Before you start

Passport, with visa and I-94 where applicable
A Fresno 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 in week one
Bring passport, Fresno address and SSN or ITIN if issued. The federal Customer Identification Program rule explicitly permits a passport number and country of issuance instead of a taxpayer number for non-US persons. A refusal on that ground is branch policy, not law.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
2
Try a credit union if a branch turns you away
The central Valley has a dense credit union sector, several of them agricultural or public-employee in origin, with branches across Fresno and Clovis. They are frequently more willing than a national bank's branch to open an account on a passport and an employment offer letter.
In personWho: You
3
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 — raising it at the counter can move your banking forward by weeks.
In personWho: You
4
Set up direct deposit and read the California deductions
Give payroll your routing and account numbers; direct deposit waives the monthly maintenance fee on most US checking accounts. Then read the payslip — alongside federal tax and FICA there is California withholding and State Disability Insurance, which since 2024 is withheld on every dollar of wages rather than stopping at a cap. On a higher salary that change is worth noticing.
Via employerWho: You and your employerFirst payslip
5
Open a secured credit card in month one
Post a refundable deposit, typically around USD 500, and receive a card with a matching limit that reports to Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Length of history counts as much as behaviour, so start the clock the week you arrive rather than the year you want a mortgage.
OnlineWho: YouMonth 1
6
Budget the summer electricity bill before you budget anything else
Fresno runs above 38°C for long stretches and California's residential electricity prices are among the highest in the country, so July and August are the months that decide whether a household budget works. Ask a landlord or seller for the actual summer bills rather than an estimate, ask whether the property has refrigerated air conditioning or an evaporative cooler or both, and ask when the insulation was last touched.
OnlineWho: YouBefore summer

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 Fresno address
Employer offer letter, accepted by many banks, landlords and utilities as supporting evidence

Things most newcomers don’t know

California caps the security deposit at one month's rent, statewide.

The Attorney General's tenant guidance is that landlords may charge a security deposit of up to one month's rent for most residential properties. For a newcomer with no credit file that is a genuinely useful protection, because 'we will need three months because you have no history' is not a lawful ask in California. Get the deposit terms in the lease and photograph everything on move-in day.

Source: California Attorney General — tenants' rights

The Tenant Protection Act caps your rent increase, and Fresno has no local ordinance on top.

AB 1482 limits annual increases to 5% plus the change in the cost of living, or 10%, whichever is lower, and adds just-cause eviction protections after twelve months of tenancy. It exempts single-family homes not owned by a corporation or REIT, buildings with a certificate of occupancy issued in the last fifteen years, and owner-occupied duplexes — so ask which category your unit is in. Unlike Los Angeles or San Francisco, Fresno has no stricter local rent ordinance, so the state Act is the whole protection.

Source: California Attorney General — tenants' rights

This is one of the few places in California where a normal salary reaches a mortgage.

That is the actual argument for the Valley, and it is why so many of the people at a Fresno tech meetup came from the Bay Area. Proposition 13 then pins the property tax to a Valley purchase price rather than a coastal one, which compounds over a long ownership. Build the credit file in month one, because the gap between renting and owning here is crossable in a way it is not in San Jose.

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, and branch staff frequently do not know it. Being refused is common and is not a legal outcome. Print the CFPB guidance, ask for a manager, or try a credit union — waiting weeks for a number you may not be eligible for is the avoidable mistake.

Source: FDIC — Customer Identification Program requirements

Common mistakes to avoid

Waiting for an SSN before trying to open an account, when a passport often suffices.
Accepting a security deposit demand above one month's rent.
Signing a winter lease without ever asking what July and August cost to cool.
Assuming the Tenant Protection Act covers your unit without checking the exemptions.
Financing a car in month one with no credit file and accepting a punitive rate.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.