getting a bank account before moving to canada

i'm a few weeks away from moving back (got a job lined up in toronto, awesome) and I wanted to set up a bank account. however, don't know if i'm doing it wrong, but I checked out the royal bank and CIBC websites to look into opening an account and it looks like neither will allow me to set up an account without being in the country first. if i'm mistaken please let me know, i'd like to have a bank account with some money in there before I move if at all possible.

Why do you think its telling you you have to be in the country first? Is it asking you for a local address?

I'm moving to the UK soon and I found the easiest way to go about opening a bank account before I moved was to find a bank with associations in the UK. Some banks have partnerships, so if you ask your current bank if they have locations or partners in Canada, that may be one way to start.

What I had decided to do was to open a bank account with HSBC, and when I am nearing my move date, -they- will help me open a UK bank account, because they have locations all around the world. It takes a few hours to do (at least for the UK) and doesn't become active for a month, but it may be different going from the US to Canada. It also depends on the bank.

But I'll be able to open my account before I even step foot on UK soil, which I find -extremely- convenient. I don't believe there are any fees involved either, except for the usual conversion of money fees. That's about it.

Good luck, hope this helps a bit.

Why do you think its telling you you have to be in the country first? Is it asking you for a local address?

well for both they allow you to sign up online but then require you to come into a local branch to complete the process.

So call them and find out if you can do it over the phone or by mail.

Or check with other banks. RBC has branches in both countries, you could probably open an account at RBC and then just have them transfer it to a Canadian account when you move.

well for both they allow you to sign up online but then require you to come into a local branch to complete the process.

Yes, you have to, for anti-fraud reasons under the Bank Act, IIRC. You can have a foreign address but you must appear in person at the bank branch. They have to check your ID, etc. Some US banks (which essentially are US branches of Canadian banks) offer Canadian dollar accounts, that might be the way to go about it if it causes you a big problem. But my experience is that US banks charge a lot for this service and may require a minimum deposit amount.