--- title: "Bank account abroad as a student | Gigapass" description: "Sometimes the one from home is enough, and sometimes they will not let you rent without a local one. What they will ask for, in what order, and what to check first." url: https://getgigapass.com/en/blog/bank-account-student-abroad markdown: https://getgigapass.com/en/blog/bank-account-student-abroad.md lang: en site: Gigapass generated: 2026-10-24 languages: es: https://getgigapass.com/blog/abrir-cuenta-bancaria-estudiando-fuera de: https://getgigapass.com/de/blog/bankkonto-studierende-ausland it: https://getgigapass.com/it/blog/conto-bancario-studente-estero fr: https://getgigapass.com/fr/blog/compte-bancaire-etudiant-etranger pt: https://getgigapass.com/pt/blog/conta-bancaria-estudante-estrangeiro nl: https://getgigapass.com/nl/blog/bankrekening-student-buitenland ja: https://getgigapass.com/ja/blog/ryugaku-kaigai-ginko-koza ko: https://getgigapass.com/ko/blog/yuhak-haeoe-eunhaeng-gyejwa zh-hans: https://getgigapass.com/zh-hans/blog/liuxue-haiwai-yinhang-zhanghu pl: https://getgigapass.com/pl/blog/konto-bankowe-student-za-granica sv: https://getgigapass.com/sv/blogg/bankkonto-student-utomlands no: https://getgigapass.com/no/blogg/bankkonto-student-utlandet da: https://getgigapass.com/da/blog/bankkonto-studerende-udlandet tr: https://getgigapass.com/tr/blog/ogrenci-yurt-disi-banka-hesabi ru: https://getgigapass.com/ru/blog/bankovskiy-schet-student-za-granitsey zh-hant: https://getgigapass.com/zh-hant/blog/liuxue-haiwai-yinhang-zhanghu ar: https://getgigapass.com/ar/mudawana/hisab-masrifi-talib-alkharij he: https://getgigapass.com/he/blog/cheshbon-bank-student-bechul index: https://getgigapass.com/llms/en.txt --- # Opening a bank account while studying abroad: when you need one > Sometimes the one from home is enough, and sometimes they will not let you rent without a local one. What they will ask for, in what order, and what to check first. [Home](https://getgigapass.com/en) › [Blog](https://getgigapass.com/en/blog) › Opening a bank account while studying abroad: when you need one Students Sometimes the one from home is enough, and sometimes they will not let you rent without a local one. What they will ask for, in what order, and what to check first. **Tomás Berruezo** 10 Aug 2026 5 min Photo by Maximilian Prandstätter on Unsplash In this article › When you genuinely need one › What they will ask for › The order that works › And before you leave If the destination uses the same currency as you, plenty of people get through a whole year on their account from home and need nothing else. If it uses a different one — and for anyone banking in pounds, most of Europe does — the exchange fees start counting from the first coffee. ## When you genuinely need one - If rent and bills come out by direct debit and the landlord will not take a foreign account. - If you are paid a grant or a wage in that country. - If the destination uses another currency and the exchange fees are going to eat you alive. - And if you need a local bank statement for some piece of paperwork. ## What they will ask for 1. Passport and, depending on the country, a residence permit. 2. A local address, and that is the requirement that jams things up most at the start. 3. A letter from the university confirming you study there. 4. Sometimes a local tax identification number. Point two is the knot: no address, no account, and sometimes no account, no tenancy. It resolves with the temporary accommodation or with a letter from student housing. ## The order that works Arrive with your account from home and a card with decent conditions abroad, find somewhere to live, and only then open the local account with the address already in hand. Trying it the other way round adds weeks to the process. What to check on your card before you go is in [paying by card abroad](https://getgigapass.com/en/blog/paying-by-card-abroad). ## And before you leave Check you can get into your bank at home without depending on a text to a number you may stop using, and keep your contact email up to date. That is what stops you being locked out of your own account two thousand miles away. General information, not financial advice: the requirements are set by each institution and each country. Know where you're going? Pick your destination, days and data. Install it before you leave and pay once. [See destinations](https://getgigapass.com/en#destinos) Tomás BerruezoPlans and small print Thirty years reading operator terms, first for work and now out of habit. If something is billed separately, he finds it. ## Frequently asked questions **Do I need a local bank account to study abroad?** If the destination uses the same currency, often not. You need one if rent comes out by direct debit, you are paid a local grant, or the currency is different. **What will they ask for to open it?** Passport, a residence permit depending on the country, a local address and a letter from the university. Sometimes a tax number for that country. **And if I do not have an address yet?** That is the usual jam. It resolves with temporary accommodation or with a letter from student housing. **What do I do about my bank at home?** Check before you leave that you can get in without depending on a text to a number you may stop using. ## Keep reading - [Students](https://getgigapass.com/en/blog/student-housing-abroad) | Finding student housing abroad without falling for a scam | 6 min - [Students](https://getgigapass.com/en/blog/health-insurance-student-abroad) | Healthcare while studying abroad: what covers you and what you must buy | 5 min - [Students](https://getgigapass.com/en/blog/erasmus-phone-line) | Erasmus: what to do with your phone and your line before you go | 6 min