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From Nigeria · Africa

Start a US company from Nigeria

For Nigerian founders who need dollar card payments, a US contracting party or a company for US platforms and investors. Formation and the EIN happen remotely, without an SSN. Mercury, Relay and Wise's USD accounts won't serve founders who live here, and the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 changed how your income is taxed, so both are set out below.

Start from Nigeria From $351.40 in the first year

Launch + Wyoming filing; the tax return is separate.

At a glance

Mercury doesn't open for founders living in Nigeria, and nor do Relay or Wise's USD accounts. Check Raenest and Payoneer.

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

Yes, you can form a US LLC while living in Nigeria, without an SSN or a visit to the US; since 1 January 2026, the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 taxes residents on income wherever it arises, including what the company pays you.

Checked by Saais Patel, compliance reviewer.

Nigeria: the first year's steps, who issues each, the fee and the typical time
StepWho issues itFeeTypical time
Form the Wyoming LLCWho issues itThe Wyoming Secretary of StateFee$102.40 state fee, passed on at costTypical timeSame day, once a complete filing is accepted. Our order checks and filing batch come first.
Get the EIN without an SSNWho issues itThe IRS, from Form SS-4FeeNo IRS fee. Launch and Operate include the application.Typical timeThe IRS says that under its Fax-TIN program an EIN by fax generally comes within 4 business days. For a company owned from abroad, our estimate is six to eight weeks.
Open an account to get paidWho issues itRaenest, which says Raenest Business can help eligible US LLCs run from Nigeria. Founders here also check Payoneer.FeeSet by the providerTypical timeThe provider's review, and it can decline
Apply for a US Stripe accountWho issues itStripe, for card payments in dollars. Paystack, which Stripe owns, covers local payments.FeeSet by StripeTypical timeStripe's review, and it can decline

Before you form

Start with whether you need a US company, and who should own it.

  • You may not need a US company

    Freelance or remote work for clients abroad

    Anyone in Nigeria can hold dollars in a domiciliary account at a Nigerian bank. A US company adds filings in both countries, so it needs a reason of its own.

    US companies for freelancers
  • A Wyoming LLC may fit

    Card payments from customers abroad, or a platform that wants a US company

    Paystack covers local payments. A US LLC with a US bank account can apply for a US Stripe account. Plan the bank first, because Mercury, Relay and Wise's USD accounts won't serve you.

    Getting access to Stripe
  • Consider a Delaware C-Corp

    Raising from investors abroad

    Investors often want a Delaware parent. If it invests in a Nigerian subsidiary, the bank issues a Certificate of Capital Importation for each inflow, and the law guarantees dividends on that money can go back out.

    Delaware C-Corp formation
  • Check the controlled foreign company rule

    Holding it through your Nigerian company

    When a Nigerian company controls the US company, Nigeria can tax profits it could have paid out and top up tax below a minimum rate. Decide who owns the US company before you form it.

    Holding companies

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

Wyoming LLC

Owner-run business that needs dollar card payments or a US contracting party; plan the bank first.

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

Delaware C-Corp

Raising from investors who want shares; plan any Nigerian subsidiary and its capital importation.

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, management and home addresses.
  • Whether you or your Nigerian company will own it, and any US operations or investment plans.
  • 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 Tax ID, which banks need before they open or run any account.
  • A domiciliary account, if you'll hold dollars in Nigeria.
  • Records of every payment between you and the company, for your annual return.
You and your bank

For your bank and taxes in Nigeria

You don't need a Nigerian company, a CAC registration or a Tax ID to form a US LLC. Your Tax ID matters on the Nigerian side, for your bank and your return. The EIN is the US company's tax ID, and it doesn't replace yours. Send identity documents through a secure request, and only the ones asked for.

How it works

Seven steps from Nigeria to a maintained US company.

The state approves the company, the IRS issues the EIN and each provider approves its own account. In Nigeria, your bank handles the foreign exchange side and your tax adviser handles your return; we don't file either.

You and your tax adviser

Check the Nigerian side first

Decide who owns the company, you or your Nigerian company, how it's funded and how you'll be paid, and whether you need a US company at all.

You leave this stage with: An ownership and payment plan that fits Nigerian tax.

01 / 07

Plan the wait

Formation, the EIN and banking have separate timelines.

Published service estimates and prerequisites for a Wyoming company from Nigeria

  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
    Raenest and Payoneer 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 Nigeria 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 13 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 income tax treaty with Nigeria.

US-source dividends, interest and royalties paid to you are withheld at 30% unless a US exemption applies. Pay for work you do in Nigeria generally isn't US-source income, so nothing is withheld on it, and Nigeria's own law lets you credit US tax you do pay against the Nigerian tax on the same income.

Money and tax

Money between Nigeria and the company goes through banks, on the record.

These come from Nigeria's Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act and the two tax Acts of 2025, and they run alongside the US steps below. Read them before you order, because they decide who should own the company and how you're taxed on it.

  1. Owning the company

    You

    The FX Act lets any resident invest in securities, whether or not they're in foreign currency, so owning a US company needs no special permission. How you buy dollars to fund it is a separate question for your bank.

  2. When money crosses the border

    Your bank

    Banks report any transfer to or from abroad above US$10,000 to the Central Bank of Nigeria. Keep the paperwork for every payment between you and the company.

  3. Holding dollars in Nigeria

    You and your bank

    Anyone can open domiciliary accounts in foreign currency with a Nigerian bank, including several in different currencies. Banks need your Tax ID before they open or run any account.

  4. When the company pays you

    You and your tax adviser

    It's your income as a resident, taxed in Nigeria at the personal rates, from 0% on the first ₦800,000 to 25% above ₦50 million. Record it as a fee for your work or a distribution, because the two are treated differently.

  5. If the company is run from Nigeria

    You and your tax adviser

    A company whose central or effective place of management or control is in Nigeria is a Nigerian company for tax, taxed on its profits wherever they arise.

  6. Every year

    You and your tax adviser

    File a return of income from every source, whether or not you owe tax. Income from a trade or business needs audited accounts or a statement of accounts you attest.

Worked example

A worked tax year at the 2026 rates

That's 16.25% of ₦12,000,000. Pay for work done in Nigeria usually has no US tax withheld, so there's usually no US tax to credit against it. Your adviser works out the reliefs that come first.

  1. Your taxable income for the year, after reliefs, is ₦12,000,000, including what the US company paid you for your work.

  2. The first ₦800,000 is taxed at 0%.

  3. The next ₦2,200,000 at 15% is ₦330,000.

  4. The next ₦9,000,000 at 18% is ₦1,620,000, which brings the total to ₦1,950,000.

What Nigeria expects

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

Nigeria taxes its residents on income from anywhere, whether or not it's brought home, under the Nigeria Tax Act 2025. A US company run from Nigeria can itself count as a Nigerian company. Keeping the money in a US account doesn't change either.

Nigeria Tax Act · Worldwide income

Since 1 January 2026, a resident's income is taxed in Nigeria wherever it arises, whether or not it's brought home. You're resident if any one test fits, such as a home available to you here, your habitual abode, close economic and family ties, or 183 days in a year.

Sources

Where it is run

A company whose central or effective place of management or control is in Nigeria counts as a Nigerian company, taxed on its profits wherever they arise. A US company that one founder runs entirely from Nigeria should have a tax adviser look at this before it earns much.

Sources

Through a Nigerian company

If a Nigerian company controls the US company, Nigeria can tax profits the US company could have paid out but didn't, and can top up tax that falls below its minimum effective rate. Owning the US company yourself, rather than through your Nigerian company, changes which rules apply.

Sources

Tax ID and returns

Every taxable person registers for a Tax ID, and banks need it to open or run any account. You file a return of income from every source each year, whether or not you owe tax, with audited or attested accounts for business income.

Sources

FX Act · Money in and out

Nigeria's foreign exchange law lets residents invest in securities in any currency and hold domiciliary accounts in foreign currency. Banks report any transfer to or from abroad above US$10,000 to the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Sources

On the record

We form US companies. We aren't Nigerian 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 Nigeria before you order, and we'll tell you what the US forms need.

After formation

Each filing needs a named owner 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
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.
Money into and out of NigeriaYou and your bankYour bank applies the foreign exchange rules and reports to the CBN; we don't.
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.
Nigerian return, Tax ID and taxYou and your tax adviserWe provide the US company records they need.

Prepare the conversation

Take these questions to your tax adviser before you order.

Bring the owners, where each lives for tax, whether a Nigerian company will own the US one, the business activity and how money will move between you. Agree who prepares each filing in Nigeria and in the US.

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

    Will the Nigeria Revenue Service treat my US company as a Nigerian company, given where it's managed and controlled?

  2. 02

    Should I own the US company myself or through my Nigerian company, and how do the controlled foreign company and minimum tax rules apply to each?

  3. 03

    How should I take money from the company, as a fee for my work, a salary or a distribution, and how is each taxed?

  4. 04

    How should I fund the company from Nigeria, and how will my bank source and report the dollars?

  5. 05

    What goes in my annual return, and do I need audited accounts or an attested statement?

  6. 06

    Can I claim credit for any US tax under section 119, and which records do I need?

  7. 07

    Does any Nigerian VAT or levy apply to what I bill through the US company?

Questions

Questions from Nigeria.

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

Can a Nigerian resident own a US LLC?

Yes. US law doesn't require an LLC's owners to be US citizens or residents, and Nigeria's foreign exchange law lets residents invest in securities in any currency. Formation, the EIN and the bank applications all happen remotely. Owning a US company doesn't give you a US visa.

Do I need CBN approval to own a US company?

The Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act lets any resident invest in securities whether or not they're in foreign currency, so owning the company needs no special approval. How you buy dollars to fund it is a question for your bank, and banks report any transfer abroad above US$10,000 to the CBN.

Do I need a US company to get paid as a freelancer in Nigeria?

Not necessarily. Anyone in Nigeria can hold foreign currency in domiciliary accounts at Nigerian banks. A US company is for Stripe, US contracts and platforms or investors that need one, and it adds filings in both countries.

How much does a US company from Nigeria 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 bank charges in Nigeria 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 Nigeria?

A Wyoming LLC usually suits an owner-run business selling to customers abroad. A Delaware C-Corp suits raising from investors who want shares, and money it invests in a Nigerian subsidiary gets a Certificate of Capital Importation. Either way, a company run from Nigeria can count as Nigerian for 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. Your Nigerian Tax ID isn't part of it.

How long does it take from Nigeria?

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 Nigeria?

No. Mercury's prohibited-countries list includes Nigeria, and it goes by where you live, not your passport. Relay also bars owners with Nigerian citizenship or residency.

Can I use Wise Business from Nigeria?

Not for USD account details. Wise says it can't give them where your US business, or your personal profile, has an address in Nigeria. Check its current terms before you rely on it for anything else.

Which account can a founder in Nigeria use?

Raenest says Raenest Business can help eligible US LLCs run from Nigeria, with USD account details that take ACH, wire and SWIFT payments. Founders here also check Payoneer. Grey Business is built for companies registered outside the US, so it suits a Nigerian company rather than your US LLC. Each provider reviews the company and its owners and can decline.

Is Stripe available in Nigeria?

Through Paystack, which Stripe owns, for local payments. To take card payments in dollars from customers abroad, a US LLC with an EIN and a US bank account can apply for a US Stripe account. Stripe reviews the business and the person behind it, and approval isn't guaranteed.

Is there a US–Nigeria tax treaty?

No. The IRS lists no income tax treaty with Nigeria, so US-source dividends, interest and royalties paid to you are withheld at 30% unless a US exemption applies. Pay for work you do in Nigeria generally isn't US-source income, so nothing is withheld on it.

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

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

How does Nigeria tax my US company's income?

As a resident you're taxed on income from anywhere, whether or not you bring it home, at rates from 0% on the first ₦800,000 to 25% above ₦50 million. A company whose central or effective place of management or control is in Nigeria can itself be taxed as a Nigerian company.

Does BaseAcross file the US and Nigerian 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 Nigerian return and Tax ID are for you and your tax adviser.

How do I bring the company's money to Nigeria?

Through a provider that supports your company and pays out to a Nigerian account, such as a domiciliary account in dollars. Banks report transfers above US$10,000 to the CBN. Record whether each payment is a fee for your work, a loan or a distribution, because they're taxed differently.

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.

Nigeria

United States (IRS, Treasury and FinCEN)

Banks and payments

States

The two 2025 tax Acts are the Official Gazette texts, in force since 1 January 2026; the Tax Appeal Tribunal's copy of the Administration Act is saved under the other Act's file name. The Foreign Exchange Act is the published text of the law. Implementing rules from the Nigeria Revenue Service and the CBN keep changing, so confirm the current position with your adviser before acting.

Africa

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.

Compare the plans

Your company's route

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From

Lagos

Nigeria

To

Wyoming

LLC · Cheyenne, WY

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

Launch · $249 + $102.40 Wyoming · Same day