How To Open A USA Bank Account In Nigeria [For Free] – Yes, you read the title correctly; I said I’d show you how to open a USA bank account in Nigeria that will allow you to receive international payments faster and even transfer to your local bank account.

In short, opening USA bank accounts using these methods are legal and would allow you to recieve money from your US clients fast.

I have USA bank accounts I used to receive payment from my employers and client. I receive an international payment from my USA bank account and transfer it to my GT Bank savings account.

I could not open my USA bank account before because I needed stuff like a Social Security Number, USA residential address, USA driver’s license, passport, and ID card to open a bank account in the US.

I gave up because I don’t have the documents needed to complete this request.

Today, I can open a bank account in any country I want. I only need my phone and a good internet connection and I will open a USA bank account that can send and receive money.

Opening a USA bank account in Nigeria is as easy as registering an MTN SIM card.

Yes, it’s that easy. You don’t need to upload all your documents, certificate, or pay any money for registration. You receive a fully functioning Bank account as soon as you sign up.

So, don’t worry if you think opening a USA bank account as a Non-Resident or Citizen is hard. I assure you the entire thing is a straightforward process and you can open your own USA bank account for free without any trouble.

In this article, I’m going to walk you through the step-by-step procedure on how to open a USA bank account for free in Nigeria. This procedure is not just for Nigerians. It is available for foreign nationals that want to have an American bank account.

This means that this guide will show you how to open a USA Bank account as a non-resident. Yes, you are going to open a USA bank account even if you’ve never been to the country.

Whether you are from Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Mali, Germany, Dubai, Ireland, the UK, and even the USA, this guide will help you get a functioning USA bank account.

5 Ways To Open A USA Bank Account In Nigeria

Long story short, receiving international payments directly into your bank account is a long and costly process. The sender and recipient banks will charge you high processing fees for each transaction, and the money can take up to 36 hours before you can receive it in your local bank account.

This is sad, you can create a USA bank account for free and I intend to show you every available way to create one legally. It may surprise you but opening a USA bank account in Nigeria is a very straightforward process.

It’s easier to have a Bank account in the US, UK, Canada, Estonia, or any European country of choice than here in Nigeria, China, and Singapore. Laws like FATCA, Common Reporting Standard (CRS), and the Nigerian BVN has made setting-up a standard bank account in countries outside North America and the EU region harder for foreigners.

If you are a foreigner, I’ll show you how easy it is to open an account in any country of your choice without even being a resident of the country.

 

How To Open A Free USA Bank Account With Payoneer

Payoneer is a global payment service that allows you to send and receive money all over the world at no extra charge. With Payoneer, you can transfer money from Germany to China, the USA to Brazil, and the UK to Nigeria with only $3.

Yes, with less than $5 you can transfer money to anyone of your choice. The best thing about Payoneer is that the receiver will receive your payment with 2 hours. If the payment doesn’t arrive within two hours, do not be afraid, you will probably get it within the next 48 hours.

I’ve used Payoneer to send and receive more than $3,000 from my clients and to my customers and the experience was fantastic.

Payoneer doesn’t just allow you to create a USA bank account, you can also open a UK Bank Account, a bank account that works in the Eurozone, a Canadian Bank Account, Japan Bank Account, Australia Bank Account, and any other account you want with just one click.

This way, you can always receive payment for a rendered service or goods no matter which part of the world your customer leaves in. Another exciting thing about Payoneer is that they give you a free $25 when you sign up and activate your account.

Yes, free $25 to use as you want once your account is activated. Just to tell you how good Payoneer is, they don’t require a lot of documents to give you a free United States bank account. They only need your Nigerian National ID Card, Voters Card, Drivers License, or International passport.

If you have a National ID Card, Drivers License, or International passport you can create an American Bank account without evening leaving your house. The entire process is completed online.

NIN is not accepted by Payoneer since it is not an official identity document. If you want to open a USA Bank account but don’t have an ID Card, Voters Card, Drivers License, or International passport, you can use your parents’ name and documents and reapply when you have yours.

After you’ve uploaded the required documents, it would take about 3 working days to verify the uploaded documents and activate your Payoneer account. You will be emailed once your account is activated.

If you received this Email, you can now send and receive money into your USA bank account for free. If you also click on the Global Payment Service on the menu, you will also see your UK Bank Account, a bank account that works in the Eurozone, a Canadian Bank Account, Japan Bank Account, Australia Bank Account, and of course your US Bank account.

If you are an importer, you can use your Japanese bank account to pay your supplier, instead of sending money overseas at high and overpriced rates with outrageous charges.

After you’re done with your registration, you can request a Payoneer Mastercard. Unlike most Nigerian banks that would charge you ₦1,100 for a debit card or USA banks that would charge you up to $35 for a simple debit card, the Payoneer Mastercard is free.

Yes, you heard me right, the Payoneer MasterCard is 100% free no matter your country or location. You can order yours and use it to withdraw money from any ATM on Earth. Sounds cool right?

Payoneer Mastercards are accepted by all banks and ATMs. You can also use your Payoneer Mastercards to make online payments and send money to your customers and employees.

You can order a USA Mastercard linked to your USA Bank account, you can order a UK Mastercard account linked to your UK bank, and an Austrian card link to your bank account in Australia.

Don’t worry, your card will be delivered to the address you used to register when you were signing up. From what I’ve said so far, you should know that Payoneer is the real deal.

However, there are some things about Payoneer I dislike. You cannot use Payoneer bank accounts to receive money from individuals only registered companies.

This means that if you sell something to a customer living in the United States, he can’t send money directly to your USA bank account you created with Payoneer, he would have to use his company account to pay you for the goods you sold or service you rendered.

That’s sad really but it’s understanding. Internet fraudsters were using the company to launder money, so they had to increase their security. Only registered companies like PayPal, Fiverr, ClickBank, Google Adsense, Amazon, and Opera Mini can send money to your Payoneer bank account.

As long as your client has a registered company, she can send money directly into your US, UK, Canada, Australian, or Japan account using Payoneer. If your client doesn’t have a registered company don’t worry, I’ll show you another way to receive money from abroad with a foreign bank account.

Get A Payoneer Bank Account Now

 

How To Open A Free USA Bank Account With Wise.com

TransferWise, now Wise.com is also another fast and inexpensive way to send and receive money across the world. This company also allows you to open a USA bank account in Nigeria for free.

You see when making an international transfer, Payoneer charges you $3 of your transaction but with TransferWise, they require you to pay only 1.52% for every transaction. That means that your money will not tamper with it no matter how big or small it is.

How cool is that?

I use TransferWise to receive payment from my employers in Europe and I’m telling you, it was damn fast. As soon as my employer informs me that he has made the payment, I receive the alert within 2 minutes and withdraw the money in my GTB account.

With your TransferWise borderless account, you can send and receive over 40 different currencies in any bank account you created. Your borderless account allows you to send and receive money instantly. You can also send money to your US bank account from your local bank accounts.

Can I open a USA bank account in Nigeria for free?

Unlike Payoneer, Transferwise USA bank account also allows you to receive money from individual clients. Yes, with Transferwise, you can send your USA bank account to your client for payment and receive your money within the same day.

You can give your Transferwise USA account number to anyone you want to collect money from and receive the money for free. Since it is a US to US bank transfer. With Transferwise, you can open an account with Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, or Wells Fargo Bank.

You can use Transferwise to send to any parts of the world within minutes and receive money from anybody or company without limits. I’ve been using Transferwise for close to two years now and I can tell you that they can help send and receive money faster than any bank.

TransferWise is allowed and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK. So keep your mind at rest because the company protects your money with that extra security that is even better than most Nigerian banks.

What I dislike about Transferwise was the fact that you need to submit a lot of documents before you can even open a USA Bank account. If you want to open a United States bank account with Transferwise, you must submit a list of documents before they can activate your account.

Is TransferWise better than Payoneer?

Payoneer is quite established and one of the best ways to receive and send money around the world but TransferWise much better. You can receive payment from personal bank account if you are using Payaneer.

Not being able to receive money from individuals clients can be an enormous setback especially if you use your USA bank account to receive money from your customers in the United States.

Get A Wise Bank Account Here

 

How To Open A Free USA Bank Account With PayPal

With PayPal, you only need your email to open and activate your USA bank account for free. Yes, you just need a valid email address and you can set up a USA bank account that can send and receive money.

Although most people don’t see PayPal as a bank account, this Fintech Company is very similar to your everyday bank. Money stored and sent between PayPal accounts are deposited into bank money market accounts and eligible for pass-through FDIC insurance.

The money in your PayPal account is even insured like regular bank deposits.

Even the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and state regulators don’t see PayPal as a bank, but it has not still stopped the company from acting as a bank.

In most cases, PayPal is the middleman of most online transactions; they are there to preserve the bank details of both the buyer and the seller.

Best of all, PayPal is widely accepted around the world. With over 18 million active merchant accounts and transactions worth billions of dollars completed every month, PayPal allows business owners and their customers to send and receive money across the world at rates better than what most banks would charge.

The thing about PayPal bank accounts is that you cannot send and receive real money; you can only send and receive PayPal funds. PayPal funds are electronic currencies created by PayPal to enable easy online purchases.

Don’t be discouraged, you can withdraw your PayPal funds as real money to your bank account. Once you’ve linked your PayPal account to your bank account, you can easily send money in your PayPal account to your Nigerian bank account.

All active PayPal account has USD as the default currency but you can also add other currencies of your choice. I don’t think creating a PayPal account to send and receive money is a great idea, but it’s best to use PayPal if you have no other option or alternative.

Make makes a PayPal bank account even better is the fact that they have a PayPal prepaid card or PayPal Cash Debit MasterCard that is linked to your PayPal account.

Your PayPal debit card can be used to pay online, withdraw cash from any ATM on earth, pay bills, transfer money between PayPal and bank accounts.

PayPal’s prepaid card users also have the chance can earn 1% unlimited cashback, qualify for FDIC insurance and open a Bancorp Bank savings account that pays 5% APY on balances of below $1,000.

What makes PayPal seem more like a bank is because it can freeze any account suspected of fraud or suspend your account. If you have a PayPal business account, you can receive direct deposits and cash checks to your bank.

 

How To Open A USA Bank Account As A Non-Resident For Free

Reliable USA banks like Wells Fargo, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Capital One, and Suntrust allows some non-residents and even foreigners outside the United States to open a standard bank account as long as they submit all the required documents.

While other contemporary banks like TD Bank, Citibank, HSBC, and Bank of America needs a copy of your international passport to give you an active USA bank account. All the data they need will be taken directly from your passport.

As a Nigerian, you may also open a USA bank account if you have a valid passport. Depending on the branch and state, you can open a USA bank account with your passport, other offices may require you have a USA address.

The process is even easier if you are opening a corporate account. If you start a company based in your US, you can also open a USA corporate bank account with your EIN.

As a non-resident and non-US citizen, you can apply for an ITIN and get your own USA bank account in no time. You don’t have to travel to the United States to complete this process.

You only have to find a bank you like, contact the bank representative for help, sign up online, email them the required documents, and your account will be activated.

Sometimes, an ITIN processing number issued by the IRS to people that are ineligible for an SSN. With an ITIN number, most USA banks will allow you to open a bank account in place of the SSN.

The requirements for opening a USA bank account vary between banks, states, and branches. So, if you are traveling to the USA to open a bank account or completing your application online, you should know the requirements places by the bank before you travel or file your application.

If you don’t have enough money to travel to the USA to open a standard bank account, you can mail your application and required documents to the bank. Once they’ve done everything they need to your bank account will become active and you will be notified via email.

 

How To Open A USA Bank Account With Mercury

Mercury is another awesome service that you can use to open a USA bank account without even traveling to the United States. With Mercury, you can easily open a USA bank account without stress and spending all your money.

This superb company launched in April 2019 and ever since, it continues to impress its customers with state-of-the-art services and products. Sadly, this renowned company has not received a lot of attention because it’s a medium-sized fish swimming with shark-sized competitors.

I will only say this once, “Mercury is one the best ways to open a USA bank account as a Non-resident, Non-citizen, and digital nomad”. It may take an American just a few minutes to open and activate a standard bank account but most foreigners don’t have this pleasure.

As a foreigner that plans to open a USA bank account with Mercury, you’d have to go through strict protocols and rigorous background checks before you can get a USA bank account with no limit or restrictions.

Every single bank account you open and activate with this service is 100% secured and allows you to receive and send money to and from the United States without even leaving your country. Mercury also helps you save a lot of money that would have been spent on traveling and incorporation.

If you need a standard US bank account for your business, even if it is not in the United States, you should check out Mercury. Although the process can be longer for foreigners and people living outside the United States, it is very well worth it.

Mercury also allows foreigners including Nigerians to register a non-resident LLC in any US state at a very cheap price without any tax penalty attached. What I liked the most about Mercury is that most of their services are free and the paid ones are very low cost.

They may require you to deposit money before they will activate your account. Everything else, including cash transfers, ATM withdrawals, online payments, and foreign transactions are completely free of charge.

 

How To Get A USA Credit Card For Free With GetBarter

If you don’t want a USA Bank account that would help you send and receive money, you can request a USA credit card with GetBarter. GetBarter is a Nigerian service that gives you a USA credit card to make safe online payments.

It may shock you to see this service on this list but GetBarter is an excellent service by Flutterwave that allows everybody including Non-Nigerians to create a virtual USA credit card and address that can make online payments.

You can also tell your employer to send you money directly into your Barter credit card. Once the money is received in my withdraw it to your local bank account and start enjoying the cash.

They made GetBarter for employers because not every Nigerian is an employee. I know a lot of Nigerians that employ people from the UK, US, Canada, and Australia with technical online skills. This service helps African businessmen facilitate small and personal merchant payments to any country of their choice.

Is GetBarter Safe?

Yes, GetBarter is 100% safe. This service was created by Flutterwave and used by millions of businesses in Africa. You can use Barter US credit card to make payment online anywhere on earth, request payments from your friends and family, and make payments worth up to $1,000 at once.

Barter is also backed by Flutterwave, Visa, Mastercard, and Wema Bank. It is one of the safest ways to make online payments. If you want to send and receive money outside Nigerian on a budget, you should get a Barter account.

Flutterwave is an online payment platform founded by Iyinoluwa Aboyeji and Olugbenga Agboola in 2016. This massive Fintech Company has completed transactions worth more than $17 billion in transactions since its inception.

They have done a fine job in making and receiving payments easier for Africans. Once you integrate Flutterwave into your online business, you can easily receive payments from anywhere in the world. Uber, Wakanow, Booking.com, Opera, and InformationNGR use Flutterwave to make and receive payments.

Although Flutterwave has its headquarters in San Francisco, it is active in 10 African countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa.

 Barter is accessible on the desktop here: barter.flutterwave.com but offers the best experience via the smartphone apps available here for free.

You only need your email, BVN, and Phone number to get a USA credit card to make payments using Barter. You can open your Barter account on desktops or using your mobile phone. The app is free for both Android and iOS devices.

See, opening a USA bank account to send and receive money for clients is not so hard, is it? I hope that I delivered what I promised and sincerely hope that you find this guide helpful.