The expat

The expat's problem is the mirror image of the digital nomad's. You have a fixed address - it's just foreign, and your financial history and credit trail is split across two (or more) countries. Most banks will accept a local rental contract, a local tax ID, and evidence of local employment as sufficient proof of residency; the harder problem is usually the gap in local credit history, which no amount of documentation instantly fixes.

Before any tax question matters, most expats hit a more basic gate: opening an ordinary local account in the country they've actually moved to - which depends on the specific visa or residency status you hold there, not just on having landed.

Tax-residency rules also change under you. One well-documented example: the UK replaced its decades-old "remittance basis" with the Foreign Income and Gains (FIG) regime from 6 April 2025 - new UK residents who were non-UK-resident for the prior ten tax years can bring foreign income and gains into the UK tax-free for up to four years, but a wide range of everyday actions still counts as "using foreign income in the UK" and defeats the exemption. The lesson generalises beyond the UK: assume your countries' rules for expats have changed since you last checked, and verify rather than relying on what used to be true.

A separate, consistently reported friction: American citizens abroad running into refusals or closures because many banks outside the US prefer not to take on the reporting burden that comes with a US-person client - see the US-person reporting section if that applies to you.

Treat residency evidence as a package: your permit or registration, a local tax ID where the local system issues one, and employment or income evidence that matches the status you hold. What counts as sufficient varies sharply by country - four well-documented examples, cited because they span the real range, not because they're the likeliest destinations:

• Thailand (example): a long-term non-immigrant visa is expected - since early 2025 most major banks reject tourist visas and the DTV nomad visa outright - and proof of address means a Certificate of Residence issued by Thai Immigration, not just a lease.
• Mexico (example): a Temporary or Permanent Resident Card plus CURP and RFC tax numbers, with a utility bill no older than 3 months; since 2026 a basic limited account is available with just CURP and ID, capped around 3,000 UDIS (~MXN 24,000) in monthly deposits.
• Indonesia (example): a valid KITAS/KITAP residence permit, though some banks will open an account without one; proof of address can be a domicile letter from the local village head or a formal lease.
• Georgia (example): no residency required at all - any foreign passport-holder can open a non-resident account - but 6–12 months of home-country bank statements and a clear source-of-funds story are expected, and nationals of sanctioned or high-risk countries face automatic refusal.

• Local residency evidence

  That you genuinely live where you say - a residence permit, registration certificate, or the local equivalent for your status.

  Common mistakes

  • Assuming a lease alone is enough where the country expects an official residence certificate.

• Local tax ID or tax status

  That your local tax position is established, where the local system requires or issues one.

• Local employment or income evidence

  That your income matches the residency status you hold (a work permit implies payroll; a passive-income visa implies pension or investment statements).

• I can evidence my residency status in the country where I live - a permit, registration, or the local equivalent.

• Where the local system requires it, I have (or have applied for) a local tax ID, and I know my local tax status.

• I know which country each of my accounts treats me as tax-resident in, and my answers are consistent across institutions.

  “No home country” is not a real category to a bank - don't assume it.

These become trackable items in your checklist once your personalized plan is generated.

• Unconventional address / foreign residency explanation

  Explain clearly why a conventional proof of address is unavailable and what alternative evidence you can offer instead.

• US-person reporting: FBAR and FATCA
• The dual citizen / second-passport holder
• The digital nomad
• Red flags and closure patterns
• Your next step