australian address

Answer 5

I am not sure if the previous answer is correct.

My father in law who was visiting from china for 6 months got a bank account ok.

Just needed enough id. His passport and drivers licence got the points required by the bank.

This was a few years ago, maybe the rules have changed since he got his account.

Answer 6

You can definitely open a bank account in Australia as a tourist.

As the other one pointed out, you need 100% of ID. BUT you can do that by using you Passport your International Driving Licence and your Overseas Credit card.

You need to deposit enough money on it to cover the accounting cost and if you are gaining interest the bank will automatically give the appropriate amount of Tax to the ATO. Be aware that if you gain A LOT of interest you may need to declare this as income in your home country. Most western first world countries have a duple tax agreement with Australia. This mean that you are able to deduct the cost of the account from your US Tax, but have to declare any income from interest also.

If you want to  open an account here, I would suggest going to one of the big ones (ANZ, NAB, WestPac) and get yourself also set up for internet banking.