# USA->NZ: Getting a bank account?



## khodge (Jan 3, 2015)

My boyfriend and I have gotten our Working Holiday Visa approved and are most likely moving to Queenstown for a short period of time in around a month and a half.
What are some great tips that you can share about acquiring a bank account, etc.? I have Wells Fargo and she has SECU here in the states.


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## Kimbella (Jul 4, 2013)

khodge said:


> My boyfriend and I have gotten our Working Holiday Visa approved and are most likely moving to Queenstown for a short period of time in around a month and a half.
> What are some great tips that you can share about acquiring a bank account, etc.? I have Wells Fargo and she has SECU here in the states.


Most banks here allow you to open an account from the US, then once you are here, you'll have a few weeks to go into the bank directly and provide them with proof of address and Visa information, at which point they'll issue you a eftpos card, and you'll have a working account to access. I'd suggest opening a PayPal account in both places also, so if you have funds in the US that you want to keep there, but might occasionally need to dip into, you can transfer the funds from your US bank account into your US PayPal account, then transfer those funds to your NZ PayPal account, then withdraw it into you NZ bank account. Has worked well for me that way, especially when the exchange rate was generous. You can check out NZ banks online to see which ones allow you to open an account while still in the US. I know Westpac does because that's the bank I did it with. Other banks are ASB, ANZ, BNZ, TSB ... there are others, I just don't know them all

And, for the most part, Credit Unions are a bit of a rarity here--not commonly seen or used like they are in the US. I had never had an actual BANK account until I moved here, always credit unions... The one credit union I've heard of here is called NZCU.

The NZ banks will also ask for your US SS# because they are now required by law to report certain earnings to the US IRS, so, don't be surprised when they ask for it!


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## suslik (Jul 20, 2012)

khodge said:


> My boyfriend and I have gotten our Working Holiday Visa approved and are most likely moving to Queenstown for a short period of time in around a month and a half.
> What are some great tips that you can share about acquiring a bank account, etc.? I have Wells Fargo and she has SECU here in the states.


I opened an account with Kiwibank. It is kind of like a post office bank - I assume it has grown out of NZ Post? But anyway, it was handy when travelling: wherever there was a post office, there was bank. Always centrally located, service made sense, no fuss. Still with them, happy.


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## simply me (Sep 17, 2013)

Hey there. I assume if you have a US bank account with a debit card and your pin you can access your funds from an ATM. Be sure you have online banking so you can keep track. I've been using mine while abroad for years in UKA and other countries.


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