Before you start

Passport, with visa and I-94 if applicable
A California 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, California 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 identification number for non-US persons.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
2
Choose a bank used to international customers
Irvine's retail banking sector is unusually international for an American suburb, with branches of banks whose parent institutions are in Taiwan, China and South Korea alongside the national names. Staff there deal with newly arrived customers constantly and will not tell you that a passport is not acceptable identification, which is a conversation you may otherwise have.
In personWho: You
3
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 to show at the counter.
In personWho: You
4
Set up electricity, and understand who is who
Southern California Edison owns the distribution network and sends the bill. The Orange County Power Authority — a community choice aggregator serving Buena Park, Fullerton and Irvine, with Fountain Valley joining — supplies the generation by default, and you may opt out back to SCE's own generation. You do not choose between competing retailers as in Texas; you choose between two generation suppliers on one SCE bill.
OnlineWho: YouBefore your move-in date
5
Look up the water allocation before you sign a lease on a house
The Irvine Ranch Water District is an independent special district, not a city department, and it is known nationally for budget-based tiered rates: each account gets an allocation derived from the property and household, and use above it is charged at sharply higher tiers. On a flat this rarely matters; on a house with a garden and a pool it matters a great deal. Check the specific property rather than assuming a flat rate.
OnlineWho: You
6
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
7
Open a secured credit card in month one
Post a deposit, typically a few hundred dollars, 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 — and in Orange County the thing it unlocks is a rental application, not a mortgage.
OnlineWho: YouMonth 1
8
Budget the HOA dues if you buy, and read the CC&Rs
Most Irvine villages have a homeowners association and many have two — a village association plus a master association — with monthly dues and enforceable rules on paint, parking, bins and balconies. On a condominium the dues can be several hundred dollars a month on top of the mortgage and the property tax. Get the current dues, the reserve study and the CC&Rs in writing before you commit.
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 California address
Employer offer letter, accepted by many institutions as supporting evidence

Things most newcomers don’t know

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, and the FDIC's own guidance says so. Branch staff often do not know this — though in Irvine you are more likely than almost anywhere in America to find a branch that does.

Source: FDIC — Customer Identification Program requirements

You have two electricity suppliers on one bill, and you were opted in to one of them.

Irvine helped found the Orange County Power Authority, a community choice aggregator, so by default your generation comes from OCPA while SCE delivers and bills. It is not the Texas model — there is no retailer to shop for — but it is not a simple monopoly either, and you can opt out. Most newcomers do not know it exists until they read the bill line by line.

Source: Orange County Power Authority

Water here is priced against an allocation, not a flat rate.

The Irvine Ranch Water District pioneered budget-based tiered pricing: each property gets an allocation and use above it climbs through steeply higher tiers. Two identical houses can have very different bills depending on garden size and how many people live there. If you are renting a house, ask what the previous occupants actually paid.

Source: Irvine Ranch Water District

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

Common mistakes to avoid

Waiting for an SSN before trying to open an account, when a passport is often enough.
Not realising the generation half of your electricity bill comes from a body you can opt out of.
Renting a house with a garden without checking the water allocation for that property.
Buying a condominium without pricing the HOA dues and reading the CC&Rs.
Financing a car in month one with no credit file at a punitive rate.

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