NEWCOMERS

Open a bank account in Canada

We’re keeping things simple and easy for you: No commitment. No monthly fees. No penalties.

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Admissible from your country up to 90 days before your arrival in Canada1.

See conditions ↓

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Take advantage of this offer for newcomers

  • Access to a team 7 days a week to answer your immigration questions  
  • Easily open an account online up to 90 days before you arrive in Canada
  • Offer valid for the next 5 years after your arrival to Canada
  • National Bank Mastercard® credit card with no credit history6
  • Visit us at one of our over 350 branches

Valid on select offers and packages. Some transactions are required.*

New to Canada? Here are 3 reasons to sign up with us

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Open your account from your home country

Start opening your account remotely up to 90 days before you arrive with our quick and easy online form. You will be able to make secure international transfers before finalizing your account at one of our branches once you arrive in Canada.

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Speak to an expert advisor who can help you

What guarantees should I provide to rent a home? How do you file your income tax return? Our advisors are available to answer your questions through our free telephone support service 3, offered for 12 months as soon as you claim the offer.

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Get a Mastercard credit card with no annual fee as soon as you arrive*

Take advantage of a National Bank Mastercard credit card with no credit history to simplify your arrival in Canada. Even enjoy cashback or rewards points with select cards 2.

A distinguished customer experience 

82% of our clients who are new to Canada say that they recommend National Bank.

Internal study on newcomers - 2020

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« I recommended National Bank because they are very welcoming to immigrants and have great customer service »

- Marine, arrived in Canada in 2015

We got 4.79 stars for our service on PVTistes.net.

January 2022

The offer for newcomers in detail 

The newcomer offer is designed for international students, non-residents, people with work permits, refugees and asylum seekers.

Your first year


Save $15.95/month for 1 year and take advantage of benefits like:

  • Chequing account with no fixed monthly fees for up to 3 years
  • Free exclusive phone support 7 days a week 3
  • Access to financing (credit card 2, mortgage or car loan)
  • Unlimited electronic transactions

Years 2 and 3

Option 1 – By signing up to the following products and services

Save $15.95/month for 2 years by subscribing to these products and services:

  • National Bank Mastercard personal credit card
  • Online bank statement
  • Payroll deposit or electronic payment of 2 bills per month 4

Option 2 - Without signing up to the following products and services

Get a discount on your banking package, without subscribing to a product or service:

  • Year 2
    50% OFF your banking package (pay only $7.98/month in fixed fees) 
  • Year 3
    25% OFF your banking package (pay only $11.96/month in fixed fees)
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Read the details of the offer for newcomers in your language

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How do I take advantage of this offer for newcomers?

You can open an account from your home country up to 90 days before you arrive. This offer is valid for the next 5 years after your arrival to Canada. You need to be at least 18 years old and the only user of the account. Claim the offer in 4 easy steps.

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Open an account online

Fill out the application from your country.

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Receive your confirmation email

Within a few days of your request, you’ll receive an account confirmation email.

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Get an appointment at
a branch

We will contact you to schedule an in-person meeting to finalize the opening of your account. Take advantage of this opportunity to securely transfer your funds from your country.

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Meet with an advisor in person

With the help of an advisor, you can activate your account and get your debit card. You'll then be able to access our range of products and services: National Bank Mastercard 2 credit card, loans 6, High-Interest Savings Account and much more.

 

Ready to take advantage of this offer? Start by opening an account.

 

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Make an appointment

Why choose National Bank?

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Digital solutions

Simplify your banking with convenient features like mobile cheque deposits. 

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Your credit in Canada

Get your National Bank Canadian Mastercard credit card with no credit history5.

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Exclusive support service

Get answers about your move to Canada, housing and more with our phone support service3.

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International transfer services

Need to send money abroad? It's easier than ever with Mastercard® and Interac® international transfers.

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Always room for more savings

Use your monthly discount to put some money aside for future projects. You could save up to $700 over 3 years.

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A network of over 350 branches

Come visit us at one of our over 350 branches, or access one of our 3,330 ABMs across Canada7.

Our award-winning credit card!

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2023

Best Credit Card

for Newcomers*

My immigration to Canada

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Little details that matter

  • Be a newcomer 18 years of age or older
  • Apply to open an account from your home country up to 90 days before you arrive in Canada, or within 5 years of your arrival
  • Be the only user of the account

 

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Read about our offer for newcomers in your language.

French [PDF]

English [PDF]

Arabic [PDF]

Chinese [PDF]

Spanish [PDF]

Persian [PDF]

Punjabi [PDF]

Baseline savings of $334.92 over three years

Save a minimum of $334.92 over three years if you meet the following conditions :

  • Visit a branch to open a bank account
  • Sign up for our offer for newcomers

Savings of $334.92 based on:

  • First year: no flat monthly fee (savings of $15.95/month for 12 months)
  • Second year: flat monthly fee of $7.98 instead of $15.95 (savings of $7.97/month for 12 months)
  • Third year: flat monthly fee of $11.96 instead of $15.95 (savings of $3.99/month for 12 months)

The full flat monthly fee of $15.95 will be applied to your banking package from the fourth year. To be eligible for savings, you must commit to keeping the account and package for a minimum of 36 months. You will receive no further discounts if the products are cancelled.

Maximum savings of $700.02 over three years

Save up to $700.02 over three years if you meet the following conditions:

  1. Visit a branch to open a bank account
  2. Sign up for our offer for newcomers
  3. During the first year after signing up the offer for newcomers to Canada:
    • Apply for and activate an eligible National Bank Mastercard personal credit card
    • Sign up for eStatements
  4. During the second and third year after signing up the offer for newcomers to Canada:
    • Set up salary deposits to your National Bank account and have your pay deposited at least once a month or
    • Make at least two electronic bill payments 7 from your National Bank account every month.

Savings of $700.02 over three years based on:

  • No flat monthly fee for our banking package for newcomers for three years ($15.95/month for 36 months)
  • First order of cheques free ($56.83/order)
  • Small safety deposit box rent-free for the first year ($68.99/year)

The full flat monthly fee of $15.95 will be applied to your banking package from the fourth year.

Note on savings

To enjoy the full savings, you must keep the products and services and carry out all required transactions for a minimum of 36 months, unless otherwise indicated. If you fail to meet the conditions of the offer, your savings will be lower. Your savings will be lower if you do not order cheques or rent a safety deposit box.

If during a given month, you keep your bank account and banking package, but do not keep all of the other products and services indicated or do not carry out all of the required transactions (e.g. only one electronic bill payment per month instead of two), you will be charged National Bank's service fee for that month. The service fee will be $7.98 monthly the second year and $11.96 the third. You will still enjoy monthly savings of $7.97 during the second year and $3.99 during the third.

Finally, if you no longer hold a bank account or banking package for newcomers, you will no longer be eligible for savings.

mycredit: National Bank's Mastercard® mycredit® credit card won the 2022 Milesopedia Award for Best Credit Card in Canada for Newcomers. The ranking is based on an analysis of nearly 200 credit cards offered to Canadians based on their overall features and cardholder opinions on their experiences with these products.

TM National Bank Assistance Network is a trademark of National Bank of Canada, used under licence by authorized third parties.

® Mastercard is a registered trademark, and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated. Authorized user: National Bank.

® THE EXCHANGE is a registered trademark of Fiserv Inc.

  1. Our banking offer is available to newcomers from their home countries up to 90 days before arriving in Canada or at any point during your first 5 years in Canada. See the Details and conditions of the offer for the full terms and conditions. The offer may be modified, extended or withdrawn, without prior notice, at any time. The offer may not be combined or used with any other National Bank offer, promotion or benefit. Fees may apply for transactions not included in the banking offer for newcomers. For more information on transaction fees, see our Guide to Personal Banking Solutions [PDF].
  2. Financing subject to credit approval by National Bank. Certain conditions apply. Eligible credit cards: MyCredit, MC1, Allure, Syncro, Platinum, ECHO Cashback, World and World Elite.
  3. Telephone assistance service offered by National Bank Assistance Network, valid for 12 months from your account opening date. The content of the packages and terms described are subject to change.
  4. Eligible electronic payments: payments made via ABMs, pre-authorized debits, and online banking solutions (including making payments through your online bank or the National Bank mobile app).
  5. Security may be required under certain circumstances.
  6. Financing subject to credit approval by National Bank. Certain conditions apply.
  7. National Bank ABMs or ABMs in THE EXCHANGEᴹᴰ network. Use all our ABM features in six languages (French, English, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Punjabi, and Arabic).

Contact us for personalized support

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Does our offer for newcomers interest you?

Open a bank account online up to 90 days before your arrival in Canada, or speak to us in person.

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Chat with us

Get information quickly with the help of our Facebook Messenger chat option.

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Need in-depth advice?

Visit us at one of our branches, or call us, and we’ll be happy to answer all your questions.

Ready to apply for the package?

Open a bank account online at any time or meet with an advisor once you arrive in Canada.

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Make an appointment

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