I moved to Japan with my wife in July 2023. Both she and I are US citizens by birth. I am currently a graduate student at an American university and unemployed. My wife’s job in Japan is our sole source of income. I have received a refund check of excess financial aid from my university in USD, and need to deposit it into an American bank account. I would ideally like to open a brand-new joint checking account with my wife, as we have meant to have a joint account for awhile now and never got around to it. We also are currently locked out of accessing funds in our separate American USD bank accounts through Chase and Wells Fargo, due to the fact that we no longer have the American phone numbers listed for SMS two-factor authentication, as they have been deactivated and we now have Japanese phone numbers. I need to deposit the check as quickly as possible in order to pay off some American credit card debt that we have accrued with moving expenses, expenses in Japan since, etcetera. Rather than waiting for what we have been informed will be a lengthy process of verification for the existing accounts, we would like to simply open a joint account unaffiliated with either bank, as previously mentioned. Is it legal for me to use my consenting mother-in-law’s address and phone number when listing my current home/physical address to apply for a new bank account? We have never lived at her address, and we currently live only in Japan at our Japanese address with no American property to our names. Could I be charged with fraud in the United States if I say that I currently live at my mother-in-law’s address when applying for a new American bank account, while actually living here in Japan?
5 comments
Since you already have bank accounts with Chase and Wells Fargo, the easiest thing would be to set up a Google voice phone number to receive two factor authentication. To do this you will need to have a US phone number where somebody can receive the initial activation code for you. Using your relatives phone number in the US and having them standby and relay it to you immediately. I called my parents on Skype and then they received the code on their US landline and I input it into my Google voice right away. Now I receive all of my two factor authentication, Citibank, Chase, Vanguard on there.
Sure you can open a bank account and use their address. I use my parents address for everything in the US. The difficult thing will be opening the account from Japan. I don’t think you’ll be able to do that without having two factor authentication in the first place, so again my first suggestion would be best.
Unlike Japan, anybody can open a bank account in the US. My Chinese wife who is a resident of Japan opened a bank account for herself in the US while she was there on holiday. She did it in person, but I think it would be impossible to do it from here
I used Wise as an American bank for receiving money in the past, you can use it for direct deposit and debits, plus easily transfer money to your Japanese account.
Try state department federal credit union. There are a couple ways to become eligible for membership and they are overseas friendly
Ally Bank is completely online, but you may need to mail in check to their designated address. You’ll need to use a relative or friends US phone number and address to set up the account, but you can add on a memo that you’re international and give your Japan address and phone number after set up. Bonus points for 24/7 phone support.
Have you tried clicking “Try another method” on the Chase or Wells Fargo verification page? They can text, email, call you, or you can call them. SMS is not the only way and it’s not going to be a lengthier process that setting up a new account.