Is is still possible to open a bank account in Switerland if you are american? I went to Banque Cantonale Vaudoise and Banque Migros this afternoon and they both turned me away (because of my US citizenship) .

Have any of you (US citizens) managed to open a bank account lately? If yes, where?

Try PostFinance.

I opened an account with Post Finance no problem.

I'll go to postfinance tomorrow.

But is postfinance the only financial institution where we can open an account in this country? That's freaky...

My wife and I have been here a year and we're US citizens and had no problems opening up a BCV account. If nothing else, try another BCV branch as they're all different (in particular my wife and I opened ours in Cheseaux)

try UBS, they opened one for my wife

i opened one at Kantonalbank in basel with just my passport....

We opened one at Credit Suisse last month, no problem. We had to show B permits, passports and lease on appartment, but they couldn't have been more helpful.

PostFinance is only active within Switzerland. Hence relatively immune to US Government's arm twisting.

I also have a Raiffeisen account -- no problems opening that up.

NZZ article from 16.4
NZZ article from 21.6
(Google translations)

Many banks reconsider their stand at the moment and an individual bank's position may change in a week - The earlier article mentions Raiffaisen and yesterday's article mentions no bank that officially still welcomes Americans. It all looks a bit grim but if rejected it might be worth to reapply after some weeks.

For what it's worth, an employee of one Kantonalbank mentioned to me, unofficially, that they want to know that you really have some connection to their region/community before they will open an account. Without his coming right out and saying it, it sounds like they want to hear a plausible motive that has no smell of tax evasion.

Similarly, after filling out the online forms to open a PostFinance account, I received a questionnaire in the mail, asking things like the purpose of the account, the source of the funds to be deposited in it, etc., and telling me I must appear in person at a PostFinance office to make a certified copy of my passport before the account will be opened.

Question for any who have opened a PostFinance account: Did you walk out with a Maestro (or some other debit) card? (One of my purposes for opening an account is to be able to pay for things while I'm in CH without having to carry too much cash, and I'd like to know whether they give a card immediately, so you can begin paying from the new account without delay.)

__________________
—Tim
"After the first glass, you see things as you wish they were..." — Oscar Wilde

A UBS agent told me that after what happened in florida most swiss banks will only allow US citizens to open a salary account.

I went to :

- PostFinance : no problem

- UBS : they sent me to a special branch in Geneva where they deal with US citizens

Banque Cantonale de Genève : You have to fill out a form and then your application is sent to a comitee that takes the decision to accept you or not.

I just asked for a bank account. If I had asked for a trading account I might have heard different answers....

The PostFinance card (yellow ATM card that most merchants accept as debit card) is posted to your account address. The card is sent about 1 week after formalities are completed. The PIN code is subsequently sent by registered post also to your address.

Do you have a Swiss address?

Thanks for that. I guess I'll be using cash after all.

Not officially, though the friend with whom I'll be staying is willing to let me use his (if they'll allow it).
Maybe I'd better bring him along...

Your Swiss address has to be registered with the local authorities (Gemeinde), no residency permit, no registered address.

Thanks for the clarification. So my card and PIN will be en route to Texas while I hang out in Suisse (unless they've become so intimidated by the US bullies that they call off the whole arrangement) ...

I recently read of a situation where an American woman who was working in Switzerland did manage to open a Swiss account but she had lots of problems trying to get the account initially.

PostFin allows you 2 addresses: Permanent address (presumably TX). Correspondence address (your CH pal). Thus you can get your card in CH albeit not on day 1.