Answered August 2026

Yes—you can open a Bank of America checking account before your SSN through its in-person international-professional process; Chase is not a source-confirmed no-SSN option for you.

“I just got my TN status as a Canadian and am located in San Francisco. Can I open a checking account with Chase or Bank of America before I get my SSN?”

Summary

You do not need to wait for the SSN to start banking: Bank of America has a written route for non-U.S. professionals with a physical U.S. address. The manageable part is bringing the full address, ID, and Canadian tax-number package to a financial center.

Before your SSN arrives, the two banks have different published paths: Bank of America has a clear international-professional route, while Chase does not publish a definite no-SSN rule for your exact case.

Open at Bank of America nowbest now

Use the in-person international-professional route if you have a physical U.S. address. Bring your foreign and U.S. addresses, Canadian passport, one secondary ID, and Canadian ; Bank of America says no SSN is required and no U.S. TIN/ITIN is required unless already issued.

Use Chase before the SSNnot confirmed

This is not a source-confirmed before-SSN route for you. Chase accepts a passport for non-U.S. citizens and asks for two IDs with one showing a U.S. address, but its no-SSN discussion only says an ITIN may substitute if a bank requires one—and the IRS limits ITINs to people not eligible for an SSN.

If you do not yet have a physical U.S. address, Bank of America’s published route does not fit, and Chase also requires one of your IDs to carry a U.S. address.

Read the full explanation

Watch out for

You need a physical U.S. addressBank of America’s international-professional route requires a physical U.S. address and also asks for your foreign home address. Chase’s non-U.S.-citizen ID sheet says either the primary or secondary ID must contain a U.S. address, so merely being in San Francisco without address proof is not enough for either published route.

Bring two IDs, not only your passportFor Bank of America, your Canadian passport can be the primary ID, but you also need one secondary ID—such as a Canadian or U.S. driver’s license, a Visa/Mastercard debit or credit card, a major retail card, or a U.S. State Department diplomat ID.

Do not use an ITIN as a stopgapBecause you say your SSN is pending, do not apply for an simply to satisfy Chase. The IRS says an ITIN is for someone who has a federal tax purpose and is not eligible for an SSN; Bank of America expressly says a U.S. TIN/ITIN is unnecessary unless one has already been issued.

Identity approval is still bank-specificThe federal customer-identification rule allows a passport number for a non-U.S. person, but it also requires each bank to decide what to do when it cannot reasonably verify a customer’s identity, including when not to open an account. The rule permits the pathway; it does not force either bank to approve every application.

Next steps

These steps give you the strongest source-backed way to open a checking account before your SSN arrives.

Before booking

Confirm your U.S. and Canadian addresses

Bank of America requires both addresses. For the U.S. address, bring one of these: a government-issued photo ID showing it, a current utility bill with your name and address, or a rental agreement or similar document.

Requirements

A physical U.S. address in San Francisco

Your Canadian home or permanent address

Before the appointment

Build your identification and tax-number packet

Use your passport as the primary ID and one listed item as the secondary ID. Bank of America says an SSN is not required and a U.S. TIN/ITIN is unnecessary unless already issued; your Canadian SIN supplies the foreign tax identifier.

Requirements

Canadian passport with photo, with or without a U.S. visa

One secondary ID: Canadian or U.S. driver’s license, Visa/Mastercard debit or credit card, major retail card, or U.S. State Department diplomat ID

Canadian SIN as your

Any U.S. TIN/ITIN only if one has already been issued

Before your SSN arrives

Book and attend a Bank of America financial-center appointment

Use Bank of America’s international-professional page at https://info.bankofamerica.com/en/international/professional-bank-account.html and select “Set an appointment.” Meet the associate at the chosen San Francisco financial center with the complete packet and open the checking account through that published in-person route.

Requirements

Both address records

Primary and secondary IDs

Canadian SIN

Legal sources

This answer is based on Bank of America’s and Chase’s own account-opening materials, the federal bank customer-identification regulation, IRS ITIN guidance, and Canada Revenue Agency SIN guidance.