You can get a U.S. credit card without a Social Security number (SSN). Many issuers accept an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) in its place, so apply with yours where the application asks for an SSN or ITIN. If you can’t get an SSN and need a number for federal taxes, request an ITIN from the IRS on Form W-7.
American Express and Bank of America both accept an ITIN on their card applications. The sooner you open a card, the sooner you start the payment history that landlords and lenders check.
The catch is the ITIN itself. The IRS issues one if you need it for a federal tax purpose, such as filing a return, and you aren’t eligible for an SSN. Your immigration status doesn’t affect eligibility. If you qualify for an SSN, get that instead.
To get one, send Form W-7, usually with your federal tax return. Include your passport, or two other documents that prove your identity and foreign status, one of them with your photo. Send originals or copies certified by the agency that issued them. If you’d rather not mail your passport, apply in person, free and by appointment, at an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center that handles ITINs. You can also go to a Certifying Acceptance Agent, a person or business the IRS authorizes to help with ITIN applications, who may charge a fee. Expect to hear back in about 7 weeks, or 9 to 11 weeks if you apply between January 15 and April 30 or from abroad.
Once you have the number, confirm that a card’s application takes an ITIN before you apply, since some issuers accept one only on certain cards. If you’re turned down for having no U.S. credit history, try a secured card, backed by a refundable deposit, from an issuer that takes your ITIN. Your credit history from another country can help too, where an issuer accepts a foreign credit report.
Then use the card to build your history. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau explains that the credit bureaus match each reported account to the right person’s file by details like name, address, and date of birth, not an SSN alone. So the card should appear on your U.S. credit report. Pay on time every month and keep your balance low. Six months in, you’ll have enough history for a FICO score.
Editorial & Advertiser Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided, commissioned, reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser. Opinions expressed here are ours alone, not those of any advertiser. The offers that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. That compensation may influence which products we cover and where and how they appear on a page – including the order in which they appear – but it does not influence our evaluations, ratings, or opinions. We do not include every company or offer available in the marketplace.
Related:
