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From Croatia · Europe

Start a US company from Croatia

For Croatian founders who sell into the US as a US vendor or raise from US investors. A Croatian company already gets you Stripe. Mercury doesn't open for founders here, so Wise Business comes first. A US company managed from Croatia is Croatian-resident, so read that section first.

Start from Croatia From $351.40 in the first year

Launch + Wyoming filing; the tax return is separate.Checked by Saais Patel, compliance reviewer.

At a glance

Mercury doesn't open for founders living in Croatia, so Wise Business is the one to check first.

The banks, in detail
US tax treaty
None
Local Stripe
Yes
Mercury
No
Currency
EUR
Our fee
from $249
Wyoming's fee
$102.40
Until we file
Refunded in full

You can form a US company while living in Croatia, without an SSN or a US visit. Wise Business opens for founders here; Mercury doesn't. Launch starts at $351.40 in Wyoming, including our plan and state filing fee. A Croatian company already gets you Stripe, so the reason is usually US customers or investors. The Croatian points: a company managed from Croatia is Croatian-resident, and the US treaty is signed but not in force.

Before you form

Start with whether you need a US company, and where it will be managed.

  • You may not need a US company

    Card payments from customers worldwide

    Stripe already supports Croatian businesses, and a local company is what Croatian banks and the tax administration understand.

    Getting access to Stripe
  • A Wyoming LLC or a C-Corp, after advice

    Selling into the US as a US vendor

    Some US buyers and platforms want a US contracting party. Managed from Croatia, either is Croatian-resident.

    US companies for SaaS
  • A Delaware C-Corp

    Raising from US investors

    US investors usually want a Delaware C-Corp. Until the treaty takes effect, its dividends to you are withheld at 30%.

    Raising from US investors
  • A US subsidiary

    A Croatian company expanding to the US

    A Croatian company can own a US company as its subsidiary. The CFC rule then applies to it, so ask first.

    US holding companies

BaseAcross's Wyoming LLC and Delaware C-Corp options for founders in Croatia

Wyoming LLC

Owner-run business selling to US customers, after advice.

State filing
$102.40
Yearly state charge
From $60
Wyoming LLC formation

Delaware C-Corp

Raising from US investors; dividends withheld at 30% for now.

State filing
$110
Yearly state charge
$450 for the model shown
Delaware C-Corp formation

Both charges are the state's, before our plan, optional services and your advisers' fees. Wyoming sets a minimum yearly charge, and Delaware's franchise tax depends on how it's calculated. Staff, stock or premises in another state can bring obligations there. An S-corporation isn't an option, because nonresident aliens can't hold its shares.

Prepare the information

Different documents are needed at different stages.

You provide

Before state filing

  • Your proposed company name, business activity and chosen structure.
  • Owners' names exactly as on their passports, ownership shares, managers and home addresses.
  • Where the company will be managed and controlled from, because Croatia's residence test asks.
  • The approved company name and formation details.
  • The responsible party. Without an SSN or ITIN, the application goes on Form SS-4.
  • Accurate mailing and principal business addresses, and your signed authorization where required.
You confirm; we prepare

After formation, for the EIN

  • A passport for each owner the provider asks about.
  • Formation documents, the EIN confirmation and the operating agreement.
  • A real business address, your website, a description of the business and the source of funds, as each provider asks.
The provider verifies

For bank and payment applications

  • Your return, with any dividends from the company.
  • A record of where management and control is exercised.
  • Any US tax withheld, for your adviser to assess.
You and your tax adviser

For the Tax Administration

You don't need a Croatian company to form a US company. The EIN is the US company's tax ID. Send identity documents through a secure request, and only the ones asked for.

How it works

Seven steps from Croatia to a maintained US company.

The state approves the company, the IRS issues the EIN and each provider approves its own account. In Croatia, your tax adviser handles the Tax Administration; we don't file there.

You and your tax adviser

Check the Croatian side first

Decide whether you need a US company at all, where it will be managed, and how its profit reaches you before the treaty takes effect.

You leave this stage with: A structure and tax plan that fits Croatia's rules.

01 / 07

Plan the wait

Formation, the EIN and banking have separate timelines.

Published service estimates and prerequisites for a Wyoming company from Croatia

  1. Wyoming formationSame day
  2. Ordinary EINsix to eight weeks
  3. Expedited EINtwo to three weeks
  4. Bank and payment accountsProvider review
  5. US Stripe accountStripe's review

  1. Wyoming formation

    Same day

    The clock starts
    Complete filing accepted by the state
    What can change it
    Our order checks and filing batch come first. Expedited filing changes our queue; it doesn't speed up the EIN.

  2. Ordinary EIN

    six to eight weeks

    The clock starts
    EIN application after formation
    What can change it
    Included in the plan. This is our published estimate; the IRS queue can change.

  3. Expedited EIN

    two to three weeks

    The clock starts
    EIN application after formation
    What can change it
    Optional $199 service. An estimate, with issuance controlled by the IRS.

  4. Bank and payment accounts

    Provider review

    The clock starts
    Company and owner information ready
    What can change it
    Wise and any other provider set their own timing, may ask for more documents and can decline an application.

  5. US Stripe account

    Stripe's review

    The clock starts
    US bank account and website ready
    What can change it
    Stripe reviews the business and the person behind it, and can decline.

These are service estimates, not promised completion dates. The IRS and each provider set their own processing times. Names or addresses that differ between documents slow every stage.

What it costs

The same price from Croatia as from anywhere.

Charged in US dollars, with the Wyoming state fee passed on at cost. Where you live changes which bank we introduce you to, not the price.

LLC cost calculator

Launch

To start

$351.40

$249 our fee + $102.40 Wyoming fee

Renews from $309 a year

OperateBilled yearly

To start

$2,490.40

$2,388 our fee + $102.40 Wyoming fee

Renews from $2,448 a year

Included in both plans

  • State formation filing
  • Registered agent and registered office
  • EIN application without an SSN
  • LLC Operating Agreement or corporate bylaws
  • Bank and payment application guidance
  • Filing calendar and reminders

What changes because you live here

The filing is the same from anywhere. Four things aren't.

Treaty status, payment availability, bank eligibility and time zones. Sources checked 14 October 2026; account approval remains with the provider.

1 of 4: The tax treaty

The tax treaty

The tax treaty: None

There's no US–Croatia income tax treaty in force.

One was signed in December 2022, with a protocol in April 2026, but it hasn't taken effect. US-source dividends, interest and royalties paid to you are withheld at 30% unless a US exemption applies. Pay for work you do in Croatia generally isn't US-source income, so nothing is withheld on it.

How Croatia sees it

Managed from Croatia, a US company is Croatian.

Residence, the rates and dividends come from PwC's summary; the treaty's status from the IRS and the Treasury. They run alongside the US steps below.

  1. If it's managed from here

    The company

    Croatian-resident: 18%, or 10% with revenue under €1 million.

  2. When it pays you a dividend

    You

    Taxed at 12%.

  3. If a US corporation pays you

    You

    30% US withholding, with no treaty in force to cut it.

Worked example

A one-person LLC run from Zagreb, worked through

This is an illustration, not a quote. How Croatia classes the LLC, and how it pays you, are for your tax adviser.

  1. Your Wyoming LLC makes €90,000 of profit on revenue well under €1 million, and you manage it from Zagreb.

  2. Its place of effective management and control is in Croatia, so it's Croatian-resident, and the 10% rate gives €9,000.

  3. Paying the remaining €81,000 to you as a dividend costs 12% more, or €9,720.

  4. If it were a US corporation paying you, the US would withhold 30% first, until the treaty takes effect.

What Croatia expects

Owning a US company doesn't take you out of Croatia's tax system.

Croatia treats a company effectively managed there as resident at 18%, or 10% under €1 million of revenue, taxes dividends at 12%, and has no US treaty in force yet.

A treaty signed, not in force

The US and Croatia signed a tax treaty in December 2022 and a protocol in April 2026, but it isn't in force, and the IRS doesn't list it.

Sources

Where it is managed

A company is Croatian-resident if its seat is registered here or its place of effective management and control is in Croatia. It then pays 18%, or 10% with revenue under €1 million.

Sources

Dividends

Croatia taxes dividends at 12%.

Sources

Controlled foreign companies

Croatia's CFC rule sits in its corporate tax act, for a taxpayer holding more than 50% of a low-taxed foreign entity.

Sources

Residence

You're resident if you have real estate at your disposal here for 183 days, or you're here 183 days, in one or two calendar years.

Sources

On the record

We form US companies. We aren't Croatian tax advisers. These are the rules as they're generally published, they change, and how they apply to you depends on details this page can't know. Take this list to a tax adviser in Croatia before you order, and we'll tell you what the US forms need.

After formation

Someone has to own each filing, in each country.

US information reporting

A US LLC with one foreign owner is usually a disregarded entity that files Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 when it has reportable transactions with you. Money you put in, take out or are paid for your work can count even in a year without sales. The IRS penalty for not filing starts at $25,000.

For a calendar-year company, the return is usually due 15 April, and Form 7004 requests an extension before then. A C-Corp, or an LLC with more than one owner, files different returns.

Form 5472 and the pro forma 1120

State and Croatian checks

Keep the registered agent active and track the state's yearly charge. In Croatia, declare dividends, and expect corporate returns if the company is managed here.

US-created companies are exempt from BOI reporting under FinCEN's current rule, effective 14 August 2026. Banks and payment providers still verify who owns the company.

Who handles each formation, banking and filing responsibility
TaskWho handles itWhere the responsibility ends
Formation and EIN applicationBaseAcross prepares and submitsThe state approves formation; the IRS issues the EIN.
Bank and payment applicationsYou, with our guidanceThe provider verifies the information and decides.
Croatian returnsYou and your tax adviserWe provide the US company records they need.
Annual state filingYou, or our optional filing serviceReminders are included; managed filing and the state charge are separate.
US federal returnsYou and your US tax preparerLaunch and Operate remind you; they don't file the return.

Prepare the conversation

Take these questions to your tax adviser before you order.

Bring the owners, where each lives, the operating agreement, where the company will be managed and the business activity. Each question is also in Croatian.

Download the checklist for your tax adviser (.txt)
  1. 01
    EN

    Would my US LLC's place of effective management and control be in Croatia, making it resident here?

    HR

    Bi li se mjesto stvarne uprave i nadzora mog američkog LLC-a nalazilo u Hrvatskoj, tako da bi ovdje bio rezident?

  2. 02
    EN

    If it's resident, does the 10% rate apply with revenue under €1 million?

    HR

    Ako je rezident, primjenjuje li se stopa od 10 % uz prihode manje od milijun eura?

  3. 03
    EN

    How are dividends from it taxed, and who reports them when they come from abroad?

    HR

    Kako se oporezuju dividende od njega i tko ih prijavljuje kada dolaze iz inozemstva?

  4. 04
    EN

    How does Croatia class my US LLC: as a company or as transparent?

    HR

    Kako Hrvatska kvalificira moj američki LLC: kao društvo ili kao transparentan subjekt?

  5. 05
    EN

    Until the treaty takes effect, how do I get credit for US tax withheld?

    HR

    Dok ugovor ne stupi na snagu, kako mogu ostvariti odbitak za porez plaćen u SAD-u?

  6. 06
    EN

    Would a Croatian company serve me better than a US company?

    HR

    Bi li mi hrvatsko društvo više odgovaralo od američkog društva?

  7. 07
    EN

    How should I keep records for the US return and my Croatian return?

    HR

    Kako trebam voditi evidenciju za američku prijavu i svoju hrvatsku poreznu prijavu?

Questions

Questions from Croatia.

If yours is not here, email us at hello@baseacross.com before you order.

Can a Croatian resident own a US LLC?

Yes. US law doesn't require an LLC's owners to be US citizens or residents, and formation, the EIN and the bank applications all happen remotely. The Croatian questions are where it's managed and how its profit reaches you without a treaty in force.

Is there a US–Croatia tax treaty?

Not in force. One was signed in December 2022, with a protocol in April 2026, but it hasn't taken effect, and the IRS doesn't list it. US-source dividends, interest and royalties paid to you are withheld at 30% unless a US exemption applies.

Can Croatia tax my US company as Croatian?

It can. A company is Croatian-resident if its place of effective management and control is in Croatia. It then pays 18%, or 10% with revenue under €1 million.

How are dividends from the company taxed in Croatia?

At 12%.

How much does a US company from Croatia cost?

Launch starts at $351.40: $249 for the plan plus $102.40 for the Wyoming filing. The plan and Wyoming's minimum yearly charge then total $309 a year. Your tax adviser's fees, US return preparation and Croatian filings are separate. Wyoming's license tax can be more than its $60 minimum.

Should I form a Wyoming LLC or a Delaware C-Corp from Croatia?

A Wyoming LLC suits an owner-run business selling to US customers, once you know where it will be managed. A Delaware C-Corp suits raising from US investors, though its dividends to you are withheld at 30% until the treaty takes effect. Nonresident aliens can't hold shares in an S-corporation.

Can I get an EIN without an SSN or ITIN?

Yes. Without an SSN or ITIN, the application goes on Form SS-4 instead of the IRS's online tool. We prepare it after the company is formed, and the IRS issues the number.

How long does it take from Croatia?

Each stage has its own clock. Wyoming's published turnaround is same day once a complete filing is accepted. Our ordinary EIN estimate is six to eight weeks after the application, or two to three weeks with the $199 expedited option. Banks, payment providers and Stripe each set their own review times. These are estimates, not promises.

Can I open a Mercury account from Croatia?

No. Croatia is on Mercury's list of countries it doesn't serve, and the list goes by where you live. Wise Business is the one to check first.

Can I use Wise Business for the US company?

Usually, yes. Croatia is on Wise's list of places where people can hold money, so a US company run from Croatia can get USD account details. Wise reviews each business.

Do I need a US company for Stripe in Croatia?

No. Stripe supports businesses in Croatia, and a Croatian company gets you Stripe too. A US company is for selling as a US vendor, US contracts, US investors or platforms that need one.

Do I pay US tax on work I do from Croatia?

Generally not. Pay for work you do in Croatia is generally not US-source income, so a US company with no US office or staff often owes no US income tax on it. A single-owner LLC still files Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 when it has reportable transactions with you.

Does BaseAcross file the US and Croatian returns for me?

On Launch and Operate, we add deadlines and reminders; you or your accountant file the federal returns. Managed annual state compliance is an optional $149 service fee a year, with the state's charge separate. Your Croatian returns are for you and your tax adviser.

Does my new US LLC need a BOI report?

US-created companies are exempt under FinCEN's current BOI rule, effective 14 August 2026. A company formed outside the US and registered to do business there is a different case. Banks still collect ownership details for their own checks.

Sources and editorial scope

Check the published rules behind the explanation.

Prepared by the BaseAcross team and reviewed by Saais Patel, compliance reviewer. Sources checked . This is general formation information, with source links for the tax and banking context. An individual tax or legal review remains with your qualified advisers.

Croatia

United States (IRS, Treasury and FinCEN)

Banks and payments

States

The treaty's status comes from the IRS treaty list and the Treasury's treaty documents. Residence, the rates and dividends come from PwC's Worldwide Tax Summaries. Confirm the current position with your tax adviser before acting.

Europe

Other countries in the region.

Every country

Ready when you are

Answer the questions. We do the filing.

It takes about four minutes. You see the whole order, state fee included, before anything is charged.

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From

Zagreb

Croatia

To

Wyoming

LLC · Cheyenne, WY

Plan
Launch
First year
$351.40
To order
10 steps
Start from Croatia

Launch · $249 + $102.40 Wyoming · Same day