The Best US Banks and Credit Unions for Americans Abroad

“Best bank” lists are usually written for people optimising a sign-up bonus. For Americans abroad the question is different and much more serious: which institutions will still want you as a customer when your address says Portugal?

What actually makes a bank expat-friendly

Forget the marketing pages. These are the five tests that matter:

• Foreign address policy. Will they keep your account open with a non-US residential address on file? This is the pass/fail question — everything else is comfort.
• Worldwide ATM access. The gold standard is unlimited ATM fee refunds globally and no foreign transaction fees on the debit card.
• Remote-first service. Everything doable online or by phone from another timezone — no “please visit your local branch.”
• Two-factor authentication that travels. Support for authenticator apps or non-US numbers, not just US SMS.
• Wire and transfer costs. You’ll move money internationally regularly; fee structure matters more than interest rates.

The categories that consistently perform

Brokerage-linked checking

Historically the single most-recommended setup in the expat community: checking accounts attached to major US brokerages — typically offering global ATM fee refunds, no foreign transaction fees and genuine tolerance of internationally mobile customers. Verify the current policy before opening, and note the brokerage side may have separate expat rules (see our brokerage guide).

Military and government credit unions

Credit unions built to serve Americans posted overseas — the ones tied to the diplomatic and military communities — are structurally comfortable with foreign addresses because that’s their membership. Membership requirements are often broader than people assume (some allow joining via an affiliated association).

Online-first banks

Digital banks have no branch expectation and often lighter fees, but policies on foreign addresses vary widely and change fast. Fine as a secondary account; confirm the address policy in writing before making one your primary.

The big traditional banks

Wildly inconsistent — the same bank can be fine for one expat and close another’s account. If you love your current big bank, keep it as a secondary while establishing a primary at an institution from the groups above.

The two-account architecture we recommend

Don’t hunt for one perfect bank — build a resilient pair: a primary at a genuinely expat-friendly institution (your direct deposits, bill payments and savings), plus a secondary at a different institution as a fallback for the day something gets frozen, flagged or reviewed. Add a local account in your new country for daily spending (see how Americans open European accounts) and connect the two sides with a low-cost transfer service rather than bank wires.

Expat-friendly is not country-agnostic

Even the institutions with the best reputation keep a country list, and the answer for Spain can be the opposite of the answer for France. Check the institution’s own list against your destination before you rely on it; which brokerages accept US expats explains how those lists work and what sets a review off.

The order matters more than the bank

• Open the primary and the secondary while your address is still in the US, and fund them enough to look like a customer rather than a test account.
• Switch each to an authenticator app, or confirm it will text a non-US number, and test the login from a device it hasn’t seen before.
• Re-point direct deposits and bill payments, then run one full month on the new setup while the old accounts idle.
• Only then change addresses — one institution at a time, starting with the ones you could live without.

Reverse that sequence and you’re the person holding the closure letter. The account guide walks through the full pre-move list.

Two things to know about the money itself

First, the 1% remittance tax that has applied since 2026 to cash-funded transfers abroad does not touch a transfer funded from a US bank account or a US-issued card — lose the account and the workaround methods are the taxed ones (what transfers really cost). Second, know which balances are deposits and which aren’t: a bank deposit is guaranteed on either side of the Atlantic, while the balance in the multi-currency transfer service is electronic money, safeguarded rather than guaranteed. Use it to move money and to hold what you’ll spend soon; keep the savings at a bank (who guarantees which pot).

The bottom line

Open the right accounts before you move — almost everything on this page is easier with a US address still on file. Which institutions fit your specific situation, state and timeline is exactly what we map in the Expat Money Assessment.

This article is general information, not financial advice or a recommendation of any institution. Policies change frequently — verify directly before opening or closing any account.