Opening an online bank account is a pretty simple process, but it does require you to have some information on hand. To open a bank account online include things like your driver’s license or government-issued I.D., as well as your Social Security number and mailing address. You’ll also need to provide details about where you work so that the bank can verify your employment eligibility. The next section will walk through each of these steps in detail so that you know what to expect when opening an account online!
Social Security number
The Social Security card is a unique identifier for U.S. citizens, and it’s required to open a bank account in most cases. While many people are concerned about privacy and identity theft when providing their Social Security number online, there’s no need to worry about either issue in this case—Your SSN will not be provided to any third parties or shared with anyone else unless you choose to do so at some point during the application process (for example, if you want to add your spouse as an authorized user).
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Mailing address
- It must be a valid address. It’s recommended that you use your residence, but if it’s not available and you don’t have a permanent address, you can use a P.O. Box.
- If you don’t have a mailing address and cannot provide one of the other options above, they will need to call or visit in person for verification purposes.
Date of birth
Your date of birth is required to verify your identity, which means they use it to perform certain tasks that help you verify your age and confirm that you’re old enough to have an account. These include:
- Calculating interest rates and fees associated with your account.
- Verifying the identity of any parties (such as yourself) who are involved in transactions or requests on your behalf.
Employer information
Next, enter the following information:
- Employer name.
- Address of employer (optional).
- Phone number of employer (optional).
- Email address of the company (optional).
- Website address for your employer (optional).
Driver’s license or government-issued ID
- A state-issued driver’s license or I.D. card.
- It must have a picture and a physical description of the person on it, as well as an expiration date that is at least six months from the date of account opening.
- It must be valid and current (not expired). Suppose you’re using a government-issued form of I.D. that does not display an expiration date. In that case, your bank may require you to submit additional supporting documentation in addition to your primary form of identification. It’s best to check with your institution before applying for an account, so you know what documents they require and how many copies they need from each document type.
- Must be in your name, exactly as it appears on other identifying documents (e.g., address) used during the application process.
Opening an online bank account is easy, but knowing whether your bank can be accessed overseas is essential. Also, ensure you have all the paperwork ready before starting this process!
