Before you start

Passport, with visa and I-94 if applicable
A California 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
Bring your passport, California address and SSN or ITIN if issued. Federal Customer Identification Program rules explicitly permit a passport number and country of issuance instead of a taxpayer number for non-US persons.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
2
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.
In personWho: You
3
Consider a credit union alongside the national bank
Orange County has a deep credit-union sector, several with membership open far more widely than the name suggests and one of them among the largest in the country. They are frequently better than a national bank on car loans and on thin credit files, which is exactly the position a newcomer is in.
In personWho: You
4
Set up direct deposit
Give payroll your routing and account numbers. Direct deposit waives the monthly maintenance fee on most US checking accounts, and it also produces the clean deposit history a letting agent will ask to see.
Via employerWho: You and your employer
5
Open a secured credit card in month one
Post a deposit, typically around $500, and get a card with a matching limit that reports to the credit bureaus. Age of history matters as much as behaviour, so the clock is the thing you are buying — and a landlord here will look at it.
OnlineWho: YouMonth 1
6
Build a paper trail for variable income before you need it
If your hours move week to week, screening models handle you badly. Keep six months of payslips, a letter from the employer stating your position and typical hours, and bank statements showing consistent deposits. Presenting that set unprompted works far better than being asked for it after a declined application.
In personWho: You
7
Check whether your employer pays weekly, and budget to it
Hospitality and hourly payrolls in this city are often weekly or fortnightly rather than monthly, while rent, insurance and utilities are monthly. That mismatch causes more first-year cash-flow trouble than the actual pay level does. Set up a separate account that the rent leaves from and move a fixed share of every pay run into it.
OnlineWho: 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 a California address
Employer offer letter and recent payslips, which carry real weight with Orange County letting agents

Things most newcomers don’t know

Your credit file, not your salary, decides where you can rent.

Orange County landlords in a tight market screen on credit score as heavily as on income, and a newcomer has no score at all — which reads worse to an automated screen than a mediocre one. An employer offer letter, several months of rent paid up front, or a co-signer are the usual workarounds. Open the secured card in week one; six months of history changes the conversation.

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. Branch staff often do not know this. Escalate politely, or try a credit union, before concluding you must wait for the SSN.

Source: FFIEC BSA/AML Examination Manual — Customer Identification Program

Weekly pay against monthly bills is the commonest first-year cash-flow failure here.

A large part of Anaheim's workforce is paid weekly or fortnightly. Rent, insurance and the utility bill are monthly, and a month with five pay runs feels rich while the month with four does not. Ring-fencing rent out of every pay run into a separate account solves it entirely and almost nobody does it in the first year.

Source: community-reported

Carrying a balance builds interest, not credit.

Scores respond to on-time payment and low utilisation, not to interest paid. Paying in full each month builds history identically and saves a rate above 20% APR.

Source: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — credit cards

Common mistakes to avoid

Waiting for an SSN before trying to open an account, when a passport is often enough.
Starting a flat search with no US credit file and no plan for the screening.
Averaging variable hours in your head instead of documenting them for a letting agent.
Using cheque-cashing shops in month one rather than opening an account in week one.
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.