My friend is coming to US to live with me. He have a ss# but with no credit. Is it possible if I lease the car under my name and just add him to the insurnace so he can drive it? does this make sense? So anything happen he is cover and I’m cover?
Or is there a better solution?
The proper way to do this would be to co-sign for him.
With that said, co-signing for friends is a great way to not have friends.
Sure it is possible as long as you know what you are doing. Practically, he will be borrowing your car and it is no different than you own it outright, financing or leasing it. You will remain “financially” liable for car payments. For other risks ( accidents, damage to the vehicle and harm to other people and property while driving), you must add him to your insurance to have a coverage if you share the same household.
As mllcb42 suggested , the better way may be to co-sign for him but I doubt it will make any difference if he skips payments as lenders will probably come after to the party with a better credit first.
Better Solution? Get a nice used car for him / her and have them make payments.
Same solution (you might not have a friend and they stop paying) but at least you are not legally liable.
And have them get their own insurance.
If the friend is to be the primary driver, this would appear to be a straw purchase and not be legal.
https://www.autolist.com/guides/straw-purchase-cars
Not to be confused with co-signing for someone, which definitely isn’t a straw purchase or illegal.
I vaguely remember a discussion whether this is illegal in the sense of written in the law or it is illegal due to making a false statement obtaining the loan. I may very well be wrong but what stops him arguing as this is no different than buying a car for someone’s spouse?
I am not a lawyer, so I don’t know. Probably a communal property thing.
thank you all!! best way is to co-sign. have his name and my name on the car lease. thank you!! as for insurance can i just have him get insurance? i will not be driving the car?
Again. at the end, friend will become enemy!! 
More succinctly: fraud
And, as you say, a good way to end a friendship.
OP: they can buy a good used car or find alternative transportation. Just don’t.
Echoing prior comments - don’t do it. If your name is on the contract, you are still liable and exposed, however you put it.
I know… but i have no choice but to help him. he don’t got anyone here that can help him. he don’t have that much money to buy a used car… So worst case if he cannot pay I’ll do the remaining payment. Thank you all… Hopefully our friendship do not end here… Crossing finger…
Plus he already got a job offer and are starting to go to work in December… So he should be able to pay the monthly payment…
There should be many ways to get a car if he’s got an offer letter.
Then find a way to help that doesn’t involve committing fraud.
Restated, your question was, “Is it possible to fraud?” And the correct answer is, “If you find a car dealership so incompetent as to allow you to fraud, still DO NOT FRAUD”.
Also this has been discussed many times, if you search for “straw purchase”
Unless you are domestic partners (cohabitating with some joint finances) it’s not even close.
I would be interested to see a legitimate source where the law defines the straw purchase clearly and how much it applies to OPs situation i.e. co-habitation. Quick google search says its illegal without referring to anything.
I suspect what one would find us that it falls under fraud as it’d be misrepresenting information in regards to the lease contract and that any leeway regarding cohabitants/spouses would fall under the language of the contract.
IANAL but it’s a state crime, we have cited specific state citations in the past.
The fraud is in the lease contract: you agree to rent the collateral, for the terms, and you won’t assign it to anyone else on the captives behalf. They aren’t leasing OP the car to sub-let it to someone whose credit bureau is a ghost.
Every finance manager in every dealership is trained on antifraud rules (among many others), lest they go to jail (which happens occasionally).
Makes sense. Probably with a clause that permits the use of the collateral for family members of the same household.
IANAL either, but as a young 20 something, I was involved in one before I knew it was an issue. Years ago, my dad ran into some significant medical bills and I leased a car for him due to him filing chapter 13 to get out of the situation.
Long story short, I made mention of this in the finance office, and he ripped me a new one, said never to mention it again and pretended he didn’t hear it when it went to underwriting. He explained later what I was proposing was illegal, said he could get into serious trouble over it and was essentially committing fraud by pushing the note through. He said because I was naive, and didn’t know any better, had some compassion for me and let it slide.
Now, if buying a car for my own father, flesh and blood, was considered a straw, certainly this is fraud being just friends with no familial connection.
I am in no way suggesting someone do a straw, and now that I’m older and understand, I wouldn’t do one again.
I also suspect that the insurance company will not pay any claims on this if such kind of fraud is committed.
that’s why I said used car not leased car, that way payments are low and you aren’t committing any fraud.