A US PayPal Business account for non-residents with a US LLC

PayPal exists in most countries, but in many of them it only half works. You might be able to receive and not send, or send and not receive, or withdraw only at a poor rate. In Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal it doesn't operate at all. A US business account belongs to the company, takes payments in dollars and withdraws to the company's US bank account, so it's the full version of a product your customers already use.

• The company's legal name and EIN, as on the IRS letter.
• A US business address and a US phone number. The registered agent's address is the company's legal address, but PayPal also wants an address where mail reaches the business and a number it can call, so founders usually arrange a US mailing address and a US number.
• Identification for the owner: name, date of birth, home address abroad and a passport. PayPal can ask for an SSN or ITIN; some owners are verified without one, and some are asked for more.
• A US bank account in the company's name to withdraw to. Open it first.

PayPal rewords this form from time to time, so go by what each question means rather than its exact label.

• Account type: Business. A personal account is in your own name, and the point is an account in the company's.
• Country: United States, because the account belongs to the US company, wherever you live.
• Business type: Company. The US form has offered two choices, sole proprietorship and company, and an LLC is a company. Sole proprietorship opens the account in your own name and doesn't ask for the EIN, which is the opposite of what you want.
• Legal business name, exactly as it appears on the IRS letter with your EIN, including "LLC". If the form also asks for the name customers see, your brand goes there.
• Describe your business. PayPal asks for a category and a few words about what you sell. Use the words your website uses and the category closest to what customers actually pay for. An answer like "consulting" for a shop selling downloads is the kind of mismatch that leads to a review later.
• Expected monthly sales. Give an honest estimate. Selling far more than you said can prompt questions.
• Owner details: your name, date of birth, home address and passport. If the form wants an SSN or ITIN and you don't have one, contact PayPal's business support. Never enter a number that isn't yours.

PayPal limits accounts, holds balances and asks for documents more readily than Stripe, especially in the first few weeks and especially for dropshipping, digital goods and anything with a lot of disputes. A limitation isn't a closure. It's a request for information, and answering fully and quickly usually ends it. PayPal typically asks for the documents above, plus proof of what you sell and where it ships from.

• Sell what you told PayPal you sell, from the website you gave it, with tracking on every shipment.
• Keep disputes low. Reply to buyers before they open a case, and refund quickly when you know you'll lose.
• Don't move money for other people through the account, or run several businesses through one account.
• Withdraw regularly to the company's US bank account and keep the balance modest, since large idle balances can draw attention.
• Answer every request, and don't open a second account while the first is limited. A second account is how a limitation becomes a closure.

If you rely on one payment account, a limitation can stop your sales for a week. Most founders run PayPal alongside Stripe, and some add a merchant of record for digital products. Every plan gets the company ready to apply to both; Stripe and PayPal says what that covers.