Usually debit card goes everywhere where credit one is needed. Debit card, US bank acct and a US postal address are easily obtainable for approximately $800-1500 one time payment (couch class ticket to US and tourist visa fee). I walked into the bank (R.I.P Washington Mutual) on Castro st. in MV, CA and left it half an hour later with the bank account. The debit card followed in the mail a week later. I had a address of my friend, but I could have used a PO box. Now you can buy US postal address online and have all spa^H^H^H mail forwarded to your email address scanned.

I then repeated this process in 2008 to incorporate, opened the business account and raised money (and put them on the account).

Now I'm living in the US, on a work visa, having no degree.

Guys, US is a fantastic country for anyone who actually _wants_ something. Put some creativity here and there and it works flawlessly. I laugh when I talk to US citizens (or read them online) who go on endless whining on how police state this country has become, how much burden you have to put up with to open the business, how the school system is in the toilet, etc, etc. They just don't know what they're talking about. Any US system could be ridiculed and laughed upon, and sometimes it deserves it. But it's fucking efficient.

Go open the debit card, bank account, business, whatever in, lets say France (I love this country, I've been there like 30 times and it's never enough). If you succeed you can come back to the US and apply for National Interest Waiver for being a person with extraordinary abilities in science AND arts AND business. Haha.

Interesting.. 26 hrs flying time just to open a bank account is a little extreme.. but next time I am there on vacation I'll definitely be calling into a bank and giving this a go!

mhh, no...? Have had a (mostly unused) Amazon affiliate account at least since 2005, and I didn't need any of that -- and I am in the UK.