Can I open a bank in Taiwan as a tourist?

[Ben Stones]

Just a bit of a background story, I will be arriving back in Taipei next week as a digital freelancer.

Does anyone know if I need a permanent address to open a bank account because I’m going to be staying in Airbnb/hotels for a while. I have an American passport and will be applying for the Record of ID. Most apartments I found are annual lease and I don’t want to commit to a single location yet. Can I rent a PO box for a permanent address?

Also which bank has online wiring capability to wire money back to America?

Thanks in advance, guys!

[Andy Howell]

There’s a lot of information out there, check out this site about how to open a bank account in Taiwan as a tourist:

https://futuretravel.today/how-to-open-a-bank-account-in-taiwan-as-a-tourist-ef388e500ad6

Basically, you don’t need a permanent address… Any bank can pretty much wire funds to America, although if your prefer an English internet bank interface, your options are pretty limited. HSBC, Standard Chartered, Citi are fairly good options…

[Jack Wilson]

Hold up, as of Jan 1st 2018, a new law came into place which prevents all non ARC holders to open an account. HSBC and Citi told me needed $250,000 twd to open a limited account for non ARC holders. So basically, your National ID number is no longer enough to open one anymore…

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