# AI tells a foreign national they can open a South African bank account with just a passport

- **ID:** `banking/foreigner-account-opening-fica`
- **Domain:** banking
- **Category:** administrative_barrier
- **Verification:** ai_generated
- **Fix Rate:** 78%

## Root Cause

A foreign passport satisfies South Africa's FICA identity requirement, but banks separately require proof of residential address no older than three months; a passport alone is not enough to open an account, and newcomers without a lease or utility bill in their own name are routinely turned away.

## Version Compatibility

| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated |
|---------|--------|------------|------------|
| any | active | — | — |

## Workarounds

1. **Get a signed letter from a landlord, employer, or local councillor/chief confirming your address before applying** (80% success)
   ```
   FICA explicitly allows a letter of verification from a landlord, employer, bank, local chief, or councillor as proof of residence when utility bills are not yet in the applicant's name.
   ```
2. **If not yet resident in South Africa, use a notarised and apostilled foreign proof of address instead of a local one** (65% success)
   ```
   For applicants residing outside South Africa, FICA allows a foreign bank statement or utility account showing an address, notarised and apostilled (and translated if not in English).
   ```

## Dead Ends

- **Walk into a branch with only a passport and expect an account to be opened the same day** — The Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA) requires accountable institutions to verify both identity and residential address before opening an account; banks such as Standard Bank require proof of address no older than three months (a utility bill, municipal account, or landlord/employer letter), so a passport alone is refused. (60% fail)
- **Use a hotel receipt or short-term Airbnb booking as proof of address at a traditional bank branch** — Branch staff apply their own risk-based discretion on top of FICA's minimum rules and generally require a document that shows an ongoing residential address (lease, utility bill, or a signed letter from a landlord/local councillor), not a short-stay booking confirmation. (50% fail)