Opening of Bank Account Prior Arriving in AU?

NetEngr · January 2017

Just curious, Is it ideal to open up a bank account prior arriving in AU (migration)?

I saw that you can open up a bank account @ National Bank of AU and ANZ prior arriving to AU and you can already save some money on that account.. any of you have done this?

Btw, how much is allowed when I travel to AU? is it 10k AUD? and is it per person? (Example can me and my wife declare10k separately?)

Thanks in advance!

agentKams · January 2017

hello, yes that whats we did. there is a dedicated migration bank agent who will assist you when you open an account online. And for me, its the safest option rather than carrying cash.

NetEngr · January 2017

@agentKams Thanks for your feedback!... I will try to open up an account with NAB..

I think the hardest part after that is filling up that account... LoL..

agentKams · January 2017

@NetEngr no prob and welcome to down under!

aug88 · February 2017

hi @agentkams @NetEngr we are also planning to move to australia by mid-march. Do we need an Australian mailing address and mobile number to open a bank account online?

agentKams · February 2017

@aug88 hello, not needed at that moment. When you arrive dito sa Aus, you will need to go to bank to have it "activated" by presenting 100 points of identification.

aug88 · February 2017

hi @agentKams ok thanks sa info

studio719 · February 2017

hi,

do you know kung paano pwede mag-deposit sa AUS account from the philippines? pwede ba idaan un sa mga local bank like BPI or BDO as long as i have the details?

MayoMay · February 2017

@agentKams may deadline po ba para lagyan ng laman ung account? mag eexpire po ba sya if Aug. pa plan mag lagay ng laman? and paano itransfer sa nab from phils? and magkano minimum? at saka paano if di pa activated, papasok pa din yung pera? thanks

leelou · February 2017

@studio719 if BDO, you need to have a dollar account then you can do the transfer online. wala nang enrolment. sa BPI naman, you can only do transfer sa branch.

agentKams · February 2017

@MayoMay hello po, this am not sure kasi nung nagopen kami may ready funds for transfer na kami. But the good thing is, may dedicated bank agent na magassist sa mga question mo once you opened your account so you can ask him/her. iyong transfer from phils, sorry hindi kita masagot kasi from abroad kami nagsend to NAB. Activation is needed when you visit your branch na here in AU kasi pano nila maprove na sayo iyong account if you will not present your identification. You can deposit but you cannot withdraw until you can provide your 100 points of identification which should be 7 days after you arrive here in AU.

studio719 · February 2017

thanks for the info @leelou

MayoMay · February 2017

@agentKams alin po yung 100 pts of identification? IDs, passport and birth certificate ok na?

quicksilver · February 2017

ito ang mga usual IDs > https://www.instantchecks.com.au/100points.aspx. the points may differ with different institutions. better to give a few more para you can surely be over the 100 points.

NetEngr · April 2017

@agentKams I just openned an account with Commbank, it was fast.. I am planning to add some money to the account soon... do you know anyone who used their migrant banking services?

agentKams · April 2017

@NetEngr hello, sorry wala ako kilala na comm bank nagopen eh. but it should be straightforward kung magdeposit ka ng pera sa account mo here.

zilch · May 2017

hi, I will be moving to Au soon and will probably open either a CommBank or NAB account. Ask ko lang, kunwari makaopen na ko ng account, pwede bang yung initial funds ay fund transfer from someone na andyan? may mga kilala kasi akong andyan na, na nagpapadala ng pera dito sa Philippines, naisip ko na baka pwedeng ako na yung mag transfer ng pera sa family nila, then ung ipapadala nila is derecho naman sa account ko (either NAB or Commbank), pwede ba yung ganun? thanks

TasBurrfoot · May 2017

zilch said:
hi, I will be moving to Au soon and will probably open either a CommBank or NAB account. Ask ko lang, kunwari makaopen na ko ng account, pwede bang yung initial funds ay fund transfer from someone na andyan? may mga kilala kasi akong andyan na, na nagpapadala ng pera dito sa Philippines, naisip ko na baka pwedeng ako na yung mag transfer ng pera sa family nila, then ung ipapadala nila is derecho naman sa account ko (either NAB or Commbank), pwede ba yung ganun? thanks

Pwede naman...

Lrac · April 2018

@agentKams Ano ba ang magandang sa Aus?
Like in terms of mga service charge, i heard yung ibang bank kelangan mo magdeposit ng 2K monthly ata, etc. Thanks in advance.

agentKams · April 2018

@Lrac we are with NAB eversince, wala naman charges on our everyday account and we are satisfied with their service. If you want to compare, go with the big 4 NAB, Commonwealth Bank, ANZ and Westpac.

mdnelle · September 2018

Hi!

sa mga nagopen na po ng bank account sa NAB, PH address po ba muna ginamit nyo? Planning for Initial entry this Sept and BM next year..

Is it better to open bank account now or wait until BM?

Thank you po!

mhej · September 2018

@mdnelle kami, back in 2014, nag apply kami the next day we arrived. There was a CBA close to where we were staying and we did it then. Parang mas complicated pa kasi yung gawin offshore. Took us around 30 mins for 2 people to get accounts set up. yun pa rin ang accounts namin to this day.

mdnelle · September 2018

@mhej thank you!

wanderer · September 2018

mdnelle said:
Hi! sa mga nagopen na po ng bank account sa NAB, PH address po ba muna ginamit nyo? Planning for Initial entry this Sept and BM next year..

Is it better to open bank account now or wait until BM?

Thank you po!

Hi mdnelle

You can use for now your Ph address and change it once you are settled in Australia.

Kung matagal pa po BM mo, I suggest do it nalang before the big move, say a month before.

lack14 · September 2018

@mdnelle I used my friend's address (trusted dapat) since the bank may send some post mails to your registered address. Anyway, you have to visit the bank personally pa so it can be activated and pwede ka magwithdraw. Initially deposits lang pwede - that's where I sent my money para meron ako backup aside from the cash na dala ko. I opened sa NAB, meron silang accounts for migrants/people coming to AU which can be opened even if wala pa sa AU. Make sure to change the address pag andito kana.

snmgil · February 2019

@agentKams maam, how many days does it usually take for a successful account opening with NAB? i applied 1 week ago and i was asked for the passport the day after then no feedback till now. is this normal? gusto ko na sana magtransfer ng funds. thank you

agentKams · February 2019

@snmgil parang 2 weeks ata iyong sakin, if my memory serves me right.

snmgil · February 2019

@agentKams ty for the reply maam. got the email on the same day i asked. salamat again

suntanline · February 2019

You can apply for an account with Commonwealth prior to arriving in Australia (up to 3 months prior, I think). After you arrive, you just have to visit the branch you nominated and they'll update your account (address, etc.) and give you your debit card. Very easy. I wire-transferred all my money from BPI to my CBA. Had no issues. Also, I like that they have an app so you can monitor your account from anywhere.

ali0522 · November 2019

@sustanline okay po b exchange rate from bpi to commbank?

tigerlance · September 2022

Considering mataas ang interest rates ngayon, ano marerecommend niyo na bank? and ano type of account? Kasi wala ako natatanggap na interest sa commonwealth bank