How to open a bank without a DNI

[Beth]

I have temporary residency and have been turned down by every bank in town for a bank account. When I get my DNI, it will mean I am no longer temporary. Will my requirement to deposit five times the minimum wage cease then?

 

[steveinbsas]

The requirement for "foreigners" to make monthly "depositis of five times the "minimum (monthly) wage" into an Argentine bank account has nothing to do with "foriegners attempting to become citizens with an Argentine passport."

It is a requirement set by Argentine migraciones and applies to foreigners who are granted temporary residency in the categories of rentista and pension, and the funds must be transfered by wire directly from their foreign bank account into thier Argentine bank account, which they should be able to open with the precaria, even before (if my information is correct) they have their DNI.

I have never heard or read anything about monthly deposits of any amount into an Argentine bank account as being a requirement of the citizenship process, which, at least for now, is still in the hands of the federal courts, not Argentine migraciones.

PS: my understanding is that the applicant for Argentine citizenship must "demonstrate an honest means of living" which can be certified by an Argentine accountant and that having a bank account in Argentina is not a requirement.

 

[steveinbsas]

I have temporary residency and have been turned down by every bank in town for a bank account.

Do you have a precaria from migraciones?

Have you tried Banco Nación?

When I get my DNI, it will mean I am no longer temporary. Will my requirement to deposit five times the minimum wage cease then?

Temporary residency is usually good for one year at a time. Under the current rules, it appears that you will be required to make the transfers monthly (and be able to demonstrate that you have done so when you try to renew it (at least until youget a "cambio cambio" de categoría from temporary to permanent residency on the third renewal).

 

[steveinbsas]

I have temporary residency..

What is your temporary residency based on (e.g. pension or investment income)?

 

[Johngwyn]

The requirement for "foreigners" to make monthly "depositis of five times the "minimum (monthly) wage" into an Argentine bank account has nothing to do with "foriegners attempting to become citizens with an Argentine passport."

It is a requirement set by Argentine migraciones and applies to foreigners who are granted temporary residency in the categories of rentista and pension, and the funds must be transfered by wire directly from their foreign bank account into thier Argentine bank account, which they should be able to open with the precaria, even before (if my information is correct) they have their DNI.

I have never heard or read anything about monthly deposits of any amount into an Argentine bank account as being a requirement of the citizenship process, which, at least for now, is still in the hands of the federal courts, not Argentine migraciones.

That made my day! I was laughing so hard in front of screen. I think he doesn't know the difference between Rentista visa and the citizenship.

 

[IamWaldo]

The bank manager at Galicia, where someone else had obtained an account, politely informed us that he would not be opening an account for us. He said the entire banking industry runs digitally on the dni system, and that to open accounts for people without a dni required additional handwritten paperwork. Customers don't get to use the app, money can't be transferred digitally, and all transactions have to take place in the bank with a teller, creating additional work for both the customer and especially the bank. There is a law on the books requiring banks to open accounts for people without dni, law that passed in the last 6 months or so. But it appears they've tried to adhere to the new requirements, and found them burdensome and excessive. Foreigners attempting to become citizens with an Argentine passport are required to make regular monthly deposits of five times the minimum wage in Argentina into an Argentine bank account in order to qualify as part of that process. After the application for residency there is a wait time and an approval that gets you the dni. Applicants in the process feel an urgency the Argentinians don't share, and the catch 22 between the need to make deposits and the inability to get an account are known. Use this down time to learn to like maté.

I have tried at other banks too, some where friendly (BBVA, banco nacion) some where less friendly (Santander, Galacia)

BBVA wanted some kind of paper from my home country which didn't made a lot of sense.

Banco Nacion was really friendly and once i had the papers it took me two afternoons to get everything arranged.
The first afternoon for opening the account, the second for receiving the tarjeta.

The only true downside on Bancion Nacion is that you can not use BNA+ app so if you want to transfer money, you need to go to the ATM.

 

[steveinbsas]

The only true downside on Bancion Nacion is that you can not use BNA+ app so if you want to transfer money, you need to go to the ATM.

The issue temporary residents are facing is the requirement of migraciones to make monthly transfers from their foreign bank to their bank account in Argentina (once they actually have the latter).

I have the impression that a SWIF transfer is acceptabe, if not required by migraciones, but I am not certain.

Can you confirm that it's possible to make a transfer from the temporary resident's foreign bank account to a BNA account using an ATM and if would be acceptable to migraciones?

 

[steveinbsas]

I have temporary residency and have been turned down by every bank in town for a bank account. When I get my DNI, it will mean I am no longer temporary. Will my requirement to deposit five times the minimum wage cease then?

In a post that you made in another thread you implied that you have the pension visa.

You will be required by migraciones to make the monthly transfers as long as you have temporary residency. If you want to renew the temporary residency before it expires, you will need to show migraciones the history of the transfers you made during the previous year.

PS: If I understand correctly, the requirement to transfer "five times the minimum wage" applies to each individual in the family, so a couple will have to (at least for now) transfer ten times the minimum wage each month.

PS2: While I don't expect the minimum monthly wage to increase significantly in the next yeat, I think it's far more likely that the monthly amount temporary residents are required to transfer will increase from five to six times the minimum wage, and, when it happens, the already overdue increase will most likely become effectve immediately.

 

[steveinbsas]

While I don't expect the minimum monthly wage to increase significantly in the next yeat, I think it's far more likely that the monthly amount temporary residents are required to transfer will increase from five to six times the minimum wage, and, when it happens, the already overdue increase will most likely become effectve immediately.

Just to be clear, I think the increase from five to six minimum salaries could happen at any time and and the new rate will immediately apply to all new applicants for the visa rentista and pensionada, but I don't think that the new monthly rate will apply to current visa holders until they renew.

Of course the required monthly transfer rate could increase to seven times the minimum monthly salary, and I won't be surprised if it does. Previous increases have been even greater (percentage wise).

 

[steveinbsas]

Of course the required monthly transfer rate could increase to seven times the minimum monthly salary, and I won't be surprised if it does. Previous increases have been even greater (percentage wise).

Given the staggering increase in the COL in dollars in the past eighteen months, perhaps it's time the monthly income rate in pesos got closer to the $2000USD range, like it did when it was increased to $30.000 pesos (when the exchange rate was fifteen to one).