I'm helping a friend who is currently in Australia on a visitor visa (subclass 600) and is looking to open a bank account.
Does anyone know which banks currently allow such visa holders to do this?
He already have a foreign passport and a local Australian mobile phone number.
Do they need to provide any other documents like visa grant notice, address proof, etc?
Any advice or recent experience would be really appreciated.
Sportsbet, ladbroke, Tab, want more?
Why not ?
To create an illusion.
To purchase properties…
i thought cash would be fine? ideally in breif cased format, non-sequential bills , handcuffed to a suited bodyguard. For comedic effect the breifcase also has a giant $ sign in green.
Visa subclass 600 can let you stay in Australia for up to 12 months, so if someone is here that long you can understand why they would want a local bank account.
to save money in international transfers with a service like Wise and get an AUD debit card… like the rest of us, I mean, have you seen the size of the coins here?
Tax evasion
It is generally not the bank themselves, but the 100 points of ID check to get an account :/
To satisfy the 100-point identification check for opening a bank account in Australia, you'll need to provide a combination of primary and secondary documents that add up to at least 100 points. Primary documents typically include items like a passport, birth certificate, or citizenship certificate. Secondary documents, which are used to supplement the primary ones, often include things like a driver's license, Medicare card, or utility bills.
Here's a breakdown of common documents and their point values:
Primary Documents (High Point Value):
Passport (Australian or Foreign): 70 points
Full Birth Certificate: 70 points (not an extract)
Australian Citizenship Certificate: 70 points
Secondary Documents (Lower Point Value):
Driver's License/Permit (Australian or Foreign): 40 points
Medicare Card: 25-30 points
Utility Bill (with name and address):
Bank Statement (with name and address):
Council Rates Notice:
Proof of Age Card: 40 points
Important Considerations:
Point Values Vary:
Some banks or institutions may have slightly different point values for certain documents, so it's always best to check directly with the bank you plan to open an account with.
Must Include Name:
Documents must include your full name, and some may require a photo.
Must Include Address:
Some secondary documents, like utility bills, must show your residential address.
Original Documents:
Banks generally require original documents (not photocopies) for verification.
Expired Documents:
Expired passports may be accepted if they are not cancelled and were current within the last two years.
So gather documents, walk into a branch and see what they say ;)
There are requirements that must be either citizen or PR now.
Sauce?
What about all of the backpackers who come here on working holiday visa and can stay and work for 2 years, or the business sponsored visas that allow people to stay and work for 4 years? They are all not able to get a local bank account?
I can be your source if you want, I needed to do this for my overseas wife - we tried multiple banks and only had luck with Westpac.
The other banks, like commbank, allow you to 'create' the account and get 90% of the way there, but at the last stage they will ask for your visa and if it's not a PR type then it gets rejected. Speaking with the staff there, apparently this is not law, etc. but new policy in their and many other banks as of the start of this year.
You can't be even bothered with a 5 second google search
The irony.
https://www.nab.com.au/personal/banking-in-australia
Have a valid visa (most visa types are eligible, except for tourist or visitor visas)
@onetwothreefour: Except for visitors visa LOL you contradicting yourself! Need to have PR visa. Sigh….the irony…
@mrvaluepack: So a 4 year sponsored visa and a 2 year working holiday visa are visitor visas?
Not sure why you are getting so aggressive about this when I was just curious on how the rules might have changed since I came to Oz. Was just asking you as you seem to know everything without needing a source.
@onetwothreefour: The title of this forum post: Which Banks Allow Visitor Visa Holders (Subclass 600) to Open a Bank Account in Australia?
@mrvaluepack: Yeah and I was asking about different types of visas.
Relax champ, you win. You're the king of the internet, well done.
Backpackers / whv , and business sponsored visas have work rights , including super ,so are legitimately in need of bank accounts , subclass 600 explicitly states no working rights.
There is a high risk of this visa subclass used for money laundering , fraud , and a general risk of the accounts being controlled by related parties , ie their relatives , friends to do some measure of the above risks .
I would say that subclass 600 has no legitimate need of bank accounts , if they seek one , then 95% of the time it is for reasons that are not fully above board .
From the banks perspective there is no profits and only regulatory headaches , why would they want this ?
@Salternative: Yeah I get that part with the 600 visa, I was just curious if this applied to other visa types as suggested above
There are requirements that must be either citizen or PR now.
It seems ludicrous that someone who is specifically here to work on a sponsorship visa for 4 years would not be able to open a local bank account as they are not a citizen or don't have PR. Imagine telling your employer that they need to pay you in your foreign bank account every week.
I have held a WHV and a sponsorship visa in the past, so I was just curious whether things had changed so much or not since those days.
@onetwothreefour: WHY and Sponsored visas should have no issues with opening banks acs at the big 4.
I have heard of hsbc mentioned somewhere, their recent issues with fraud and them wanting to leave the aussie market( the aussie arm is for sale) could be the reason.
Business wise, i would find banks declining accounts for WHV's and sponsored visas strange , chinese whispers more likely.
'Sauce?'
My favourite is HP, although big standard barbecue sauce will do at a pinch. Another favourite is Sweet Baby Ray's and is great value at $9 or do for a big bottle from Costco.
Maybe look at opening something like a HSBC account in their home country and use that to get an account in Australia.
From my experience (a few years ago) an overseas HSBC account or being an overseas HSBC customer is/was totally irrelevant.
Even for transfers, they treated an overseas HSBC account as just another overseas bank. No favors …
You need to be Premier to have free international transfers - but only between the same currency otherwise you get hit with 3% forex spread
I have accounts with HSBC in Australia and overseas. It is the most bureaucratic bank I know.
I would not recommend going the HSBC route to merely open a bank account in Australia.
600 Visa Holders
Why do they need so many visas?
It's just 1 Visa…each for 600 people!
I believe ANZ is the choice of new arrivals?
I understand that CBA or WBC are equally popular. WBC were offering a $50 sign on bonus earlier this year
Westpac Choice.
They were giving a $50 signing on bonus and offer great interest if you are under 30.
Bank of Mum and Dad.
I thought bitcoin solves this problem, or at least that’s what the pumpers say
xrp brah
ill help you. you can use transfer money to mine and ill withdrawl the cash
I'm doing that for someone in a similar situation. They couldn't open an account that pays good interest, so I'm letting them deposit to my offset account, and I'll calculate interest when they want their money back.
Which stream of Subclass 600?
Cba will do it, they even allow you to use overseas mobile number. Westpac also do I believe. Nab is a no go.
Last year St George opened an account for a tourist friend with just their foreign passport. The friend gave an Australian address (mine) and an Aus phone number which they had used their own ID to activate. The bank didn't ask for any address proof or their visa status.
Also tried HSBC and initially they were happy to proceed with just the passport and no proof of address too. But then the staff member asked us to email him some VEVO thing and after consultation with the branch manager, they said they would only do it if he had a visa that could lead to PR eventually. Or as a tourist only if they already had Premier in another HSBC country.
Can they do a Wise card account? It has AUD accounts.
But wise will ask for proof of aud id when performing first AUD transfer.
No they won't.
Stop telling lies, yes they will:
Steps to complete
Deposit 30 AUD
You only need to do this for your first set of details. You can use this money later.
Verify your identity
We’ll need to check your ID. It’s one of the ways we keep your money safe.
Verify your identity
You’ll need to show us your ID, and sometimes a copy of a bank statement or utility bill. It’s one of the ways we keep your money safe. Usually, we can verify you in a few minutes. But sometimes it can take up to 3 working days.
@mrvaluepack: You said:
But wise will ask for proof of aud id when performing first AUD transfer.
That's not correct.
You have pasted the steps for opening an Australian-based Wise account.
The OP's friend is a foreigner who could open a Wise account based in their home country. In some countries, Wise may choose to verify some customers electronically by other means, without requiring them to upload ID.
When you have a Wise account based outside Australia, you can open an AUD account and use it to send and receive money from Australia. You don't need an Australian ID to use this. Sending or receiving a small amount of AUD will not necessarily trigger Wise to ask for ID.
If you keep using Wise and send and receive large amounts, they will probably ask you to send ID at some point, but not necessarily with your first transaction.
That is how black money get converted into white !
All cash in hand get changed to white !!
You wish. They ask for source of funds when you deposit foreign cash. Or can you tell me which bank allows that without proof for souce of funds?
It doesn't have to be cash in hand, smurf accounts have been used for many other things like scams, frauds, tax evasion and money laundering. These accounts are sold/rented to the people with dirty money to make their life easier. Considering temporary/foreign residents are exempt from CGT on non TAP asset, there may have been strong demand on these accounts recently specifically for crypto tax evasion. No one, including the ATO, really cares about people working cash jobs, it’s just a drop in the ocean.
ANZ Plus allows you to open an account without holding any form of Australian ID.
My brother in law opened one when he was on a bridging visa waiting for his student visa to be sorted out. He just used his foreign passport.
It's an app-only account but they'll post you out a Visa debit card and you get a linked savings account that earns interest too. No monthly fees.
Usually, bank may allow to open the account to new immigrant in first 15 days of coming based on passport, visa and boarding pass. This is how I opened my first bank account a while ago. You can try NAB as well.
I had several of my overseas visitors opening bank accounts. First I got them a proof of identity card. This with the passport was easy for any bank account opening.
It’s called a ‘Photo Card’ in most states.
ANZ, Westpac. I am sure because I helped my parents open Westpac Life accounts when they went on a trip last year.
Westpac.
We tried some other banks, like commbank, and they allow you to 'create' the account and get 90% of the way there, but at the last stage they will ask for your visa and if it's not a PR type then it gets rejected. Speaking with the staff there, apparently this is not law, etc. but new policy in their and many other banks as of the start of this year.
Looks like cba just added a note on their Web page. Last year they even allowed tourists to do it.
Visitor Visas are not able to open bank accounts in Australia anymore. They changed the regulations just this year in early 2025.
edit: with the Big 4 banks
Some of the banks may allow you to open an account and deposit money but will require proof of address and identity (KYC) for anti-money laundering in order to withdraw.
Quite a few allow this for new immigrants.
You could in theory end up having money locked up if you can't satisfy the requirements.
they will get just a ordinary ATM EFTPOS card
I was here on a student visa for years (citizen now) and had no issues opening an account with ANZ. No idea if it has changed. This was roughly 10 years ago.
you might as well get a prepaid Qantas Pay card with MasterCard you can only Bpay for deposit earn points and no requirement maximum amount deposit is $20k min is $50
https://www.qantasmoney.com/qantas-pay
Thailand banks all got together and agreed to charge the equivalent of $10AUD PER ATM withdrawal. This is one reason why i looked into getting a local account but it can take time and costs a bit of cash to do…
St. George . All you need is passport and a phone number . But you need to go to a branch with your passport for ID verification to finalize your application .
For tourists, the easiest way to manage money is to set up a Wise account back home and open a digital AUD account and add the card to their mobile wallet. It used to be possible to open bank accounts on a visitor visa. I had an ex-colleague who came here on a business visitor visa for meetings a few times a year, and he managed to open one with a letter from the workplace confirming he worked for a foreign subsidiary of an Australian company but the rules have tightened up over the years.
I opened a NAB classic account for my mother in-law to use whenever she came visit (on a 600 visa). It was all done online and the card was mailed home later. No monthly fees even when banking at the branch. Don't oven any saving account as it requires TFN and complicate things.
https://www.commbank.com.au/moving-to-australia/banking.html
Read under "Who can apply"
It says unable to accept sub class 600, 601 and 651. If our biggest bank is rejecting this, it is very likely all banks will follow the same general policy.
If your friend is Chinese (just assuming from OP's user name), you could try BOC.
If your British just use revoult bank , it is literally the same as the Australian one , same app, nothing changes , easy .
If your British you can also get a Medicare card , as health care is free in UK , Australia gives them reciprocate health care , hench a Medicare card , and it's a cool different colour . This will help you open bank accounts and get driving licence etc .
Westpac. Opened one for mum last year
Nice try ATO !
Up, ANZ Plus, ING..Hope this helps!
Why do they need a bank account here, while visiting?