Before you start

Passport
Australian residential address (a hotel or temporary address is generally accepted to start)
Visa details
Tax identification number from your home country, for the tax-residency declaration

Step-by-step

1
Open the account online before you leave
Several major banks accept applications from overseas ahead of arrival. You get an account number immediately, which lets you receive a salary or transfer funds, but the account has limited functionality until identity is verified.
OnlineWho: YouAccepted well in advance of arrival by banks that offer it
2
Land, then visit a branch to verify identity
Take your original passport into any branch of your chosen bank. Originals only — photocopies and scans are refused.
In personWho: YouAbout 20–30 minutes
3
Collect your debit card
The card is either issued in-branch or posted to your Australian address. A digital card is often available in the bank's app immediately.
In personWho: YouImmediate to about a week
4
Give the bank your TFN once you have it
You're not legally required to provide a Tax File Number, but without one the bank withholds tax at the top rate on any interest earned. Add it in the app as soon as your TFN letter arrives.
Mobile appWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport (original, in person)
Visa evidence, obtainable through VEVO
Australian residential address
Tax File Number, once issued — not needed to open the account

Things most newcomers don’t know

There is a short arrival window where your passport alone counts as the full 100 points.

Banks accept that a brand-new arrival cannot yet hold Australian secondary documents, so within roughly the first six weeks after arrival a foreign passport is sufficient on its own. Miss it and you'll be assembling multiple documents you don't have yet — this is the single strongest reason to open the account in your first fortnight.

Source: Multiple bank and relocation-provider guides in agreement; confirm the current window with your bank

Opening from overseas gets you an account number but not a working account.

It's genuinely useful — you can have a salary or your moving funds land somewhere — but you cannot fully operate it until you verify in person. Plan the branch visit into your first week rather than assuming the online step finished the job.

Source: Bank newcomer-banking pages

The bank account and the TFN unlock each other in sequence.

Your TFN letter is posted to an Australian address, and your bank withholds at the top rate on interest until you supply the TFN. Sorting an address, then the account, then the TFN, then adding the TFN to the account is the order that avoids rework.

Source: ATO guidance combined with bank practice

Not every major bank offers pre-arrival opening.

Some require you to be physically in Australia. Check before building your arrival plan around opening an account from abroad.

Source: Bank newcomer-banking pages

Common mistakes to avoid

Turning up with photocopies or digital scans — branches require original documents.
Letting the new-arrival identity concession lapse before visiting a branch.
Assuming the online pre-arrival account is fully functional on landing.
Leaving the TFN out of the account for months and being taxed at the top rate on interest.

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