AFAIK yes, it always requires an in-person appointment directly or indirectly.
There are some online banks without offices, but typically they are subsidiaries of physical banks, or they have deals with them, so they will only give you credit if they have seen you at the physical bank first.
There are some online banks without offices, but typically they are subsidiaries of physical banks, or they have deals with them, so they will only give you credit if they have seen you at the physical bank first.