A US bank account for a non-resident's LLC: who opens one, and what they ask for

A company without a bank account can't do much. Opening one from outside the United States used to mean a flight. Now it means choosing a provider that serves the country you live in, having your documents in order, and knowing which providers will say no before you apply. Here's who opens accounts for whom, checked against each provider's published rules on 20 October 2026.

• The EIN, on the IRS's CP 575 letter or the fax the IRS sent back. Nothing opens without it, which is why the EIN decides when you can bank.
• The formation document, stamped by the state: the Articles of Organization in Wyoming, or the Certificate of Formation in Delaware.
• The operating agreement, signed, showing who owns and who controls the company.
• Your passport, and often a second document, for the person opening the account and for every owner of 25% or more.
• Recent proof of your address abroad, such as a bank statement or utility bill in your name.
• A description of the business: what you sell, to whom, where the money comes from, and a website if you have one. Vague answers are one of the most common reasons for a decline.

Mercury

The first choice for most founders abroad. A US company with an owner who lives abroad can apply to Mercury remotely, and Mercury decides each application. It charges no monthly fee and holds deposits at partner banks. It asks that the company have existing or planned US operations, and a real principal address, which can be your address abroad but can't be your registered agent's. It doesn't open accounts for founders living in about 48 countries, including Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Ukraine and Vietnam, or in sanctioned countries, and it goes by where you live, not your passport. Approval usually takes a few business days.

Relay

Relay suits a business based in the US and rarely suits a founder abroad. It asks every owner for a physical US address, not a PO box or virtual mailbox, and the business for an operating presence in the US. An owner without an SSN gives a passport number instead. It also bars owners who are citizens or residents of a list of countries that includes Nigeria, Pakistan, Ukraine, Lebanon, Iraq, Ethiopia, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. If every owner has a US address and the business operates in the US, it's worth a look. Otherwise, it isn't.

Wise Business

Not a bank, but a useful second account and, for some founders, the first. A Wise Business account in the company's name gives it US account and routing numbers for ACH and wires, plus details for pounds, euros and other currencies, with conversion close to the mid-market rate. Wise checks both the company and its owners. It gives USD account details only to people who live where it lets them hold money: the EU, the UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, Singapore and some others, but not Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Kenya, Mexico or the UAE. Check its list before you rely on it.

Payoneer and the specialists

Payoneer gives a company receiving accounts in several currencies and works with Amazon, Upwork, Fiverr and most other marketplaces. Raenest does something similar for founders in Nigeria and other African countries, and says it can open for an eligible US LLC run from Nigeria. Neither is a bank, but they're the working answer for many founders the banks turn away.

Traditional banks

Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and similar banks generally want the signer in a branch, often with an SSN or ITIN. Some branches do open accounts for non-residents who visit with every document. If you're travelling to the US anyway, it can work, but it isn't worth a flight.

Every country page covers its own country, and every plan includes an introduction to a provider that opens accounts for founders where you live.

A decline usually comes down to one of three things: a country the provider doesn't serve, a business it doesn't understand, or documents that don't match. For the first, choose a different provider, which is what the table is for. For the second, write a clearer description and make sure your website shows what you sell. For the third, make the company's name, address and EIN identical on every document. Then reapply, or apply elsewhere. A decline at one provider isn't held against you at another.

Providers close accounts they can't make sense of. Keep the company's money separate from yours, explain unusual transactions when asked, never move money through the account for someone else, and answer compliance questions quickly and truthfully. An account that receives what you said it would, from where you said, tends to stay open.