Yes — if you live in Ireland you can own a Wyoming LLC entirely online, with no US visit, no US visa, and no US Social Security Number. Through wyomingllc.xyz the all-in cost is $397 (the Wyoming state filing fee is already included), and most Irish founders are fully operational, bank account and all, within three to four weeks.
Why a Wyoming LLC for Ireland founders
For an Irish resident, a Wyoming LLC is one of the cleanest ways to invoice US and international clients in dollars, hold a real US business bank account, and operate under a recognised US business identity — without leaving Dublin, Cork, or Galway.
The structural reasons are specific. A single-member Wyoming LLC is, by default, a "disregarded entity" for US federal tax. It is not a corporation; the IRS looks straight through it to you as the owner. That means the LLC itself pays no US federal income tax. If none of your income is "effectively connected" to a US trade or business (ECI) — the normal case for an Irish founder serving clients remotely, selling software, or freelancing — there is generally no US federal income tax on the LLC's profits. You report and pay tax where you are tax resident: Ireland.
Wyoming specifically (rather than Delaware or another state) matters for three reasons. First, privacy: Wyoming does not list member or manager names in its public formation filings, so your name does not appear in the Secretary of State's public record (Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division). Second, cost: Wyoming's annual report fee is a flat $60 minimum for businesses with under $300,000 of in-state assets — far cheaper than California's $800 franchise tax or many other states. Third, asset protection: Wyoming's charging-order rule is the exclusive remedy for a creditor of a single-member LLC, which is among the strongest LLC protection statutes in the country.
For Irish founders there is also a practical advantage that founders from many other countries do not enjoy: language and reputation. Ireland is an English-speaking EU member state and is not on any US banking restriction list. Compliance and onboarding forms are in your native language, and the fintech banks that serve US LLCs treat an Irish address as low-risk. That makes the banking step — usually the hardest part for non-US founders — noticeably smoother than it is for applicants from higher-risk jurisdictions.
Finally, there is no US physical presence requirement. A registered agent in Wyoming is mandatory, and that service is included in the $397. You never need a US address of your own, a US phone number to form the company, or to set foot in the United States.
Cost from Ireland
The price is genuinely all-inclusive. The Wyoming state filing fee is built into the $397 — it is not a surprise line item added at checkout. Here is the full first-year and second-year breakdown:
| Item | Cost (USD) | When |
|---|---|---|
| Wyoming LLC formation (state fee included) | Included in $397 | Year 1, one-time |
| Registered agent (Year 1) | Included in $397 | Year 1, one-time |
| EIN from the IRS (via SS-4) | Included in $397 | Year 1, one-time |
| Operating agreement | Included in $397 | Year 1, one-time |
| Bank account setup guidance (Mercury / Relay / Wise) | Included in $397 | Year 1, one-time |
| Year 1 total | $397 | — |
| Wyoming annual report (state) | ~$60 | Year 2+, yearly |
| Registered agent renewal | ~$100 | Year 2+, yearly |
| Year 2 ongoing total | ~$160 | yearly |
| ITIN application (optional add-on) | $297 | only if needed |
So the recurring cost to keep an Irish-owned Wyoming LLC alive and compliant is roughly $160 per year — the Wyoming annual report (minimum $60 per the Wyoming Secretary of State) plus registered agent renewal. There is no hidden US tax bill attached to simply existing.
The ITIN ($297) is a separate, optional add-on. Most Irish founders do not need an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number to form the LLC, get an EIN, or open a Mercury/Relay/Wise account. You typically only need an ITIN if you must file a personal US tax return — for example if you generate ECI, or a US payer insists on a tax ID for treaty-rate withholding. Do not buy it reflexively.
Banking after formation from Ireland
Banking is where founders from many countries get stuck — but Ireland is one of the easier passports to bank with. Ireland is an EU member, English-speaking, and absent from US fintech restriction lists, so Mercury, Relay, and Wise all routinely onboard Irish-resident founders.
Mercury is the most popular choice and generally accepts Irish founders. Mercury reviews each application case-by-case and checks: your EIN confirmation, your Wyoming Articles of Organization, your passport, the nature of your business, and — importantly in 2025–2026 — your operating address. Mercury tightened its rules through 2025: it now wants a genuine principal business address and no longer accepts a registered-agent address, a PO box, or a UPS Store mailbox as the company's address (Mercury, "Eligibility and requirements for opening a Mercury account"). For an Irish founder, the fix is simple — use your real Irish home or office address as the business address. That is expected and accepted; the LLC is US-registered but operated from Ireland.
Relay is the strongest fallback if Mercury declines. Relay applies similar due diligence (EIN, formation documents, passport, business description) and likewise onboards Irish founders. Having both Mercury and Relay as live options is the practical reason most Irish founders get a US account on the first or second try.
Wise Business is the near-universal safety net. Wise has the broadest country coverage, including Ireland, and gives you USD, EUR, and GBP receiving details plus low-cost currency conversion — which is genuinely useful for an Irish founder who needs to move dollars back to euros. Many founders run Wise alongside Mercury: Mercury for the US-account feel, Wise for cheap EUR conversion.
Recommended fallback order for Ireland: Mercury first → Relay if declined → Wise Business as the guaranteed backstop. Before applying, have your EIN letter, Articles of Organization, passport, a clear one-line description of what the business does, and your real Irish address ready. Vague or "shell-like" descriptions are the most common reason a clean application gets a second look. Approval, once you have your EIN, typically lands in 1–5 business days per bank.
Tax: US and Ireland
US side — the treaty is in force. The United States and Ireland have a comprehensive income tax treaty: the Convention signed at Dublin on 28 July 1997, in force since 1998 (IRS, "Ireland - Tax treaty documents"; the full text is at irs.gov/pub/irs-trty/ireland.pdf). Under that treaty the key US-source FDAP withholding rates for an Irish-resident beneficial owner are:
| US-source income type | Default US rate (no treaty) | US-Ireland treaty rate |
|---|---|---|
| Dividends (portfolio) | 30% | 15% |
| Dividends (qualifying ownership) | 30% | 5% |
| Interest | 30% | generally 0% (exempt) |
| Royalties | 30% | generally 0% (exempt) |
These reduced rates only matter if your LLC actually receives US-source passive income (FDAP) — US dividends, US-bank interest, US royalties. For the typical Irish founder providing services or selling software to US customers, the income is not US-source FDAP at all, so withholding usually never enters the picture. But the treaty is genuine relief, not invented: if you do touch US-source passive income, you claim the lower rate (often via Form W-8BEN to the payer).
The filing you cannot skip — Form 5472. A foreign-owned single-member US LLC (which is what an Irish-owned Wyoming LLC is) is treated as a corporation for one narrow purpose only: information reporting. Each year you must file Form 5472 attached to a pro-forma Form 1120 to report "reportable transactions" between you and the LLC (capital you put in, money you draw out, etc.). This is informational — it does not by itself create tax — but the penalty for missing or filing it late is $25,000 (IRS, Form 5472 instructions). This is the single most important compliance obligation for Irish founders and the one most overlooked. File it even if the LLC had little activity.
ECI vs no-ECI. If your LLC has no Effectively Connected Income — no US office, no US employees, no dependent US agent, just remote service to clients — there is generally no US federal income tax, only the 5472/1120 information filing. If you do create ECI (e.g. a US-based operation), you would have a US tax-return obligation and likely need an ITIN. Most Irish remote founders stay firmly in the no-ECI lane.
Ireland side. As an Irish tax resident you are taxable in Ireland on your worldwide income, so the LLC's profits are reportable on your Irish return. Good news on anti-avoidance: Ireland's Controlled Foreign Company (CFC) rules, in force since 1 January 2019, attribute undistributed CFC income to a chargeable company — they apply to Irish corporate controllers, not directly to an individual shareholder (Revenue, "Controlled Foreign Company (CFC) rules"). So if you own the LLC personally, the Irish CFC regime generally does not bite. A disregarded single-member LLC is normally transparent for you, so you typically report its profit as your own income in Ireland. Confirm your exact treatment with an Irish accountant — and note that Ireland's tax year and self-assessment deadlines differ from the US calendar.
Finally, US domestic LLCs are exempt from FinCEN Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) reporting under FinCEN's 26 March 2025 Interim Final Rule, so a Wyoming-formed LLC does not file a BOI report.
Popular use cases for Ireland founders
Irish founders most commonly use a Wyoming LLC for four things:
E-commerce. Selling physical or digital goods to US and global customers via Shopify, Amazon, or Etsy. A US LLC with a US bank account smooths payment processing (Stripe and PayPal both onboard US LLCs cleanly), gives you USD settlement, and presents a US business identity to American buyers and platforms that prefer dealing with a US entity.
SaaS and digital products. Irish software founders use a Wyoming LLC to bill US customers in dollars, run Stripe under a US entity, and keep subscription revenue in a US account. Because pure software service income to non-US-located activity is generally not ECI and royalties to an Irish owner are treaty-exempt, the US tax footprint is usually minimal.
Freelancing. Designers, developers, writers, and marketers in Ireland use the LLC to invoice US clients professionally. Many US companies prefer to pay a US LLC (simpler W-9/1099 handling on their side) over an overseas individual, so the LLC can directly win you more US work.
Consulting. Independent consultants and agencies serving US clients gain credibility and a clean payment rail. The LLC lets you sign contracts, invoice, and get paid as a US business while remaining tax-resident and personally taxed in Ireland.
Across all four, the common thread for Irish founders is the same: dollar invoicing, a real US bank account, platform compatibility (Stripe/PayPal/Amazon), and a professional US identity — while the actual work is done from Ireland and taxed in Ireland.
One practical note specific to Ireland: because you sit inside the EU and the Eurozone, the Wise Business multi-currency angle is more valuable to you than to many non-US founders. You can collect in USD from US customers, hold the balance, and convert to EUR at near-interbank rates when you actually need euros locally — avoiding the punitive FX spreads a traditional Irish high-street bank would charge on inbound dollar payments. For an Irish e-commerce or SaaS founder with mostly US revenue and euro-denominated living costs, that currency efficiency can matter as much as the entity itself.
Step-by-step: forming from Ireland
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Choose your LLC name. Pick a name ending in "LLC" and check availability in the Wyoming Secretary of State business database. The name must be distinguishable from existing Wyoming entities. We confirm availability before filing so nothing bounces back.
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Appoint a Wyoming registered agent. Wyoming law requires every LLC to have a registered agent with a physical Wyoming address to receive legal and state mail. This is included in your $397 — you do not need your own US address.
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File the Articles of Organization. This is the formation document filed with the Wyoming Secretary of State. Because Wyoming does not require member names on the public filing, your identity stays off the public record. Formation is typically completed within about 24 hours.
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Get your EIN from the IRS (via Form SS-4). The EIN is your LLC's US tax ID and is required for banking. As a non-US founder without an SSN, the EIN is obtained by submitting Form SS-4 to the IRS (the application leaves the relevant line blank and is processed by the IRS for foreign applicants). This usually takes about 8–10 business days. No SSN or ITIN is needed for the EIN.
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Execute your operating agreement. Even for a single-member LLC, a written operating agreement documents ownership and management and is frequently requested by banks. It is included and prepared for you to sign.
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Open your US bank account. With EIN, Articles, operating agreement, passport, and your Irish address in hand, apply to Mercury first, then Relay, with Wise Business as the guaranteed fallback. Approval typically lands within 1–5 business days, putting most Irish founders fully operational within three to four weeks of starting.
After that, your only recurring obligations are the Wyoming annual report ($60), registered agent renewal ($100), and the annual Form 5472 + pro-forma 1120 US information filing.
Common mistakes Ireland founders make
Skipping Form 5472. The biggest and costliest error. Founders assume "no US tax owed" means "no US filing." Wrong — the $25,000 penalty applies to the information return even when no tax is due. File the 5472 + pro-forma 1120 every year.
Using the registered agent address as the bank's business address. Mercury and Relay no longer accept registered-agent addresses, PO boxes, or mailbox-store addresses as the principal business address. Use your real Irish home or office address — that is correct and expected, not a problem.
Buying an ITIN you don't need. Most Irish founders never need an ITIN to form, get an EIN, or bank. Only buy the $297 add-on if you actually have a US filing obligation (e.g. ECI). Do not pay for it "just in case."
Assuming the treaty erases all US filing. The US-Ireland treaty reduces withholding on US-source passive income — it does not remove the 5472/1120 information return or your Irish reporting.
Forgetting Irish tax. A US LLC is not a tax-avoidance vehicle. As an Irish resident you still report the LLC's profit and pay Irish tax on it. Plan for that with an Irish accountant.
Vague bank descriptions. A one-line "consulting" with no detail triggers extra scrutiny. Describe clearly what you sell, to whom, and how you get paid.
Missing the Wyoming annual report. The state report is due each year by the first day of the LLC's anniversary month. Letting it lapse can put the LLC into "delinquent" status and eventually administrative dissolution with the Wyoming Secretary of State — which can then jeopardise the bank account. It is only ~$60, but it is not optional; set a recurring reminder.
Treating the LLC as a separate person for money. Mixing personal and LLC funds, or drawing money without recording it, undermines both the liability protection and your Form 5472 reporting (owner contributions and distributions are exactly the "reportable transactions" the form captures). Keep clean records of every euro and dollar moving in and out.