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A US company owned from abroad has at least two addresses and is often asked for a third. Founders sometimes pay for that third one before finding out who actually wanted it. Here's who asks for what, so you buy only what you need and put the right address in the right box.
| Address | What it is | Who uses it |
|---|---|---|
| Registered agent address | The agent's street address in the state, for legal papers and state notices | The state, anyone serving legal papers, and the yearly state filing |
| Principal business address | Where the business is run from, which for you is abroad | The operating agreement, Form SS-4, and banks such as Mercury |
| Mailing address | Where post should go | The IRS, for the CP 575 and later notices; it can be your address abroad or a mailbox |
| Your home address | Where you live | Every bank, processor and platform, for identity checks, and your W-8BEN |
- The state: no. It requires a registered agent, which is different.
- The IRS: no. Form SS-4 accepts a mailing address abroad.
- Mercury: no. It accepts a principal address abroad, but not a registered agent's address, a PO box or a UPS Store address.
- Stripe: a US address for the company, and your real home address for you as the representative.
- PayPal: yes, for a US business account, along with a US phone number.
- Relay: yes, a physical one for every owner. A PO box or virtual mailbox doesn't count.
- Some US clients' supplier systems: sometimes, for a US address to send payments to.
A commercial mail receiving agency gives the company a real street address, receives its post, scans it, and forwards or shreds letters when you ask, usually for $10 to $30 a month. You can use the address with PayPal, on invoices and on supplier forms. Opening one requires USPS Form 1583, which authorises the agency to receive mail for you, with two forms of identification and a signature that's notarised or verified. Most agencies arrange this online.
An internet phone number from a provider that issues US numbers to customers abroad costs a few dollars a month and rings on your phone wherever you are. PayPal, some platforms and some clients want one. Choose a provider whose numbers can receive verification texts, since not all can, and that doesn't require a US billing address.
If you form with us, every plan includes a US business number, free for 3 months, or for the first year on Operate. You answer it in your browser or forward it to your own phone.
Don't give a virtual mailbox as your home address, and don't tell a bank, Stripe or PayPal that you live in the US. Their identity checks compare your address with your documents and with where you actually log in from, and that kind of mismatch is how accounts get closed. The company can have a US mailing address. You live where you live, and every honest form has a place to say so.
Sources
Checked by Saais Patel against these official pages.
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