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From Jamaica · The Americas

Start a US company from Jamaica

For Jamaican founders and creators who need Stripe, sell to US audiences or raise from US investors. Stripe doesn't take Jamaican businesses, and Mercury serves founders living here. A company whose central management and control is in Jamaica is resident here, so read that section first.

Start from Jamaica 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 takes applications from founders living in Jamaica. Wise gives no USD account details there.

The banks, in detail
US tax treaty
In force
Local Stripe
No
Mercury
Yes
Currency
JMD
Our fee
from $249
Wyoming's fee
$102.40
Until we file
Refunded in full

You can form a US company while living in Jamaica, without an SSN or a US visit, and founders here can apply to Mercury, which decides each application. Wise gives no USD account details to them. Launch starts at $351.40 in Wyoming, including our plan and state filing fee. Stripe doesn't take Jamaican businesses, so a US company is a common route to it. The Jamaican point: a company managed and controlled from here is resident here, at 25%.

Before you form

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

  • A US company, after advice

    Card payments from customers worldwide

    Stripe doesn't take Jamaican businesses, and Mercury serves founders here. Where the company is managed decides where it's resident.

    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. Ask whether it will be resident here first.

    US companies for SaaS
  • A Delaware C-Corp

    Raising from US investors

    US investors usually want a Delaware C-Corp. The treaty caps US withholding on its dividends to you at 15%.

    Raising from US investors
  • A US subsidiary

    A Jamaican company expanding to the US

    A Jamaican company can own a US company as its subsidiary. Jamaica has no CFC rules, but ask how its dividends come home.

    US holding companies

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

Wyoming LLC

Owner-run business with US Stripe, after advice.

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

Delaware C-Corp

Raising from US investors; pays US corporate tax.

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's decisions will be made, because a company managed and controlled from Jamaica is resident here.
  • 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

  • A record of where the company's decisions are made.
  • Your return, with your worldwide income if you're domiciled here.
  • The company's return, if it's resident here.
You and your tax adviser

For Tax Administration Jamaica

You don't need a Jamaican 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 Jamaica to a maintained US company.

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

You and your tax adviser

Check the Jamaican side first

Decide whether you need a US company at all, and where it will be managed and controlled.

You leave this stage with: A structure and tax plan that fit Jamaica'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 Jamaica

  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
    Mercury, Stripe 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 Jamaica 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: In force

The US–Jamaica income tax treaty is in force.

It caps interest at 12.5%, royalties at 10%, and dividends at 15%, or 10% for a qualifying company shareholder. Pay for work you do in Jamaica generally isn't US-source income, so the treaty matters less for a services business.

How Jamaica sees it

A company managed from Jamaica is resident in Jamaica.

Residence, the rates and the remittance rule come from PwC's summary. They run alongside the US steps below.

  1. If it's managed and controlled from here

    The company

    Jamaican-resident, taxed at 25% on worldwide income.

  2. If you're resident and domiciled here

    You

    Worldwide income at 25%, and 30% above JMD 6 million.

  3. If you're resident but not domiciled

    You

    Investment income from abroad taxed when remitted.

Worked example

A one-person LLC run from Kingston, worked through

This is an illustration, not a quote. How Jamaica classes the LLC, and how the treaty treats a company resident in both countries, are for your tax adviser.

  1. Your Wyoming LLC makes JMD 9,000,000 of profit, and you make every decision from Kingston.

  2. If Jamaica treats it as a company managed and controlled here, tax at 25% is JMD 2,250,000.

  3. Jamaica has no CFC rules, so the question is where the company is managed, not who owns it.

  4. If you're domiciled here, a dividend from what's left is part of your worldwide income.

What Jamaica expects

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

Jamaica treats a company managed and controlled here as resident at 25%, and taxes domiciled residents on worldwide income.

Where it's managed

A company is resident in Jamaica if its central management and control is exercised here, wherever it's incorporated. A resident company pays 25% on its worldwide income.

Sources

Your income

Residents domiciled in Jamaica are taxed on worldwide income: 25% up to JMD 6 million a year and 30% above, after a tax-free threshold.

Sources

Not domiciled here

A resident who isn't domiciled in Jamaica pays on investment income from abroad only when it's remitted here.

Sources

No CFC rules

Jamaica has no CFC regime and no tax on capital gains.

Sources

Residence

You're resident after six months here in a tax year, or with a home available here and any visit at all.

Sources

On the record

We form US companies. We aren't Jamaican 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 Jamaica 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 Jamaican checks

Keep the registered agent active and track the state's yearly charge. In Jamaica, keep a record of where the company's decisions are made, and file what your adviser says you owe.

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.
Jamaican returnYou 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's decisions will be made and the business activity.

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

    Will my US LLC be resident in Jamaica because its central management and control is here?

  2. 02

    If it is, how does the US–Jamaica treaty treat a company resident in both countries?

  3. 03

    Will Tax Administration Jamaica treat my US LLC as a company or as transparent?

  4. 04

    Am I domiciled in Jamaica, and does the remittance basis apply to me?

  5. 05

    How are dividends from the US company taxed, and how do I get credit for US tax under the treaty?

  6. 06

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

  7. 07

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

Questions

Questions from Jamaica.

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

Can a Jamaican 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 Jamaican question is where the company is managed.

Can my US company be resident in Jamaica?

Yes, if its central management and control is exercised here, wherever it's incorporated. That usually means directors' and shareholders' meetings and major decisions happen in Jamaica. A resident company pays 25% on its worldwide income.

How is my income taxed in Jamaica?

If you're resident and domiciled here, on your worldwide income: 25% up to JMD 6 million a year and 30% above, after a tax-free threshold of JMD 1,876,614 for 2026.

What if I'm not domiciled in Jamaica?

Then investment income from abroad is taxed here only when you remit it to Jamaica. Pay for work done in Jamaica is taxed either way.

When am I resident in Jamaica?

If you spend at least six months here in a tax year, or have a home available here and visit at all that year. Habitual long visits can count too.

How much does a US company from Jamaica 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 Jamaican 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 Jamaica?

A Wyoming LLC suits an owner-run business that needs Stripe or sells to US customers. A Delaware C-Corp suits raising from US investors, though it pays US corporate tax. 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 Jamaica?

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 Jamaica?

Usually you can apply. Jamaica isn't on Mercury's list of countries it doesn't serve, and the list goes by where you live. Mercury still reviews each company and can decline.

Can I use Wise Business for the US company?

Not for USD account details. Jamaica isn't on Wise's list of places where people can hold money, so Wise gives none to founders living here. Mercury is the one to check first.

Do I need a US company for Stripe in Jamaica?

For Stripe itself, usually yes. Stripe doesn't list Jamaica among the countries it supports. A US LLC with an EIN and a US bank account can apply for a US Stripe account, and Stripe can decline.

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

Generally not. Pay for work you do in Jamaica 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.

Is there a US–Jamaica tax treaty?

Yes, it's in force. It caps interest at 12.5%, royalties at 10%, and dividends at 15%, or 10% for a qualifying company shareholder.

Does BaseAcross file the US and Jamaican 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 Jamaican return is 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.

Jamaica

United States (IRS, Treasury and FinCEN)

Banks and payments

States

Residence, the rates and the remittance rule come from PwC's Worldwide Tax Summaries; the treaty rates from IRS Table 1. Confirm the current position with your tax adviser before acting.

The Americas

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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Kingston

Jamaica

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Wyoming

LLC · Cheyenne, WY

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

Launch · $249 + $102.40 Wyoming · Same day