Student Bank Account Reference Letter

Date:

To: Bank Manager

From:[your name], [your title]

Re: Opening Bank Account for _______

I am writing in my capacity as the [your title] of the [your office] at [your institution] to request your assistance in facilitate the opening of a bank account for the above named student.

It is my understanding that Department of Treasury regulations found at 31 CFR ß103.121 require each bank to establish a Customer Identification Program aimed at establishing the identity of each customer who opens an account. Before opening an account, banks are required to obtain the name, date of birth, address, and identification number for each customer. The regulations recognize that non-U.S. persons may not have a taxpayer identification number and allow alternatives in the form of the number of the foreign passport or the number associated with another government-issued form of identification. I urge you to accept ____________’s passport number in lieu of a U.S. taxpayer identification number.

___________ is a full-time student in the School of ______ here at [your institution] as evidenced by his/her Form I-20 and I-94. According to University records, he/she resides at ________________________________. He/she is not eligible for a Social Security Number and cannot apply for an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) through the Internal Revenue Service unless he/she can either establish that he/she is the beneficial owner of a bank account for which interest earnings must be reported or until he/she files a tax return next year.

Until he/she is able to provide a taxpayer identification number to assist with your reporting requirements, I ask that you accept a completed Form W-8 BEN.

Thank you in advance for any assistance you could provide. Should you have any questions regarding this letter or need additional information regarding _______’s status at [your institution], I can be reached at [your phone number].