With only the documents you listed, Bank of America is not a confirmed fit; your strongest documented next try is a Wells Fargo branch with your passport, signed SSN card, address proof, and marriage record.
“I entered the US on a K1 visa, got married, and changed my name. I have my SSN and my passport (in my birth name), but all my proofs of address are in my married name. Chase wouldn't let me open an account because the names don't match. Will Bank of America accept my documents, or is there another bank that is more receptive to this situation?”
Summary
The document mismatch does not mean non-U.S. citizens cannot open accounts: Bank of America publishes a nonpermanent-resident route, and Wells Fargo expressly accepts passports at a branch. The difficult part is proving that your two names belong to the same person, and no bank’s published policy guarantees that exception.
Your best route depends on the name on your Social Security card, whether you have current DHS evidence, and whether you possess Bank of America’s additional required ID.
This is the closest published fit for the documents you named: a branch lists an original passport as and a signed original Social Security card as . Take your married-name address proof and original or certified marriage record to explain the name change, but Wells does not expressly guarantee that it will accept that bridge. [Wells Fargo Everyday Checking ID Checklist]
Bank of America’s published nonpermanent-resident checklist requires two IDs, both a foreign and U.S. address, and a tax-identification number. Your SSN can supply the tax number, but it is not listed as the required secondary ID, so passport plus SSN alone does not complete the published checklist. [Bank of America International Professional Account Checklist]
A branch application becomes possible if you also have a listed , such as a foreign or U.S. driver’s license or a qualifying debit or major credit card, plus your foreign address and U.S. address evidence. Schedule a financial-center appointment and take the marriage record, but BofA does not promise approval of mismatched names. [Bank of America International Professional Account Checklist]
If your SSN record is still in your birth name and you possess a current, unexpired I-94, I-766, or I-551, request the free SSA correction using Form SS-5, your foreign passport, and marriage/name-change evidence. If none of those DHS documents is current, use the in-person bank route meanwhile and make the SSA correction after you receive current evidence; an application receipt is insufficient. [Form SS-5 (12-2024); SSA POMS RM 10212.025]
A bank may decline whenever its risk-based verification process cannot form a reasonable belief that it knows your identity. [31 CFR 1020.220(a)(2)(iii)]
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Watch out for
Next steps
These steps give you the best immediate branch application while also fixing the underlying name mismatch when your immigration evidence permits it.
Before another application
Build one original-document packet
Note which name appears on the Social Security card and the expiration date of every immigration document. The marriage record is your linkage evidence between names, but ordinary photocopies are not acceptable for an SSA correction and the banks require original IDs. [Form SS-5 (12-2024); Wells Fargo and Bank of America checklists]
Requirements
If the SSN record still has your birth name
Correct the Social Security name if you have current DHS evidence
Start at https://www.ssa.gov/number-card or submit Form SS-5. The correction is free; if you need in-person service, make an appointment through the local office/Card Center or call 1-800-772-1213. If your I-94 is expired and you have no current I-766 or I-551, wait for current DHS evidence unless you qualify for a valid non-work exception—a receipt alone is not accepted. [SSA FAQ KA-01981; Form SS-5 (12-2024)]
Requirements
Best documented immediate option
Apply at a Wells Fargo branch
Apply in person so the documents connecting the two names can be presented together. Wells expressly lists a passport and signed Social Security card, but its address proof must be in your name and the marriage-record bridge is not guaranteed. Everyday Checking currently has a $15 or $0 monthly service fee; published ways to make it $0 include at least $500 in qualifying electronic deposits or a $1,500 minimum daily balance during each fee period. [Wells Fargo Everyday Checking pages]
Requirements
If you have an additional ID
Try Bank of America only with its complete checklist
Use https://info.bankofamerica.com/en/international/professional-bank-account.html to schedule a financial-center appointment. The published checklist requires two IDs in addition to the tax number and both addresses; passport/visa plus SSN alone does not satisfy that checklist, and the page does not promise acceptance of mismatched names. [Bank of America International Professional Account Checklist]
Requirements
Legal sources
The answer comes from the current Treasury eCFR, Social Security Administration instructions and policy, and the banks’ own account-opening pages.
31 CFR 1020.220
Federal law leaves document verification to each bank’s risk-based identity program rather than requiring acceptance of a particular marriage document.
(a)(2)
The CIP must include risk-based procedures for verifying the identity of each customer to the extent reasonable and practicable. The procedures must enable the bank to form a reasonable belief that it knows the true identity of each customer.
Bank of America International Professional Account Checklist
Bank of America’s nonpermanent-resident route requires more than the passport and SSN alone.
Required documents
You’ll need to provide both a foreign and U.S. address, as well as two forms of ID and a tax identification number.
Wells Fargo Everyday Checking ID Checklist
Wells Fargo’s branch checklist expressly lists the two documents the asker already has as acceptable primary and secondary identification.
Branch identification requirements
Passport Social Security card (signed)
Wells Fargo Everyday Checking ID Checklist
Wells Fargo may require separate address evidence bearing the applicant’s name.
Proof of address
Proof of address is required – If neither primary nor secondary ID contains your physical address, separate proof of address in your name (for example a utility bill or school enrollment statement) will need to be provided.
SSA FAQ KA-01981
SSA requires proof connecting the person, new legal name, and name-change event.
To get an SSN card with a corrected name, you will need to provide evidence of your identity, your new legal name, and name change event.
Form SS-5 (12-2024)
SSA does not accept ordinary photocopies or merely notarized copies for this application.
page 1
We can only accept original documents or documents certified by the custodian of the original record. Notarized copies or photocopies which have not been certified by the custodian of the record are not acceptable.
Form SS-5 (12-2024)
A recent name-change document should identify both names; older or incomplete evidence triggers extra identity requirements.
page 1
A document supporting a name change must be recent and identify you by both your old and new names. If the name change event occurred over two years ago or if the name change document does not have enough information to prove your identity, you must also provide documents to prove your identity in your prior name and/or in some cases your new legal name.
Form SS-5 (12-2024)
A noncitizen needs current DHS status evidence for the SSA correction.
page 2
You must provide a current unexpired document issued to you by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) showing your immigration status, such as Form I-551, I-94, or I-766.
Form SS-5 (12-2024)
An I-797 or other receipt showing that a replacement status document was requested is not a substitute for the current document.
page 2
We CANNOT accept a receipt showing you applied for the document.
SSA POMS RM 10212.025
SSA recognizes marriage certificates and certified marriage records as name-change evidence.
RM 10212.025
Marriage certificates, souvenir certificates, and certified copies of marriage records are considered marriage documents and acceptable evidence of a name change.
Wells Fargo Everyday Checking
This is the current published monthly fee for the specific Wells Fargo account discussed.
$15 or $0 monthly service fee
These are the official federal, SSA, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo rules published on the cited dates; rules and account terms can change.
This is general information about official processes, not legal advice; SettleKit is not a law firm.
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