The opening of a non-resident bank account is legal as far as the rights of the european consumers are concerned. These accounts are often accompanied with an ATM card or a debit or a credit card.

This will vart according to the banks and the amount of a security deposit. A non-resident account is opened, as a general rule, to a physical person.

Some banks allow the use of the account with an offshore company, trust or foundation name as to increase assets protection and confidentiality.

This could be the beginning of an international assets portfolio. Bank accounts (pdf 80 ko).

Several European juridictions could be used to open these accounts:

• Switzerland: private current account with or without deposit, either by mail or at location. Swiss bank secrecy.
• Luxembourg: private current account, mostly on location. Luxembourg bank secrecy.
• Austria:investment or deposit account, can be opened by mail. Austria bank secrecy.
• Liechtenstein: private current account from 100,000 Swiss francs. Very confidential and personalized service. Bank secrecy.
• Jersey: private current account.