A Wyoming LLC may fit
Card payments from customers abroad
Stripe doesn't serve Saudi Arabia. A US LLC with a US bank account can apply for a US Stripe account, and Mercury and Wise Business both serve founders here.
From Saudi Arabia · Middle East and North Africa
Start a US company from Saudi Arabia
For founders in Saudi Arabia who need Stripe, a US contracting party or dollar invoicing. Stripe doesn't serve the Kingdom, but a US company can apply. Mercury and Wise Business both open for founders here. Saudi Arabia can treat a company run from the Kingdom as Saudi, so read that section first.
Launch + Wyoming filing; the tax return is separate.Checked by Saais Patel, compliance reviewer.
At a glance
Mercury takes applications from founders living in Saudi Arabia. Wise Business is the usual second account.
The banks, in detailYou can form a US LLC while living in Saudi Arabia, without an SSN or a US visit, and Mercury and Wise Business both open for founders here. Launch starts at $351.40 in Wyoming, including our plan and state filing fee. Stripe doesn't serve the Kingdom, so a US company is the usual way in. The catch is residence: a company whose central management is in Saudi Arabia is resident, and owes income tax or Zakat on its profit.
Before you form
Start with whether you need a US company, and where it's run.
BaseAcross's Wyoming LLC and Delaware C-Corp options for founders in Saudi Arabia
Wyoming LLC
Owner-run business selling to US customers, with US Stripe.
- State filing
- $102.40
- Yearly state charge
- From $60
Delaware C-Corp
Raising from US investors; plan where it's managed.
- State filing
- $110
- Yearly state charge
- $450 for the model shown
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.
- Each owner's nationality and where decisions will be made, because Saudi tax asks both.
- 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
- Records of where the company's central management sits.
- Invoices to Saudi clients and the tax they withheld.
- Any income tax or Zakat return the adviser says the company or you need.
You and your adviser
For ZATCA
You don't need a Saudi company or commercial registration to form a US LLC. 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 Saudi Arabia to a maintained US company.
The state approves the company, the IRS issues the EIN and each provider approves its own account. In Saudi Arabia, your adviser handles any ZATCA registration; we don't file there.
You and your adviser
Check the Saudi side first
Decide whether you need a US company at all, where its central management will be, and whether income tax or Zakat would apply.
You leave this stage with: A management and tax plan that fits Saudi rules.
01 / 07
You choose; BaseAcross checks
Choose the name and registered agent
We check the proposed name and provide the registered agent in the formation state. The registered office is for legal papers, not your operating address.
You leave this stage with: Confirmed filing details and a registered agent.
02 / 07
BaseAcross files; the state approves
File the company with the state
We submit the formation filing and send you the state's documents once it's approved. The company exists from that approval.
You leave this stage with: State-approved formation documents.
03 / 07
BaseAcross
Prepare the operating documents
We draft the LLC Operating Agreement or corporate bylaws. Check every name and share against your passport before you sign.
You leave this stage with: Operating documents for your records, your bank and US providers.
04 / 07
BaseAcross prepares; the IRS issues
Apply for the EIN
The EIN is a separate application after formation. Without an SSN or ITIN, it goes on Form SS-4 rather than the IRS's online tool.
You leave this stage with: The IRS's EIN confirmation once it's issued.
05 / 07
You apply; the providers review
Apply for banking and payments
Start with Mercury or Wise Business, which both serve founders living in Saudi Arabia. Then apply for US Stripe. Use the same names, addresses and business description everywhere.
You leave this stage with: An approved account, if a provider accepts the application.
06 / 07
You, your US preparer and your adviser
Keep records and file where needed
Record every payment between you and the company, where decisions were made and any Saudi tax withheld. Put Form 5472 and any ZATCA filing on one calendar.
You leave this stage with: A yearly calendar with someone responsible for each filing.
07 / 07
Plan the wait
Formation, the EIN and banking have separate timelines.
Published service estimates and prerequisites for a Wyoming company from Saudi Arabia
- Wyoming formationSame day
- Ordinary EINsix to eight weeks
- Expedited EINtwo to three weeks
- Bank and payment accountsProvider review
- US Stripe accountStripe's review
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 Saudi Arabia 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.
The full cost from Saudi Arabia
What a Wyoming LLC costs from Saudi Arabia, line by line, and what to budget for outside our plans.
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
The registered agent renews with the plan. Operate adds its published business tools and bookkeeping. Neither plan files your tax returns in either country.
What a Wyoming LLC costs from Saudi Arabia, on each plan
Launch
To start, before optional extras
$351.40
- Our feeFor the first year; the plan renews each year
- $249
- Wyoming filing feePaid to the state, passed through at cost
- $102.40
- Recurring subtotal, fromPlan renewal + minimum state charge, before extras
- $309
OperateBilled yearly
To start, before optional extras
$2,490.40
- Our feeFor the first year; the plan renews each year
- $2,388
- Wyoming filing feePaid to the state, passed through at cost
- $102.40
- Recurring subtotal, fromPlan renewal + minimum state charge, before extras
- $2,448
Optional extras are priced before you order, such as filing ahead of our next batch for $39. See full pricing.
Budget for the work outside that subtotal
Managed annual state compliance
$149 service fee / year
Optional on both plans. The state's charge is separate, and a reminder alone doesn't file the report.
State filing serviceUS federal return preparation
Arrange separately
You or your accountant handle Form 5472 and any other US returns on Launch and Operate. Ask the preparer for their scope and fee.
Federal filing responsibilitiesSaudi tax and Zakat advice
Quote from your adviser
Whether the company is resident, and what it files with ZATCA, depend on who owns it and where it's run.
Optional tools after free periods
Published in full pricing
Check domain renewals and when Launch's email, phone and site trials end. Operate includes its stated tools while subscribed.
Plans, trials and add-onsWhat the totals assume
The $309 Launch renewal example is the $249 plan renewal plus Wyoming's $60 minimum license tax. Wyoming charges the greater of that minimum or 0.0002 of the company's assets located and employed in the state, and paying online can add a processor fee. The Operate example uses the same minimum.
Prices are in US dollars. Paying from Saudi Arabia, check your card's exchange rate and fees.
Get started from Saudi Arabia
Use the first-year cost calculator to compare plans and optional tools. Then add your adviser's fees and US return preparation to that budget.
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 income tax treaty with Saudi Arabia.
US-source dividends, interest and royalties paid to you are withheld at 30% unless a US exemption applies. On the Saudi side, a Saudi client paying your US company for services withholds at the non-treaty rate.
Income tax and Zakat
No tax on salaries, but a company run from the Kingdom can owe income tax or Zakat.
These come from PwC's summaries of Saudi Arabia's income tax and Zakat rules, and they run alongside the US steps below. Which applies depends on who owns the company and where it's run.
When you decide who runs it
You and your adviserYou and your adviser
A company whose central management is in Saudi Arabia is resident there, even though it was formed in the US.
If the company is resident, for non-Saudi owners
The company, with your adviserThe company, with your adviser
Income tax at 20% of net adjusted profit on the share owned by non-Saudis. A resident non-Saudi who carries on activities in the Kingdom is taxed too.
If the company is resident, for Saudi and GCC owners
The company, with your adviserThe company, with your adviser
Zakat at 2.5% of the Zakat base, which is the business's net worth as calculated for Zakat. Returns go to ZATCA within 120 days of the year end.
When a Saudi client pays the US company
Your clientYour client
It withholds 5%, 15% or 20%, depending on the service, and pays ZATCA within the first ten days of the next month.
When you fund the company
You and your bankYou and your bank
PwC's summary says there are no restrictions on moving profits, fees, capital, salaries or other money out of the Kingdom.
Worked example
This is an illustration, not a quote. Ask the client for proof of the tax it paid to ZATCA.
Your US company invoices a client in Riyadh USD 10,000 for a service.
At 5%, the client withholds USD 500 and pays your company USD 9,500.
At 15%, it withholds USD 1,500. At 20%, USD 2,000.
Which rate applies depends on the service, so agree it with the client before you invoice.
What Saudi Arabia expects
Owning a US company doesn't take you out of Saudi Arabia's tax system.
Saudi Arabia doesn't tax salaries, but a company whose central management is in the Kingdom is resident. Its profit then owes income tax for non-Saudi owners or Zakat for Saudi and GCC owners.
No tax on salaries
Saudi Arabia has no personal income tax on employment income. Income that isn't from employment is taxed as a business, either as an entity or a permanent establishment.
Where it is run
A company is resident in Saudi Arabia if it's formed under Saudi law or its central management is in the Kingdom. A US company one founder runs entirely from Riyadh should have an adviser look at this early.
Income tax or Zakat
Non-Saudi owners pay income tax at 20% of net adjusted profit. Saudi and GCC citizens pay Zakat instead, at 2.5% of the business's Zakat base. A resident non-Saudi who carries on activities in the Kingdom is also taxed.
Saudi clients withhold
A Saudi resident that pays a non-resident for services withholds tax at 5%, 15% or 20%, depending on the service. With no US treaty, the non-treaty rates apply to a US company.
Tax residence
You're resident if you have a permanent home in Saudi Arabia and spend at least 30 days there in the tax year, or spend 183 days or more there.
On the record
We form US companies. We aren't Saudi 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 Saudi Arabia 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 1120State, ZATCA and ownership checks
Keep the registered agent active and track the state's yearly charge. In Saudi Arabia there's no return for salary, but a company whose central management is in the Kingdom can owe income tax or Zakat returns to ZATCA.
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.
| Task | Who handles it | Where the responsibility ends |
|---|---|---|
| Formation and EIN application | BaseAcross prepares and submits | The state approves formation; the IRS issues the EIN. |
| Bank and payment applications | You, with our guidance | The provider verifies the information and decides. |
| ZATCA income tax, Zakat and withholding | You and your adviser | We provide the US company records they need. |
| Annual state filing | You, or our optional filing service | Reminders are included; managed filing and the state charge are separate. |
| US federal returns | You and your US tax preparer | Launch and Operate remind you; they don't file the return. |
Prepare the conversation
Take these questions to your adviser before you order.
Bring the owners and their nationalities, where each lives, where decisions will be made and the business activity. Agree who handles each filing in Saudi Arabia and in the US.
Download the checklist for your adviser (.txt)- 01
Would the US company's central management be in Saudi Arabia, making it resident?
- 02
If it is, does income tax or Zakat apply, given each owner's nationality?
- 03
Is a US LLC treated as a capital company for income tax and Zakat?
- 04
As a resident, am I carrying on activities in the Kingdom that ZATCA taxes?
- 05
Which withholding rate will my Saudi clients apply to payments to the US company?
- 06
What must be registered or filed with ZATCA, and by when?
- 07
How should I keep records for the US return and any ZATCA filing?
Questions
Questions from Saudi Arabia.
If yours is not here, email us at hello@baseacross.com before you order.
Can a Saudi resident own a US LLC?
Yes, as far as US law goes. It doesn't require an LLC's owners to be US citizens or residents, and formation, the EIN and the bank applications all happen remotely. On the Saudi side, a company whose central management is in the Kingdom can be treated as resident. Owning a US company doesn't give you a US visa.
Can Saudi Arabia tax my US company?
It can. A company is resident in Saudi Arabia if its central management is there. A resident company's profit owes income tax at 20% on the share owned by non-Saudis, and Zakat at 2.5% of the Zakat base on the share owned by Saudi and GCC citizens.
I'm Saudi. Do I pay income tax or Zakat?
Saudi and GCC citizens are generally liable for Zakat, not income tax. Zakat is 2.5% of the business's Zakat base, which is its net worth as calculated for Zakat. Your adviser confirms whether a US company you run from the Kingdom falls in.
I'm an expat living in Saudi Arabia. What applies to me?
There's no tax on your salary. A resident non-Saudi who carries on activities in the Kingdom pays income tax at 20% on that business, and a company whose central management is there is resident. Have an adviser look at this before you order.
Will my Saudi clients withhold tax from what they pay my US company?
They may. A Saudi resident paying a non-resident for services withholds 5%, 15% or 20%, depending on the service, and pays it to ZATCA. With no US treaty, the non-treaty rates apply.
How much does a US company from Saudi Arabia 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 adviser's fees, US return preparation and any ZATCA filing 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 Saudi Arabia?
A Wyoming LLC usually suits an owner-run business selling to US customers. A Delaware C-Corp suits raising from US investors. Either way, where central management sits decides Saudi residence. 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 Saudi Arabia?
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 Saudi Arabia?
Usually you can apply. Saudi Arabia 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?
Usually, yes. Saudi Arabia is on Wise's list of places where people can hold money, so a US company run from the Kingdom can get USD account details. Wise reviews each business.
Do I need a US company for Stripe in Saudi Arabia?
For Stripe itself, usually yes. Stripe doesn't list Saudi Arabia 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 Saudi Arabia?
Generally not. Pay for work you do in Saudi Arabia 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.
Is there a US–Saudi Arabia tax treaty?
No. US-source dividends, interest and royalties paid to you are withheld at 30% unless a US exemption applies.
Can I send money from Saudi Arabia to fund the company?
PwC's summary says there are no restrictions on moving profits, fees, capital, salaries or other money out of the Kingdom. Your bank still asks what each transfer is for.
Does BaseAcross file the US and Saudi 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. Any ZATCA income tax, Zakat or withholding filing is for you and your 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.
Saudi Arabia
United States (IRS, Treasury and FinCEN)
Banks and payments
Saudi Arabia's rules are read from PwC's Worldwide Tax Summaries, a professional summary of the Income Tax Law and the Zakat regulations, not the texts themselves. Confirm the current position with your adviser before acting.
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 plansYour company's route
Nothing charged yetFrom
Riyadh
Saudi Arabia
To
Wyoming
LLC · Cheyenne, WY
- Plan
- Launch
- First year
- $351.40
- To order
- 10 steps
Launch · $249 + $102.40 Wyoming · Same day