From Sri Lanka · South Asia
For Sri Lankan founders who need US card payments, a US contracting party or a company for US platforms. Formation and the EIN happen remotely, without an SSN, and founders living here can apply to Mercury, which decides each application. The Central Bank's rules on investing abroad and the 15% tax on income from abroad are set out below in order.
Launch + Wyoming filing; the tax return is separate.Checked by Saais Patel, compliance reviewer.
At a glance
Mercury takes applications from founders living in Sri Lanka. Wise gives no USD account details there.
The banks, in detailYou can form a US LLC while living in Sri Lanka, without an SSN or a US visit. Launch starts at $351.40 in Wyoming, including our plan and state filing fee. Founders here can apply to Mercury, which decides each application, but Wise's USD accounts don't serve them. Since June 2026 you can't convert rupees to invest abroad yourself; you can use foreign currency you already hold, up to USD 25,000 from a personal foreign currency account while the current order lasts.
Watch
Thinking of a US LLC while living in Sri Lanka? Here's the honest version, station by station: whether a freelancer even needs one (the 15% ceiling on pay from abroad), the Central Bank's 2026 rules on paying for a company abroad (why you can't convert rupees, and what a Sri Lankan company can do instead), Wyoming or Delaware, the EIN without an SSN, the bank, bringing money home, and what Inland Revenue and the IRS expect every year.
Before you form
Wyoming LLC
Owner-run business that needs Stripe or a US contracting party.
Delaware C-Corp
Raising from investors, or a Sri Lankan company's subsidiary.
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
You don't need a Sri Lankan company or Central Bank approval to form a US LLC. You need foreign currency you're allowed to use, and your bank's records of it. The EIN is the US company's tax ID, and it doesn't replace your TIN. Send identity documents through a secure request, and only the ones asked for.
How it works
The state approves the company, the IRS issues the EIN and each provider approves its own account. In Sri Lanka, your bank applies the Central Bank's rules and your tax adviser handles Inland Revenue; we don't file either.
You, your bank and your tax adviser
Decide whether you or a Sri Lankan company will own the US company, how you'll pay for it within the Central Bank's rules, and whether you need one at all.
You leave this stage with: An owner and a payment plan that fit Sri Lanka's rules.
You choose; BaseAcross checks
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.
BaseAcross files; the state approves
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.
BaseAcross
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.
BaseAcross prepares; the IRS issues
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.
You apply; the providers review
Start with Mercury, which opens for founders living in Sri Lanka. Wise won't give you USD account details. Use the same names, addresses and business description everywhere.
You leave this stage with: An approved account, if a provider accepts the application.
You, your US preparer and your tax adviser
Record every payment between you and the company, and bring income from it home within the Central Bank's month. Put Form 5472 and your Sri Lankan return on one calendar.
You leave this stage with: A yearly calendar with someone responsible for each filing.
Plan the wait
Published service estimates and prerequisites for a Wyoming company from Sri Lanka
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
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.
What a Wyoming LLC costs from Sri Lanka, line by line, and what to budget for outside our plans.
Included in both plans
The registered agent renews with the plan. Operate adds its published business tools and bookkeeping. Neither plan files your tax returns in either country.
Launch
To start, before optional extras
$351.40
OperateBilled yearly
To start, before optional extras
$2,490.40
Optional extras are priced before you order, such as filing ahead of our next batch for $39. See full pricing.
$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 serviceArrange 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 responsibilitiesQuote from your tax adviser
The 15% rate on income from abroad, where the company is resident and the treaty credit depend on your circumstances.
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-onsThe $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 Sri Lanka, use foreign currency you already hold, and check your bank's fees and how it reports the payment.
Use the first-year cost calculator to compare plans and optional tools. Then add your tax adviser's fees, US return preparation and bank charges 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
What changes because you live here
1 of 4: The tax treaty
The tax treaty
The United States and Sri Lanka have an income tax treaty in force.
It caps US withholding on interest and royalties paid to you at 10%, and on dividends at 15%. Pay for work you do in Sri Lanka is generally not US-source income in the first place, so the treaty matters less for a services business.
Money and the Central Bank
These come from the Central Bank's June 2026 Regulations and Order under the Foreign Exchange Act, and Inland Revenue's 2025 changes, and they run alongside the US steps below. Read them before you order, because they decide how you can pay for the company.
You and your bank
A resident individual can't convert rupees to invest abroad, except in an employer's share plan. You can use foreign currency you already hold in a bank account. While the current order lasts, capital payments from a Personal Foreign Currency Account are capped at USD 25,000.
The company and its bank
A company can take a controlling stake abroad through an Outward Investment Account. While the current order lasts, an unlisted company can invest up to USD 200,000 or 20% of its net assets, whichever is lower, and its board confirms to the bank that the investment follows the order.
You and your bank
Income or capital you receive from an investment abroad must come back to an account in Sri Lanka within one month of receipt.
You and your tax adviser
Pay for services used outside Sri Lanka, in foreign currency and brought in through a bank, is taxed at no more than 15% since 1 April 2025.
You and your tax adviser
As a resident you report income from anywhere. A company whose management and control is exercised in Sri Lanka at any time in the year is resident there too.
Worked example
Whether pay from your own company counts as a service export is for your adviser to confirm. The 15% is a ceiling, not a flat charge; your adviser works out the real figure.
Your US company pays you USD 2,000 for work you did in Sri Lanka, through your bank.
It's paid in foreign currency for services used outside Sri Lanka, so it's taxed at no more than 15%.
At 15%, the most the tax can be is USD 300 for the month.
The company records a USD 2,000 payment to its owner for services, which belongs on its Form 5472.
Paying our fee and the state's fee from Sri Lanka is a payment abroad for an investment. Pay from foreign currency you already hold, and ask your bank how it will report it.
What Sri Lanka expects
Sri Lanka taxes its residents on income from anywhere, and income from abroad brought in through a bank is taxed at no more than 15% since April 2025. The Central Bank's 2026 rules decide how you may pay for a company abroad, and they're stricter for individuals than for companies.
Since June 2026, a resident individual can't convert rupees to invest abroad, except in an employer's share plan. You can invest foreign currency you already hold in a bank account. While the current order lasts, capital payments from a Personal Foreign Currency Account are capped at USD 25,000.
Income or capital you receive from an investment abroad must come back to an account in Sri Lanka within one month of receipt.
Since 1 April 2025, pay for services used outside Sri Lanka, and other income from abroad, is taxed at no more than 15% when it's paid in foreign currency and brought in through a bank. The exemption that applied before has ended.
As a resident you're taxed on income from anywhere. You're resident if you live in Sri Lanka, or after 183 days there in any 12 months.
A company is resident in Sri Lanka if its management and control is exercised there at any time in the year. A US company one founder runs entirely from Sri Lanka should have a tax adviser look at this early.
On the record
We form US companies. We aren't Sri Lankan 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 Sri Lanka before you order, and we'll tell you what the US forms need.
After formation
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 1120Keep the registered agent active and track the state's yearly charge. In Sri Lanka, your return covers income from anywhere, and income from an investment abroad has to come home within a month of receipt.
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. |
| Money sent abroad and Central Bank limits | You and your bank | Your bank applies the Central Bank's rules; we don't file with it. |
| Sri Lankan return and tax | You and your tax 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
Bring the owners, where each lives for tax, the business activity, the foreign currency you'll pay with and how money will move between you. Agree who prepares each filing in Sri Lanka and in the US.
Download the checklist for your tax adviser (.txt)May I pay for the US company from my Personal Foreign Currency Account, and how much under the current section 22 Order?
Should a Sri Lankan company own the US company instead, and which investment limit applies to it?
Does pay from my own US company count as a service export for the 15% rate, and what must my bank see?
Could the company's management and control be treated as exercised in Sri Lanka, making it resident here?
How do I bring income from the company home within a month, and into which account?
How do I show the company and its income in my Sri Lankan return?
Can I claim credit here for any US tax under the treaty, and how should I keep records for both returns?
Questions
If yours is not here, email us at hello@baseacross.com before you order.
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 Sri Lankan side, the Central Bank's rules on investing abroad and Inland Revenue's rules on income apply. Owning a US company doesn't give you a US visa.
Not by converting rupees. Since June 2026 a resident individual may convert rupees to invest abroad only in an employer's share plan. You can use foreign currency you already hold in a bank account, and while the current order lasts, capital payments from a Personal Foreign Currency Account are capped at USD 25,000. Ask your bank before you pay.
The June 2026 Order under section 22 runs for six months from 20 June 2026. Orders like it have been renewed every six months since 2020, with changes, so check the current one with your bank before you pay.
Yes, through an Outward Investment Account with its bank, for a controlling stake. While the current order lasts, an unlisted company can invest up to USD 200,000 or 20% of its net assets, whichever is lower, and its board confirms to the bank that the investment follows the order.
Not necessarily. Pay from clients abroad, in foreign currency and brought in through a bank, is taxed at no more than 15%. A US company is for Stripe, US contracts and platforms that need one.
Since 1 April 2025, pay for services used outside Sri Lanka, and other income from abroad, is taxed at no more than 15% when it's paid in foreign currency and brought in through a bank. The exemption that applied before has ended. Income that doesn't meet those conditions is taxed at the normal rates, which go higher.
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 Sri Lanka are separate. Wyoming's license tax can be more than its $60 minimum.
A Wyoming LLC usually suits an owner-run business selling to customers abroad. A Delaware C-Corp suits raising from investors who want shares, or a Sri Lankan company setting up abroad. Nonresident aliens can't hold shares in an S-corporation.
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 Sri Lankan TIN isn't part of it.
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.
Usually you can apply. Sri Lanka 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.
Not for USD account details. Wise says it can't give USD account details to founders living in Sri Lanka. Relay doesn't bar Sri Lanka, but it asks every owner for a physical US address.
It lets you apply. Stripe doesn't list Sri Lanka, but 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.
Generally not. Pay for work you do in Sri Lanka 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.
Yes, it's in force. It caps US withholding on interest and royalties at 10%, and on dividends at 15%. Pay for work you do in Sri Lanka generally isn't US-source income anyway.
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 Sri Lankan return and anything your bank needs under the Central Bank's rules are for you, your bank and your tax adviser.
Through a bank that pays out in Sri Lanka. Income or capital from an investment abroad must come back within one month of receipt. Pay for your own work brought in through a bank in foreign currency is taxed at no more than 15%. Record which each payment is.
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
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.
The Central Bank's Regulations and Order are the gazetted texts of 18 June 2026; the Order lasts six months. Inland Revenue's notice is read from a copy, and the residence tests from a chartered accountants' FAQ on the 2017 Act, because the official sites wouldn't load. Confirm the current position with your adviser before acting.
Ready when you are
It takes about four minutes. You see the whole order, state fee included, before anything is charged.
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