Before you start

Passport, with visa and I-94 if applicable
A North Carolina residential address
An SSN or ITIN if you have one; a passport number if not
An opening deposit, which varies by institution

Step-by-step

1
Open a checking account in branch
Bring your passport, North Carolina address and SSN or ITIN if issued. Federal Customer Identification Program rules explicitly permit a passport number and country of issuance instead of a taxpayer number for non-US persons.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
2
Mention a pending ITIN if you have no SSN
Banks may open accounts for people who have applied for but not yet received an ITIN. File IRS Form W-7 and keep the receipt.
In personWho: You
3
Consider a Carolinas credit union alongside a national bank
North Carolina has one of the strongest credit-union sectors in the country, including very large ones with membership open far more widely than the names suggest. They are frequently more flexible on a thin credit file and price car loans materially better than national banks.
In personWho: You
4
Set up direct deposit
Give payroll your routing and account numbers. Direct deposit waives the monthly maintenance fee on most US checking accounts.
Via employerWho: You and your employer
5
Open a secured credit card in month one
Post a deposit, typically around $500, and get a card with a matching limit that reports to the credit bureaus. Age of history matters as much as behaviour, so the clock is the thing you are buying.
OnlineWho: YouMonth 1
6
Budget the car and the annual tag-and-tax bill together
Outside the Blue Line corridor a car is close to unavoidable. A newcomer with no credit file is quoted a punitive finance rate, and the annual combined registration and vehicle property tax scales with the car's value. A credit union is usually the cheapest way through the finance; the tax is simply a cost of the car you choose.
In personWho: You
7
Expect the rental application to be the real credit test
Charlotte's rental market is competitive and large managed complexes screen on a credit score they will not see for you. Get the secured card working early, and be ready with an offer letter, bank statements and an offer of a larger deposit — North Carolina caps deposits by statute, so know the ceiling before you negotiate.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport, with country of issuance serving as the identifying number if you have no SSN or ITIN
Visa and I-94, where applicable
SSN card or ITIN letter, if issued
Proof of a North Carolina address
Employer offer letter, accepted by some institutions as supporting evidence

Things most newcomers don’t know

Banking in a headquarters city means local decisions.

Bank of America and Truist are headquartered Uptown and Wells Fargo runs one of its two main operational centres here — this is the second-largest banking centre in the United States. Thin-file cases that a national call centre declines are more often decided by someone in the building, and the regional and credit-union sector across the Carolinas is unusually deep.

Source: community-reported

Federal rules let a bank take your passport instead of an SSN.

The Customer Identification Program rule accepts a passport number and country of issuance for non-US persons. Branch staff often do not know this. Escalate politely, or try a credit union, before concluding you must wait for the SSN.

Source: FFIEC BSA/AML Examination Manual — Customer Identification Program

The vehicle property tax is part of the cost of the car, not of the paperwork.

Under Tag & Tax Together the annual bill scales with the vehicle's assessed value. That makes an expensive car meaningfully more expensive to hold here than the finance payment suggests, and it is a factor worth putting into the decision at purchase rather than discovering at renewal.

Source: NC Division of Motor Vehicles

Carrying a balance builds interest, not credit.

Scores respond to on-time payment and low utilisation, not to interest paid. Paying in full each month builds history identically and saves a rate above 20% APR.

Source: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — credit cards

Common mistakes to avoid

Waiting for an SSN before trying to open an account, when a passport is often enough.
Delaying a secured card until a rental application forces the issue.
Financing a car in month one with no credit file at a punitive rate.
Forgetting the annual tag-and-tax bill when budgeting the car.
Paying an avoidable monthly maintenance fee by never setting up direct deposit.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.