Before you start

Passport, with visa and I-94 where applicable
A US 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 in week one
Bring passport, Tucson address and SSN or ITIN if issued. The federal Customer Identification Program rule explicitly permits a passport number and country of issuance instead of a taxpayer number for non-US persons. A refusal on that ground is branch policy, not law.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
2
Budget for a Tucson Electric Power deposit
TEP commonly requires a deposit from customers with no credit history, refundable after a period of on-time payment. In a city where a summer bill for a cooled one-bedroom can run to a couple of hundred dollars a month, size it into your move-in budget alongside the rent deposit rather than meeting it as a surprise.
OnlineWho: YouMove-in week
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 — raising it at the counter can move your banking forward by weeks.
In personWho: You
4
Set up direct deposit immediately
Give payroll your routing and account numbers. Direct deposit waives the monthly maintenance fee on most US checking accounts, which is the simplest saving on this list.
Via employerWho: You and your employer
5
Open a secured credit card in month one
Post a refundable deposit, typically around $500, and receive a card with a matching limit that reports to Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Length of history counts as much as behaviour, so start the clock immediately rather than when a landlord finally asks.
OnlineWho: YouMonth 1
6
Talk to a Tucson credit union before you finance anything
Southern Arizona has an unusually strong credit union sector, several rooted in the university and the defence employers. They are frequently more willing than national banks to lend against an employment offer rather than a credit score, and a pre-approval turns a dealer's finance desk from your only option into a competitor.
In personWho: 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 Tucson address
Employer offer letter, accepted by some banks, lenders and utilities as supporting evidence

Things most newcomers don’t know

Arizona caps residential security deposits at one and a half months' rent.

The Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act limits the security deposit to one and a half months' rent, and any non-refundable fee must be described as non-refundable in writing. A landlord who wants three months up front because you have no credit file cannot lawfully ask for it as a deposit. Most US states have no cap at all, so this is a genuine protection worth knowing before you negotiate — and Tucson's older private-landlord stock is exactly where the demand gets made.

Source: Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act

No credit history is treated worse than bad credit history.

American underwriting scores a file, and a file that does not exist cannot be scored at all. A well-paid newcomer can be declined for an apartment, a phone contract and a car loan in the same fortnight while holding a spotless twenty-year record at home. Nothing crosses the border — not the mortgage, not the decade with the same bank.

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, and branch staff frequently do not know it. Being refused is common and is not a legal outcome. Print the CFPB guidance, ask for a manager, or try a credit union — waiting weeks for a number you may not even be eligible for is the avoidable mistake.

Source: FDIC — Customer Identification Program requirements

The free transit quietly changes what you can afford.

Every other large Arizona city assumes a car, and the cost of one — insurance, fuel, a value-based annual registration tax, an emissions test — is normally the second-biggest line in a newcomer's budget after rent. Tucson's whole transit network is free to ride, so a job and a flat both near the streetcar line can genuinely postpone car ownership past the point where you have a credit file and can finance one on decent terms.

Source: Sun Tran — fares and passes

Common mistakes to avoid

Not budgeting for a TEP deposit on top of the rental deposit in your first month.
Accepting a security deposit demand above Arizona's one-and-a-half-month statutory cap.
Waiting for an SSN before trying to open an account, when a passport often suffices.
Financing a car in month one with no credit file and accepting a punitive rate.
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.