51 guides · for founders abroad
Starting a US company from outside the US, explained.
Anyone living outside the US can form a US LLC or corporation from home, without a visa or a Social Security Number. The usual route is a Wyoming LLC ($102.40 to file, $60 a year), an EIN by fax, a US bank account and one federal form a year. These 51 guides cover each step, name their sources and show when each was last updated.
Start here · your first year
In order- Step 1Form the LLCHow to start a US LLC as a non-resident (2026)$102.40 to file in Wyoming$102.40to file in Wyoming
- Step 2Get the EINHow to get an EIN without a Social Security NumberNo SSN Form SS-4, by faxNo SSNForm SS-4, by fax
- Step 3Open the bank accountA US bank account for a non-resident's LLC: who opens one, and what they ask forOnline no US visit neededOnlineno US visit needed
- Step 4File every yearForm 5472 and the pro forma 1120, explained for a foreign-owned LLC15 April Form 5472, each year15 AprilForm 5472, each year
51 guides · 6 sections
01 · 12 guides
Starting out
Which state and structure to choose, how to name the company, and what the first weeks look like.
- 8 min readWyoming or Delaware LLC for a founder abroad: the choice that sets your yearly costWyoming or Delaware from abroad in 2026: $102.40 or $110 to file, $60 or $400 a year, privacy, banks, investors and which to choose.Read
- 8 min readHow to start a US LLC as a non-resident (2026)Every step to form a US LLC from outside the US: the state, an EIN without an SSN, the bank account, what it costs and the taxes you owe.Read
- 5 min readLLC or C-Corporation for a founder outside the United StatesLLC or C-Corp for a founder abroad in 2026: how each is taxed, dividends, selling shares, investors, yearly cost and paperwork, and when to choose which.Read
- 4 min readThe best state for a non-resident's LLC, with every state's figuresThe best state for a non-resident LLC in 2026: every state ranked by five-year cost and privacy, plus Wyoming, New Mexico, Delaware and Nevada compared.Read
- 7 min readLLC costs by state: the first three yearsWhat each of the 50 states and DC charges an LLC over its first three years, from its filing office, and the 22 where the month you form in changes the bill.Read
- 3 min readDo you need a US visa, or to visit, to own and run a US company?No visa or visit is needed to form, own or run a US company from abroad. What you can do from home, what a business trip allows, and the visas that do apply.Read
- 4 min readHow to name your LLC: suffixes, restricted words and checking the registerHow to name a Wyoming or Delaware LLC: the suffixes each accepts, words that need approval, checking the register, trademarks, and changing the name later.Read
- 3 min readThe documents you get after formation, and what each one is forThe documents a new US LLC has once it's formed, what each is for, who asks for them, and the certificates and apostilles a bank abroad wants, with fees.Read
- 3 min readHow long a US company takes to form from abroad, step by stepHow long forming a US company from abroad takes: state approval in Wyoming and Delaware, the EIN without an SSN, the bank account, and what speeds it up.Read
- 4 min readWhat a US company costs a founder abroad in year one, and every year afterWhat a US LLC costs a founder abroad in 2026: state fees, the registered agent, renewals, the yearly filings, the extras, and what other providers charge.Read
- 3 min readSingle-member or multi-member LLC: what changes when there are two of youSingle or multi-member LLC for founders abroad: Form 5472 or Form 1065, deadlines and penalties, what the agreement must settle, and adding a member.Read
- 2 min readMember-managed or manager-managed: who runs the LLC, and why a bank caresMember-managed or manager-managed LLC for a founder abroad: who signs and decides, how Wyoming and Delaware differ by default, and which suits a single owner.Read
02 · 13 guides
EIN and tax
Getting your EIN, the tax forms and treaties, and the filing a foreign-owned single-member LLC owes every year.
- 6 min readHow to get an EIN without a Social Security NumberHow to get an EIN without an SSN in 2026: why the online form is closed, the fax and phone routes for founders abroad, how long each takes, and what arrives.Read
- 5 min readForm 5472 and the pro forma 1120, explained for a foreign-owned LLCThe filing a foreign-owned single-member LLC owes every year, income or not: who files it, what it reports, how and when it's filed, and the $25,000 penalty.Read
- 6 min readDo non-resident LLC owners pay US tax? The trade-or-business test, plainlyDo non-resident LLC owners pay US tax? The trade or business test, effectively connected income, withholding, treaties, days in the US, and what's filed.Read
- 2 min readDo you need an ITIN? Usually not, and here's when you doWhat an ITIN is, why forming a company and getting an EIN don't need one, the situations that do, and how to apply when the time comes.Read
- 3 min readUS tax treaties and your LLC: what a treaty changes, and who claims itHow a US tax treaty lowers withholding, limits US tax on business profits and relieves double tax, why the LLC's owner claims it, and royalty rates by country.Read
- 3 min readForm W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E and W-9: which one your company gives, and how to fill itWhich tax form a foreign-owned US company gives a client or platform, why a single-member LLC's owner gives a W-8BEN, not a W-9, and mistakes that cost 30%.Read
- 3 min readMulti-member LLC taxes: Form 1065, the K-1, and what changes with two ownersHow a US LLC with two or more owners is taxed: the partnership return and K-1s, withholding on foreign partners, and why it doesn't file Form 5472.Read
- 4 min readForm SS-4 without an SSN: line by line for a foreign-owned LLCHow to fill in Form SS-4 when the owner has no SSN: what goes on lines 7b and 9a, the rest of the form, and where to fax or call the IRS from abroad.Read
- 2 min readHow long an EIN takes without an SSN, by route, and what to do at thirty daysRealistic EIN timelines without an SSN: fax, phone and post, why the IRS's four-day figure rarely applies, and how to chase a quiet application.Read
- 2 min readCP 575 and 147C: the two letters that prove your EIN, and how to get the second oneWhat the IRS's CP 575 notice is, why it's issued only once, how to get a 147C letter when it's lost, and what banks accept as proof of an EIN.Read
- 3 min readHow a foreign-owned Delaware C-Corp is taxed: Form 1120, franchise tax and dividendsWhat a C-Corporation owned from abroad files and pays each year: Form 1120, Form 5472, Delaware franchise tax by 1 March, estimated tax, and tax on dividends.Read
- 3 min readState income tax and your LLC: why forming in Wyoming isn't what keeps you out of itHow US states tax a company's income, why a foreign-owned LLC with no presence in any state usually owes none, and what creates a presence.Read
- 3 min readThe tax and filing calendar for a foreign-owned US companyEvery federal and state date a foreign-owned US company may face in a year, from January's 1099s to April's Form 5472 and June's Delaware LLC tax.Read
03 · 10 guides
Banking and payments
Which banks open accounts for a foreign-owned company, how you get paid, and how to keep both working.
- 5 min readA US bank account for a non-resident's LLC: who opens one, and what they ask forWhich banks and fintechs open accounts remotely for a foreign-owned US LLC, the countries some refuse, the documents they all want, and what to do after a no.Read
- 3 min readStripe for non-residents: what a US LLC gets you, and what Stripe can still refuseWhy Stripe may not serve your country, how a US LLC applies on Stripe's US terms, what the application asks, what gets accounts closed, and the alternatives.Read
- 3 min readA US PayPal Business account for non-residents with a US LLCHow a founder abroad opens PayPal Business for a US LLC: the business type to pick, what PayPal asks for, and how to keep a new account from being limited.Read
- 3 min readGetting paid by US clients through a US LLC: invoices, the tax form, and the railsHow a foreign-owned US LLC invoices a US client, which tax form their accounts team needs, and how the money moves: ACH, wires, Stripe invoicing and Wise.Read
- 3 min readMercury for non-US founders: who it takes, what it asks for, and how to keep the accountHow a US company with a foreign owner applies to Mercury remotely: the countries Mercury serves, the documents, the review, the fees and keeping it open.Read
- 3 min readWise Business for a US LLC: US account details, other currencies, and bringing money homeHow a Wise Business account gives a US company US account details, holds other currencies and converts near the mid-market rate, and who it may not serve.Read
- 3 min readPayoneer and the alternatives: accounts for founders the banks turn awayThe providers that give a US company US account details when Mercury and Wise won't: Payoneer, Raenest, Airwallex and others, and who each one serves.Read
- 3 min readKeeping the company's money separate from yours: why it matters and how to do itWhy an LLC's liability protection depends on separate money, how to pay yourself and put money in, and what to do if early costs went on a personal card.Read
- 3 min readA US address and phone number for a foreign-owned company: who actually needs themThe addresses a US company has, which services want a US mailing address or phone number, how a virtual mailbox works, and what never to do with one.Read
- 3 min readKYC, reviews and chargebacks: what banks and processors will ask, and how to answerThe identity checks a foreign-owned US company faces at a bank or processor, what triggers a later review, how chargebacks work, and the records to keep.Read
04 · 9 guides
Staying compliant
The yearly filings, what happens if you miss one, and how to change or close a company.
- 2 min readBeneficial ownership reporting in 2026: what a US-formed company owes FinCENFinCEN ended beneficial ownership reporting for US-formed companies on 14 August 2026. What that means for a new Wyoming or Delaware company, and who still files.Read
- 2 min readWyoming's annual report: what it asks, what it costs, and what if it's lateWyoming's yearly LLC filing: the $60 licence tax, the due date, what the report asks and doesn't, how to file it, and what happens if you miss it.Read
- 3 min readDelaware LLC annual tax 2026: $400, not $300, due by 1 JuneEvery Delaware LLC owes a flat $400 tax by 1 June, up from $300 since 2026. When your first one falls due, how to pay it online, and what paying late costs.Read
- 4 min readWhen a US company misses a filing: good standing, dissolution and reinstatementWhat a state and the IRS do when a company misses its annual report, state tax or federal return: lost good standing, penalties, dissolution and reinstatement.Read
- 2 min readChanging your registered agent: how, what it costs, and what to check firstHow a Wyoming or Delaware company moves to a new registered agent: the filing, the state's fee, the new agent's consent, and the address updates that follow.Read
- 2 min readAmending your articles: changing a company's name, address or structure after formationWhat needs an amendment filed with the state and what doesn't, the fees in Wyoming and Delaware, and who to tell after a change of company name.Read
- 2 min readForeign qualification: when a Wyoming company has to register in another state, and howWhen an LLC is doing business in a second state, what registering there involves and costs, and why it's a reason to form where the business will be.Read
- 3 min readClosing a US LLC properly: the state filing, the final tax forms and the EINHow to close a Wyoming or Delaware LLC so nothing keeps building up: the dissolution filing and fee, the final Form 5472, closing accounts, and telling the IRS.Read
- 3 min readConverting a Wyoming LLC to a Delaware C-Corporation when an investor asksWhat happens when an LLC has to become a Delaware corporation: the conversion filings, the tax treatment, the new EIN, issuing stock, and the cost and time.Read
05 · 4 guides
Running the business
Sales tax, paying contractors, trademarks and licences, for a company run from abroad.
- 3 min readSales tax for non-resident sellers: nexus, marketplaces, and when you actually registerHow US sales tax works for a foreign-owned company selling to Americans: nexus, inventory, marketplace collection, resale certificates and states with none.Read
- 3 min readHiring US contractors from abroad: the W-9, the 1099-NEC, and the line you must not crossHow a foreign-owned US company pays US contractors: contractor or employee, the W-9, the 1099-NEC at $2,000 from 2026, and when you need an employee.Read
- 3 min readA US trademark for a foreign-owned company: protection, cost, and the attorney ruleHow a trademark differs from a company name, what a USPTO application costs and takes, why applicants abroad need a US attorney, and Brand Registry.Read
- 3 min readBusiness licences for a US company run from abroad: what you need, which is usually nothingWhy there's no general federal business licence, when state and city licences apply, what a seller's permit is, and the industries where licensing matters.Read
06 · 3 guides
Raising money
What a Delaware C-Corporation owned from abroad signs, files and issues when investors come in.
- 4 min readThe 83(b) election: thirty days, no extension, and filing without an SSNWhat an 83(b) election is, why founders with vesting stock file one within 30 days, how to file Form 15620 from abroad, and what happens if you miss it.Read
- 3 min readSAFEs explained: how startups raise before a priced round, and why they need a corporationWhat a SAFE is, how a post-money SAFE converts, what a valuation cap and discount do, why an LLC can't cleanly issue one, and what founders abroad should watch.Read
- 4 min readCap table basics for founders abroad: shares, vesting, the option pool and dilutionWhat a cap table records, how a new Delaware corporation's shares are set up, why founders' stock vests, what an option pool is, and how dilution works.Read
07 · Tools and data
What will it cost, and which state and bank fit you?
Free tools built from the figures checkout charges, and a guide for each country we cover.
08 · Questions
About these guides.
If yours is not here, email us at hello@baseacross.com before you order.
Yes. Every state lets a person anywhere in the world own an LLC or a corporation, and each step can be done remotely: the state filing, the EIN, the operating agreement and the bank account. What every state requires is a registered agent with a street address inside it, which you hire.
In Wyoming, the state charges $102.40 to file an LLC and $60 a year after that. A registered agent comes on top. Our Launch plan includes the agent and the EIN, and with the state fee it comes to $351.40 in the first year.
With the four guides at the top of this page, in the order the first year happens: forming the LLC, getting the EIN without an SSN, opening the bank account and filing Form 5472 every year. Each one links on to the guides that go deeper.
No. They explain the rules as published, name their sources in the text and show the date they were last updated. For your own position, ask a US tax adviser or lawyer. A call with a US tax specialist through us is $149.
No. Every guide is true whether or not you order from us. Where we sell something that helps, the guide says so in a box marked as ours.
Each guide shows the date it was last updated. When a rule, a form or a fee changes, the guide is rewritten and the date moves with it.
Ready when you are
Answer the questions. We do the filing.
It takes about four minutes. You see the whole order, Wyoming fee included, before anything is charged.
Step 1 of 10 · About four minutesNothing charged yet
You're startingLLC · WY
Start a companyLaunch · $351.40 · Wyoming fee included