Arriving in the US comes with a chicken-and-egg problem: no credit history means no card approval, and no card means no history — in a country that checks credit for apartments, phones, and even jobs. The good news: you can start without a Social Security number. This post is the order that actually works for people without an SSN.
0. First check: can you get an SSN on your visa?
Visas with US work authorization — F-1 students with on-campus jobs or OPT, J-1, H-1B, and similar — qualify for an SSN. If that is you, get the SSN first, not an ITIN. An SSN opens every issuer and every product, and you skip the later hassle of moving a record from an ITIN to an SSN. Everything below is for when an SSN is not available to you.
1. Get an ITIN first
An ITIN is a 9-digit tax-processing number issued by the IRS for people who cannot get an SSN but need to file US taxes. Several issuers accept it in place of an SSN. But remember what it is not: it is not work authorization, not immigration status, and not eligibility for Social Security benefits. It is a tax number.
You apply with IRS Form W-7. The IRS charges no fee, and in most cases you file it together with a federal tax return (exceptions exist, such as treaty benefits and certain withholding cases). A valid passport alone proves both identity and foreign status. Without a passport, you need two other IRS-accepted documents.
Processing usually takes about 7 weeks, or 9 to 11 weeks in peak season (January through April) or when applying from abroad. Errors add weeks, so the name spelling on the W-7 must match your passport and your return exactly. Applying by mail means sending your original passport, which the IRS returns within about 60 days. If you would rather keep your passport, visit an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center (TAC) in person or use a Certifying Acceptance Agent (CAA) — both let you apply while keeping your documents. Once issued, the IRS mails you Notice CP565. An ITIN expires if it is not used on a federal return for 3 consecutive tax years, so keep using it and renew with a W-7 before it lapses.
2. Issuers that accept an ITIN (as of October 2026)
The issuers below are confirmed to accept an ITIN in place of an SSN. Policies change, so before applying, search each issuer's own site for "ITIN" to re-confirm, and start with a pre-qualification check (a soft inquiry that does not affect your score). A denial still leaves a hard inquiry behind, so the rule is: call first, apply second.
American Express — accepts ITIN. All US personal cards take an ITIN in the application's SSN field. If you held an Amex card abroad for 3 to 6 months or more, the Global Transfer program can move your membership to a US card.
Capital One — accepts ITIN. All of its cards take ITIN applications. The most reliable first card is the Platinum Secured: a $49, $99, or $200 deposit gets you a $200 line, there is no annual fee, and it reports to all three credit bureaus.
Chase — accepts ITIN. Starter unsecured cards such as Freedom Rise list "SSN and/or ITIN" on the application. After applying online, you may be asked for extra verification: passport, ITIN letter, and proof of address. Having a Chase checking account often makes the process smoother.
Bank of America — accepts ITIN, but you apply in person at a financial center, not online. Its secured card has a $0 annual fee and a $200 minimum deposit.
Citi — accepts ITIN. The application has an "SSN or ITIN" field. The Secured Mastercard starts at a $200 deposit.
Wells Fargo — accepts ITIN through a combined SSN/ITIN field on the application. Only select products qualify, so confirm first.
TD Bank — accepts ITIN. The TD Cash Secured card can be applied for online, with a $300 to $5,000 deposit held in a TD Simple Savings account.
Issuers that require an SSN — Discover is known to require an SSN (though its terms may be shifting after the Capital One acquisition, so verify before applying). Synchrony, which issues many store cards, also requires an SSN. U.S. Bank is mixed: ITIN holders can hold a secured account, but upgrading to unsecured requires an SSN, so ask directly before applying.
3. Picking a first card: secured vs authorized user
A secured card takes a refundable deposit that becomes your credit limit. It is one of the easiest cards to open with zero history, and your payments are reported to the credit bureaus, so a record starts forming. Before applying, confirm the card reports to all three bureaus. After months of on-time payments, some secured cards graduate you to a regular unsecured card. Debit and prepaid cards do not build credit — do not confuse them. Older recommendation lists are stale here: Chime requires an SSN and its Credit Builder is closed to new members, and Deserve and Petal no longer take applications.
An authorized user rides on a spouse's or family member's card. Capital One, Citi, and Chase are among the issuers that let you be added with just a name and date of birth, no SSN required. But if the primary cardholder misses a payment, your record takes the hit too, and some issuers do not report authorized users at all — confirm the card actually reports before counting on it. An authorized-user record alone has limits. You still need an account in your own name.
4. The 6-month plan: turning a record into a score
A FICO score generally appears once an account has been open for 6 months with activity reported in the last 6 months. First scores commonly land between 580 and 650, and with 12 to 18 months of on-time payments and utilization under 30%, many people reach the 680 to 720 range (an estimate — individual results vary). Keep statement utilization under 30% of the limit, ideally under 10%, and pay in full every month so you never pay interest. Do not apply for many cards at once. Denials leave hard inquiries too.
5. Can your Korean credit history transfer? (Nova Credit)
Nova Credit translates credit histories from about 20 countries, including South Korea, into a US-equivalent report. It is a soft inquiry, so it does not affect your score. American Express has used it, but reports since 2025 leave the continuation of that partnership uncertain — verify before applying. Once you have 6 or more months of US history, issuers usually look at the US file first, so the Nova path may stop applying. And even with no Korean history to transfer, the ITIN plus secured-card path still works.
6. When you get an SSN
Notify the IRS: your ITIN is deactivated and your tax history moves to the SSN. Then ask each issuer to update your file with the new SSN so your ITIN-era record and your SSN record link into one. Procedures differ by issuer, so call to confirm.
7. Never do this
Never use a fake SSN or a CPN (credit privacy number). That is a federal crime, and it gets accounts closed and credit destroyed. Avoid any business that promises approval without an SSN for a fee or offers to sell you a number.
The order, in short: check SSN eligibility, get an ITIN, pre-qualify, open one secured card (plus authorized-user status if available), pay on time for 6 months, then try for an unsecured card. The first card's goal is the record, not the rewards. When you are ready to compare, the DanHana recommender can show what your spending would earn on each option. Policies change. Before applying, confirm ITIN acceptance on the issuer's official page. (Written as of October 2026.)