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Hi razorsharp!

I hope other members will tell you more about it soon

Regards
Armand

Hello there...

No, but in order to open up an account. You will need some of the proofs that need to be shown. You should visit the bank, they will provide you the details.

hey razorsharp! Im new to the site too but i am currently living in Calgary. There are many different banks to choose from including Royal Bank, TD Canadatrust, Scotia Bank, CIBC, ATB etc. I dont recommend Scotia Bank or CIBC as I have had problems with them personally. The two best banks are probably Royal Bank and TD Canadatrust.
Most banks require 2 pieces of goverment issued ID (ie: passport, visa etc) and there may be a small fee to set up an account with them.

Hope this answers your question let me know if you need more help!

Based in my experience, it is much easier to open a bank account in TD.

After a few more months you can also apply for a credit card with a credit limit of 500 which will increase once you've build a good credit, that is, you're paying on time with no balance.

Whether you're opening a bank account/debit or credit, I find the staff of TD to be very much friendly and approachable especially for the newcomers.

Ask questions, particularly about the fees, if any, for using the debit card and maintaining balance. Feel free to ask.

razorsharp wrote:

HI Folks,
just wondering is it difficult to set up a bank account in calgary and what documents etc will i need??

Opening a bank account is easy if you chose the right one. Newcomers may have limited choices of banks but entirely possible. A good start, in my opinion is TD. You need to bring your passport and work permit. These are the requirements if you haven't acquired a government ID such as driver license.

You can also open a chequing/debit account online with ING Direct. The only problem is having to send a cheque in opening an account. If you have a chequing account in other banks it is easier to do so in ING. I suggest doing both.

You can use ING in saving via Tax Free Savings Account which you can also open online without having to send a cheque.

Hello punrun.

Thank you for these informations. I am sure it will help other members on the forum.

PS: Just to note that this thread is dated 2011.

Thank you,
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Welcome. Glad to be of help to members which then could share what they learn in expatblog to others.

I opebned up mine with my passport only. Some good banks in Canada are: BMO, RBS, Scotia Bank and TD.