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I am a non resident allien who never went into the United states but who needs to receive usd funds from a United States based company. They requires their suppliers to use their online platform for payments which requires a bank account that accept wire transfers using the us system (with aba codes).

And as the current usd/eur exchange rate is not interesting, I want to keep funds at the new opened account. So I want an interest account that will have higher apy than the reference saving account of my country (Livret A has 0,75% untaxed apy at all banks nationwide, so I need an interest rate of at least 0,975% apy that will cover the 30% flat tax of my country).
It seems Mega money market accounts can provide this, but it seems us banks and credit unions requires a ssn (not a french ssn) or an itin. I read I could get an itin by applying a w7 form, but as the funds I ll receive aren t related to trade or business in the United States, I don t know under which exception I should apply for not filling a us tax return.

So is there a way to have an itin without being able to apply for us tax return?

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  • Are you able to visit the US? It is very difficult to open a US bank account over seas.
    – Michael
    Aug 18, 2017 at 20:46
  • @MichaelC no, I have no plan to spent 800€ for a flight just for opening a bank account. Anyway, this woild be the price of something like 15 years of apy saving.
    – user2284570
    Aug 18, 2017 at 20:49
  • Understandable - please see my answer below.
    – Michael
    Aug 18, 2017 at 20:54
  • Something to keep in mind: I believe that having such an account will make you have to file a US non-resident tax return.
    – Loren Pechtel
    Aug 19, 2017 at 3:29
  • @LorenPechtel it seems the answer is no irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/….
    – user2284570
    Aug 19, 2017 at 7:26

1 Answer 1

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According to the IRS:

Aliens who are not eligible to apply for a U.S. social security number, or who do not meet the Social Security Administration's evidence requirements for an SSN, may apply for an Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITIN) from the Internal Revenue Service if they have a valid tax reason for needing an ITIN, as explained in the Form W-7 instructions.

Seeing as you don't have a valid tax reason for an ITIN, your request will probably be denied by the IRS.

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  • Why do you say he doesn't have a valid tax reason? He wants to open an interest-bearing account in the US.
    – Loren Pechtel
    Aug 19, 2017 at 3:28
  • @LorenPechtel even if I was a resident allien, I would need a signed letter from the bank stating I already opened an interest bearing account. IRS confirmedWe issue ITIN for tax return, we don t issue an ITIN for opening a bank account
    – user2284570
    Aug 19, 2017 at 8:53
  • @Michael I think I found a way for getting an ɪᴛɪɴ. I asked a new question for that money.stackexchange.com/q/103700
    – user2284570
    Jan 7, 2019 at 23:05

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