Yes — if you live in Portugal you can form and fully own a Wyoming LLC online, with no US visit, no US partner, and no green card. Through WyomingLLC the all-inclusive price is $397 (the Wyoming state filing fee is already included), and you can be operational with an EIN and a US business account in roughly three to four weeks.
Why a Wyoming LLC for Portugal founders
Portugal sits in a sweet spot for the Wyoming LLC structure. Most Portuguese founders chasing this setup are freelancers, e-commerce sellers, SaaS builders, and consultants who invoice clients in the US, the UK, and across the EU and want to be paid in USD without the friction of a Portuguese single-member company (a sociedade unipessoal) or the simplified recibos verdes regime that quickly pushes you into higher IRS brackets and Segurança Social contributions.
A US LLC owned by a non-US person is, by default, a pass-through entity. A single-member LLC is "disregarded" for US federal tax: the IRS looks through it to you. That means the LLC itself pays no US federal income tax, and — critically — if the LLC has no income that is effectively connected to a US trade or business (no US office, no US employees, no dependent US agent), there is generally no US federal income tax for you to pay on the trading profit either. You earn, you withdraw, and the US tax system mostly leaves the operating income alone. (Portuguese tax still applies — covered below.)
Wyoming specifically, rather than Delaware or Florida, matters for four reasons:
- No state income tax and no franchise tax. Wyoming charges a flat annual report fee instead of taxing the LLC's income, so year-two upkeep stays low.
- Privacy. Wyoming does not publish member or manager names in the public formation record. The Wyoming Secretary of State requires only the registered agent and organizer on the public filing, which keeps your name off the searchable record — useful for founders who don't want competitors or clients pulling up ownership.
- Charging-order protection. Wyoming's charging-order rule is the strongest in the US and explicitly extends to single-member LLCs, so a personal creditor of yours generally cannot seize the company or force a sale — they're limited to distributions if and when you make them.
- Genuinely remote setup. A registered agent (included in your $397) gives you the required Wyoming address, and nothing in the process needs you to set foot in the US.
For a Portugal-resident founder, the practical win is a clean USD invoicing entity that Stripe, PayPal, Amazon, and US clients all recognize instantly — without the cost and reporting weight of a Portuguese company. It also decouples your business identity from your personal Portuguese tax profile: the LLC is the contracting party on US client agreements, the merchant of record on Stripe, and the named account holder at the bank, which simplifies onboarding with US-centric platforms that often hesitate at a foreign sole trader. And because Wyoming's setup is fully remote, you can launch from Lisbon, Porto, Madeira, or anywhere in the Algarve without a single notary appointment or apostille — a sharp contrast to incorporating a Portuguese sociedade, which typically involves the Registo Comercial, a Portuguese bank deposit, and an accountant on retainer from day one.
Cost from Portugal
The price is genuinely all-inclusive. The Wyoming state fee is not billed separately — it is already inside the $397. ITIN is the only common add-on, and most Portuguese founders running a normal trading LLC do not need one.
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Wyoming LLC formation (state fee included) | $397 | One-time, all-inclusive |
| Registered agent (year 1) | Included | Inside the $397 |
| EIN from the IRS | Included | No SSN/ITIN required for you |
| Operating agreement | Included | Single or multi-member |
| US bank account setup help (Mercury/Relay/Wise) | Included | Application guidance |
| Total to launch | $397 | All-inclusive |
| ITIN (optional add-on) | $297 | Only if you specifically need one |
| Year 2 onward | ~$160 | Registered agent + Wyoming annual report |
The recurring cost is the part founders most often misjudge. From year two you pay roughly $160 per year: the Wyoming annual report fee (the state's "license tax," minimum $60 for LLCs with assets under $300,000) plus registered agent renewal. There is no US state income tax to add on top in Wyoming. Compared with the running cost and accountant fees of a Portuguese sociedade, the Wyoming structure is dramatically cheaper to keep alive.
Banking after formation from Portugal
This is the stage that has changed most, and you should plan for it realistically. Through 2025 and into 2026, Mercury and Relay both tightened their non-resident approval criteria, and — importantly — they stopped accepting a registered agent address as the LLC's US business address. Many non-resident rejections in the last year trace directly to applicants entering their registered agent's Wyoming address as if it were their own.
What the providers actually check for a Portugal-based applicant:
- A valid EIN matching the LLC name (you must wait for the EIN before applying).
- Identity — your Portuguese passport or Cartão de Cidadão, plus often proof of your Portugal residential address.
- Business legitimacy — a real website, a clear description of what you sell, and ideally early invoices or contracts. Vague "consulting" with no online footprint draws scrutiny.
- A non-registered-agent contact address. Use your real Portuguese address as the operating address; do not pass off the Wyoming agent address as your own.
Portugal is an EU member and not a high-risk or sanctioned jurisdiction, so Portuguese founders are in a favorable bucket — but approval is still case-by-case and never guaranteed. Plan a fallback order:
- Mercury — best product for non-residents who get approved; apply first with a clean website and clear business description.
- Relay — similar profile, sometimes approves applicants Mercury declines; a strong second attempt.
- Wise Business — the reliable backstop. Wise is a licensed e-money institution rather than a US bank, but it accepts founders from nearly every country, gives you USD, EUR, and GBP receiving details, and is excellent as your multi-currency and FX layer. Because you live in the eurozone, Wise is especially useful for converting USD revenue to EUR cheaply.
A practical approach for Portugal founders: open Wise early so you can invoice and receive immediately, then add Mercury or Relay as your primary US operating account once approved. That way a single rejection never blocks your cash flow. We provide application-prep guidance and help you reapply if a first attempt is declined.
Tax: US and Portugal
US treaty status — verified. The United States and Portugal do have an income tax treaty in force. It was signed September 6, 1994, entered into force December 18, 1995, and has applied since January 1, 1996 (see the IRS "Portugal – Tax treaty documents" page and the treaty text at irs.gov/pub/irs-trty/portugal.pdf). Under that treaty, US-source dividends to a Portuguese resident are capped at 15% (reduced to 5% for a corporate shareholder owning at least 10% of the voting stock); interest is capped at 10%; and royalties at 10% — each well below the default 30% US withholding rate on FDAP income for foreign persons.
Here is the practical nuance most Portuguese founders miss: that treaty relief matters for US-source passive income (dividends, interest, royalties). The trading profit of a service or e-commerce LLC with no US presence is generally not US-source FDAP and not effectively connected income (ECI) — so for a typical consulting/SaaS/freelance LLC there is usually no US federal income tax regardless of the treaty. The treaty becomes relevant if your LLC earns US dividends or licenses IP into the US.
The filing you cannot skip. A foreign-owned single-member US LLC is, by IRS rule, treated as a reportable corporation and must file Form 5472 together with a pro-forma Form 1120 every year — even with zero US tax due and even with no income. The penalty for late or missing filing is $25,000 (IRS Form 5472 instructions). This is informational, not a tax bill, but it is mandatory. If your LLC has two or more members it is taxed as a partnership and files Form 1065 instead. (FinCEN's BOI report is a separate matter; under FinCEN's March 26, 2025 Interim Final Rule, domestic US-formed entities like a Wyoming LLC are exempt from BOI reporting.)
ECI vs no-ECI. No ECI means no US trade or business income — the usual case for a remote Portuguese founder serving clients from Portugal. If you hire US staff, open a US office, or warehouse and fulfill goods yourself inside the US, you may create ECI and a US filing/tax obligation. Get a US CPA to confirm your specific facts.
Portugal-side obligations — do not ignore these. Because the US treats your single-member LLC as transparent, Portugal generally taxes the LLC's profit as your income — distributions are typically treated as investment/category income on your Portuguese IRS return, and the transparency of the structure means you can be taxed on profits whether or not you distribute them. Separately, Portugal has its own CFC (controlled foreign company) regime: profits of a foreign entity can be attributed to a Portuguese-resident holder who owns at least 25% of capital, voting rights, or profit rights where that entity's profit is taxed below half the Portuguese corporate rate or it sits in a blacklisted jurisdiction (PwC, Portugal – Group taxation). A US LLC with little or no US tax can fall inside this net. Bottom line: the US side is light, but you must declare the income in Portugal and check CFC exposure with a Portuguese contabilista or tax lawyer. This is informational, not tax advice.
Popular use cases for Portugal founders
The Wyoming LLC suits a specific set of Portugal-based businesses where USD access and US-facing credibility outweigh the need for a Portuguese corporate shell:
- Freelancers and independent consultants. Designers, developers, marketers, and strategists in Lisbon, Porto, and across the Algarve who bill US and international clients. A US LLC issues clean USD invoices and gets paid via Mercury or Wise without the FX haircut of receiving USD into a euro account, and it sidesteps the friction of scaling recibos verdes.
- E-commerce sellers. Amazon US, Shopify, and Etsy sellers benefit from a US entity for Amazon's seller requirements, Stripe and PayPal in USD, and supplier relationships that prefer a US counterparty. (Note: holding US inventory you fulfill yourself can create ECI — structure with care.)
- SaaS and digital products. Founders selling subscriptions, plugins, courses, or apps to a global audience use a US LLC for Stripe Atlas-grade payment credibility and clean app-store and merchant relationships, while keeping engineering and operations in Portugal.
- Agencies and remote service firms. Small studios and agencies serving US clients present better with a US entity on contracts and MSAs, and can pay international contractors through Wise or Mercury.
- Solo digital nomads and the D7/D8 crowd. Portugal attracts location-independent founders on D7 and digital-nomad visas; a Wyoming LLC gives them a stable USD business home independent of where they physically sit, as long as Portuguese tax residency obligations are met.
The common thread: international, digital, USD-denominated revenue — not a business that needs a physical US presence. Where the Wyoming LLC is a poor fit: any business that needs to physically operate inside Portugal with local employees and local invoicing (a café, a clinic, a brick-and-mortar shop), or one that requires US licensing for a regulated activity. For those, a Portuguese entity or a properly structured US presence is the right tool. The LLC shines specifically for the borderless, services-and-software end of the spectrum.
Step-by-step: forming from Portugal
- Choose your LLC name. Pick a name ending in "LLC" and confirm it is available in the Wyoming Secretary of State business database. Avoid restricted words (bank, insurance, trust). We check availability before filing.
- Appoint a Wyoming registered agent. Wyoming law requires every LLC to maintain a registered agent with a physical Wyoming address to receive legal and state mail. This is included in your $397 — you do not need any US address of your own.
- File the Articles of Organization. We submit the Articles to the Wyoming Secretary of State. Wyoming typically processes online filings within about 24 hours. Your name is not published — only the agent and organizer appear on the public record.
- Get your EIN from the IRS. As a non-US founder with no SSN or ITIN, you obtain the Employer Identification Number by filing Form SS-4 with the IRS (the "responsible party" is you, the owner). Because the online tool requires an SSN/ITIN, we file SS-4 by fax/mail on your behalf — typically 8–10 business days. The EIN is required for banking, Stripe, and tax filings.
- Sign the operating agreement. Even single-member LLCs should have one. It documents ownership, management, and the separateness that supports Wyoming's charging-order protection. It's included and ready to sign.
- Open your US business account. With EIN in hand, apply to Mercury first, then Relay, with Wise Business as the reliable fallback. Use your real Portuguese address (not the registered agent's), a working website, and a clear business description. Most Portuguese founders are operational within 8–10 business days of EIN issuance.
End to end: roughly 3–4 weeks from order to a funded, fully operational US LLC.
Common mistakes Portugal founders make
- Assuming "no US tax" means "no filing." It does not. Skipping the annual Form 5472 + pro-forma 1120 risks a $25,000 IRS penalty even on a dormant, zero-income LLC. Calendar this every year.
- Ignoring the Portuguese side. The biggest real-world error: treating the LLC as invisible to Portugal. Portugal taxes the profit as your income and may apply CFC rules at 25% ownership. Declare it and consult a Portuguese tax adviser before your first IRS (Portuguese) return.
- Using the registered agent address as the bank address. Mercury and Relay now reject this. Use your genuine Portugal address as the operating/contact address on every banking application.
- Applying to a bank before the EIN exists. Every provider verifies the EIN against the LLC name. Applying early guarantees rejection — wait for the EIN.
- Creating accidental ECI. Hiring US employees, renting a US office, or self-fulfilling US inventory can convert tax-free foreign income into US-taxable effectively connected income. If you plan any US footprint, get a US CPA's read first.
- Picking the wrong state to "save money." Forming in a state with income tax or higher annual fees erases the Wyoming advantage. Wyoming's no-income-tax, low-annual-fee, strong-privacy profile is the reason to choose it.
Sources: IRS – Portugal Tax Treaty Documents; US–Portugal Income Tax Convention (IRS treaty text); IRS – Form 5472 and instructions; FinCEN – Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting (March 26, 2025 Interim Final Rule); Wyoming Secretary of State – Business Center; PwC – Portugal Corporate: Group taxation (CFC rules).