What the bank checks first
The key question for the bank is the legality of your stay and the ability to identify you. Everything else is secondary: the bank has to understand who you are, on what grounds you are in the country and how to reach you.
Requirements differ from bank to bank and change over time, so the specific list is better checked with the branch in advance — by phone or in a support chat. Below is what is asked for almost everywhere.
- An identity document — a passport with a notarised translation if it is not in Russian
- The grounds for your stay — a visa, a migration card, a residence permit or a temporary residence permit
- Proof of registration — the notification of migration registration at your place of stay
- A taxpayer identification number — not always required, but with it the procedure goes noticeably faster
The order of steps
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Check the bank's requirements
The lists differ. A call to support saves a second trip to the branch.
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Collect and translate the documents
The translation of the passport is notarised. This is the longest step, so it is worth starting with it.
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Come to the branch in person
Opening an account remotely is rarely available to a foreigner: identification in person is needed.
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Sign the agreement and get the details
A card is usually issued straight away or within a few days.
Why banks refuse
A bank is not obliged to explain a refusal, but the reasons usually come from a short list.
- Documents about to expire: too little time is left until the end of the visa or the registration
- No migration registration, or an address that differs across documents
- An incomplete set — most often the notarised translation is missing
- The bank's internal restrictions by citizenship or by category of client
What to do while there is no account
The first weeks after moving are the most awkward period: the documents are being processed while payments are needed already. The same routes work here as for transfers without an account.
- Collect money in cash against a passport
- Use cryptocurrency as an intermediate step, if you have a wallet
- Exchange currency at an office rather than looking for a bank willing to serve you without an account
How it works with us
Having a bank account is not a condition for working with us. Exchanging currency and collecting a transfer are possible against a passport, and the fee stays the same — 1% of the amount.
The rate is locked before payment, so the amount to be received is known in advance and does not depend on how long the paperwork for the account takes.
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No bank account needed
An exchange and a collected transfer are possible against a passport.
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A 1% fee
The same for every client and every amount.
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Cash at an office
By prior arrangement about the time and the currency.
