Stripe for non-residents: what a US LLC gets you, and what Stripe can still refuse

Stripe is the single biggest reason founders abroad form US companies. It serves businesses in about fifty countries, depending on where Stripe has its own entity and banking partners, and a developer in Karachi, Dhaka or Cairo can't sign up locally. A US LLC can. Here's what that gets you, and what it doesn't.

• Available: the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, the United Kingdom, the European Union and EEA, Switzerland, Gibraltar, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan and Hong Kong.
• In preview, by invitation: India and Indonesia.
• Through Paystack, which Stripe owns: Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Côte d'Ivoire, for local payments.
• Not served: everywhere else, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Türkiye, Vietnam, the Philippines, South Korea, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Ukraine and Saudi Arabia.

For every country we cover, with Mercury and Wise beside Stripe, see Stripe, Mercury and Wise by country.

Stripe onboards a business by the country it's registered in. A Wyoming LLC is a US business, so it applies for a US Stripe account, pays US pricing and is paid out in dollars to a US bank account. Where the owner lives doesn't decide eligibility. It does come up in the review, which is next.

• The company's legal name, EIN and US address, matching the IRS letter and the state's record.
• A US bank account in the company's name for payouts. Open it first; the bank guide says where.
• A website showing what you sell, the prices, a way to contact you, and a refund policy. A landing page with no product is a common reason for a decline.
• The account representative: you, with your real name, date of birth and home address abroad. Stripe can ask for an SSN or ITIN, but many representatives abroad are verified with a passport instead, and some are asked for more.
• Owners of 25% or more, with identification.

Stripe reviews accounts after they open as well as before, and it closes accounts that misrepresented themselves. The surest way to lose one is to claim you live in the US, use a friend's SSN, or give a virtual office as your home. Tell Stripe the truth: a US company, owned and run by you, from where you actually live. Stripe has plenty of accounts like that. Beyond honesty, reviews are usually triggered by a high dispute rate, a business in one of Stripe's restricted categories, or sudden volume on a new account. Stripe holds a reserve on some new accounts, and that isn't a rejection.

• A merchant of record, such as Paddle or Lemon Squeezy, sells your software as the seller, handles sales tax and VAT, and pays you out. The fees are higher, but you don't need a US company or a Stripe review. It's a sensible first step for a solo founder with a small product.
• PayPal, which has its own review and its own country rules. See the PayPal guide.
• Stripe Atlas, Stripe's own incorporation service, which forms a Delaware company and sets up the Stripe account in one go. It suits founders who want Delaware and don't mind its yearly charge, $400 for an LLC.