Yes, UK residents can form a Wyoming LLC entirely online without setting foot in the United States. The all-inclusive cost through WyomingLLC is $397, with the Wyoming state filing fee already included, formation in about 24 hours, and an EIN and US business bank account following over the next few weeks.
Why a Wyoming LLC for UK founders
For a founder based in the United Kingdom, a Wyoming LLC solves a specific set of problems that a UK limited company cannot. The most common driver is payment access. Stripe, PayPal, Amazon, and most US-facing marketplaces treat a US entity with a US EIN and US bank account as a first-class customer, which means fewer holds, faster payouts, and access to products (like certain Stripe features and US-only platforms) that are gated to American businesses. If your customers are predominantly in the US, billing them from a US LLC removes friction on both sides.
The second reason is the cost and speed of the structure itself. Wyoming has no state corporate income tax, no franchise tax on LLCs, and an annual report fee that starts at just $60. There is no minimum capital requirement and no requirement to be physically present. Compared with incorporating and maintaining a UK limited company through Companies House, plus the public director and PSC disclosures that come with it, a Wyoming LLC is leaner and far more private.
Privacy is a genuine differentiator. The Wyoming Secretary of State does not require members or managers to be named on the public Articles of Organization. By contrast, Companies House publishes your name, your role, and your registered office for anyone to search. For UK founders who run agencies, consult under their own name, or simply do not want their home address indexed online, this matters.
Wyoming also offers the strongest charging-order protection in the United States. For a single-member LLC, Wyoming statute (W.S. 17-29-503) makes the charging order the exclusive remedy a creditor can pursue against your membership interest, which shields the business from your personal liabilities in a way that few other states match.
There is also a practical credibility benefit. A US LLC with a US EIN signals to American customers, suppliers, and SaaS vendors that they are dealing with a domestic business, which can shorten sales cycles, unlock net-30 terms, and remove the "we don't work with overseas vendors" objection that UK sole traders sometimes hit when selling into the States.
Finally, there is no US physical-presence requirement. You do not need a US visa, a green card, a US address of your own, or a US co-founder. A registered agent in Wyoming (included in our $397) satisfies the only mandatory in-state requirement. For a UK founder, that means the entire entity exists and operates remotely, run from London, Manchester, Edinburgh, or anywhere else, while presenting a fully American face to US customers and platforms.
Cost from the UK
The price is $397, all-inclusive. There are no hidden state-fee surprises: the Wyoming Secretary of State filing fee is already covered inside that number. Here is exactly what is included and what year two looks like.
| Item | Year 1 | Year 2 onward |
|---|---|---|
| Wyoming state filing fee | Included in $397 | n/a |
| LLC formation + Articles of Organization | Included | n/a |
| Registered agent (Wyoming address) | Included | ~$100 |
| EIN from the IRS (no SSN needed) | Included | n/a |
| Operating agreement | Included | n/a |
| US bank account setup assistance | Included | n/a |
| Wyoming annual report (state fee) | n/a | ~$60 (min) |
| Total | $397 | ~$160 |
Year two and beyond run roughly $160: the Wyoming annual report fee (a $60 minimum license tax, scaling only if you hold significant assets inside Wyoming, per the Wyoming Secretary of State) plus registered-agent renewal of around $100. That is the entire recurring cost of keeping the entity in good standing.
Two optional add-ons are worth flagging for UK founders. An ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) is a separate $297 service and is only needed in specific cases, not for routine formation or banking. Most UK founders do not need one. The other is bookkeeping or tax-filing help, which we can point you to but is not bundled into formation. Everything mandatory to get the LLC live, banked, and compliant is in the $397.
Banking after formation from the UK
UK founders enjoy one of the highest US business-banking approval rates of any non-US country. A clean UK passport, a UK residential address, and a properly formed Wyoming LLC with an EIN are exactly the profile that Mercury, Relay, and Wise are comfortable with. That said, the landscape tightened through 2025 and into 2026, so it pays to apply correctly the first time.
What they actually check. All three providers verify your identity (passport), your home residential address, the LLC's formation documents and EIN, and the nature of your business. Crucially, both Mercury and Relay tightened their rules in 2025 and now scrutinize the US address you provide. Per recent guidance across the industry, they no longer accept a bare registered-agent address as the LLC's operating US address, and newly formed entities with no revenue can face extended review or additional document requests. Under US beneficial-ownership rules, every owner holding 25% or more must be disclosed during onboarding, not just the primary applicant, so have details for any co-founders ready.
Fallback order for UK founders. In practice the recommended sequence is:
- Mercury first. It is a true US business account (banking services via partner banks, FDIC pass-through), offers virtual and physical cards, and approves UK founders at a high rate. Apply with a clear business description and, if you have it, early revenue evidence.
- Relay second. Functionally similar, FDIC-insured deposits, and a strong choice if Mercury's automated review stalls.
- Wise Business as the reliable fallback. Wise is not a bank and deposits are not FDIC-insured, but it accepts UK founders almost universally, gives you USD, GBP, EUR, and 40+ currency balances with mid-market conversion, and is excellent for paying UK suppliers or moving money home to a UK account cheaply.
A common UK setup is Mercury (or Relay) for primary USD operations plus Wise for multi-currency conversion and low-cost GBP transfers. The combination covers redundancy and FX. We assist with the application, help you describe the business in the way underwriting expects, and help you reapply if a first attempt is declined.
One UK-specific note on getting money home: once funds sit in your US account, moving them to a UK personal or business account is cheapest through Wise's mid-market USD-to-GBP conversion rather than a traditional SWIFT wire, which UK high-street banks often mark up heavily on the exchange rate. Many UK founders therefore keep Wise in the stack purely as the cross-border bridge even when Mercury or Relay is the day-to-day operating account.
Tax: US and UK
US side. A single-member Wyoming LLC is, by default, a disregarded entity for US federal tax. If your LLC has no income that is "effectively connected" to a US trade or business (no ECI) and no US-source FDAP income, a UK-resident owner generally owes no US federal income tax. The classic non-ECI case is a UK founder selling services or software to customers, with no US office, no US employees, and no dependent US agent. ECI arises when you have a genuine US trade or business presence; if that is your situation, talk to a US CPA, because then a US filing and tax can apply.
The treaty (verified). The US–UK Income Tax Convention is fully in force. It was signed on 24 July 2001, amended by a 2002 protocol, and entered into force on 31 March 2003, effective for US withholding taxes from 1 May 2003 (per the IRS "United Kingdom (UK) Tax Treaty Documents" page and the US Department of State). It is comprehensive. On US-source passive income the treaty reduces or eliminates the default 30% withholding: interest and royalties are generally taxable only in the residence country (0% at source), and dividends fall to 15% portfolio / 5% direct-investment / 0% for qualifying pension-held direct investment (per IRS Table 1, Tax Treaty Tables). For most UK service and software founders these rates rarely bite, because their income is not US-source FDAP at all, but the treaty is real relief if it does.
Form 5472 — do not skip this. Even with zero US tax due, a foreign-owned single-member US LLC must file IRS Form 5472 together with a pro-forma Form 1120 every year, reporting reportable transactions between you and the LLC. The penalty for failing to file, or filing late, is $25,000 (IRS, Form 5472 instructions). This is the single most common and most expensive mistake non-US owners make. We flag the deadline and can connect you with a filer.
UK side (verified). This is where UK founders must be careful. HMRC generally treats a US LLC as opaque (a company) for UK tax purposes, notwithstanding the Anson case; HMRC reaffirmed this in updated 2024 guidance. From 6 April 2025, the UK moved most residents onto worldwide arising-basis taxation, so a UK-resident member typically reports LLC profits or distributions on the Self Assessment foreign pages (SA106) and pays UK tax. UK-resident individuals holding the LLC directly are generally outside the corporate CFC regime but can be caught by the Transfer of Assets Abroad (ToAA) rules; CFC apportionment applies where a UK company holds 25%+ (GOV.UK CFC guidance). A second trap: if you actively manage the LLC from the UK, HMRC may treat it as UK tax-resident by central management and control, exposing it to UK Corporation Tax. None of this prevents you from forming the LLC, but it means a UK accountant should review how you draw and report income. This page is general information, not tax advice.
Popular use cases for UK founders
UK founders use Wyoming LLCs across a consistent set of business models, all of which benefit from US payment rails and a clean American billing identity.
- SaaS and software: Selling subscriptions to a global or US-heavy audience through Stripe. A US LLC unlocks the full Stripe US product set and reduces payout friction, while the business is run entirely from the UK.
- E-commerce and Amazon: Listing on Amazon.com, Shopify, or other US marketplaces. A US entity with a US bank account simplifies marketplace payouts and supplier relationships, and avoids some of the holds non-US sellers encounter.
- Consulting and agencies: UK consultants and agency owners invoicing US clients from a US entity look domestic to those clients, get paid faster in USD, and keep their personal name off public filings (unlike a Companies House director listing).
- Creators and digital products: Course sellers, newsletter operators, and affiliate marketers serving US audiences route ad and platform revenue (YouTube, affiliate networks, sponsorships) through a US LLC and US account.
- Crypto and web3: Founders who need a US business account and a recognized US entity for exchange or platform onboarding. Wyoming's crypto-friendly statutes are an added draw for this group.
A specific UK pattern worth calling out is the contractor or developer who works for US tech companies. Many US firms prefer (and some require) that overseas contractors invoice through a US entity to simplify their own vendor onboarding and payments. A Wyoming LLC lets a UK developer or designer present a US W-9-style profile, bill in dollars, and get paid into a US account, while remaining a UK tax resident who reports that income at home.
The common thread is a UK founder whose money is in dollars or whose platform of choice favors US businesses. The Wyoming LLC gives them the American front end while they stay UK-resident and UK-tax-compliant on the back end.
Step-by-step: forming from the UK
- Choose your LLC name. Pick a name ending in "LLC" or "Limited Liability Company" that is not already taken on the Wyoming Secretary of State business registry. We check availability for you before filing so the submission is not bounced.
- 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 a US address of your own.
- File the Articles of Organization. We prepare and submit the Articles to the Wyoming Secretary of State. Wyoming does not require member or manager names on this public document, so your ownership stays private. Approval typically lands within about 24 hours.
- Obtain your EIN from the IRS. As a non-US founder without an SSN, you cannot use the IRS online tool, so the EIN is requested by filing Form SS-4 with the IRS (we handle the wording and submission). Expect roughly 8–10 business days. The EIN is your federal tax ID and is mandatory for banking and for the annual Form 5472 filing.
- Execute your operating agreement. Even as a single member, a written operating agreement establishes ownership, management, and the separation between you and the entity that underpins liability protection. A template tailored to your LLC is included.
- Open your US bank account. With Articles, EIN, and operating agreement in hand, apply to Mercury or Relay (and/or Wise) using your UK passport and address. We assist with the application and the business description. Plan for another 8–10 business days after the EIN.
End to end, a UK founder is usually fully operational — formed, EIN issued, and banked — within about three to four weeks of ordering, with no travel and no US visit at any point.
Common mistakes UK founders make
Ignoring the UK side. The biggest error is assuming a US LLC is invisible to HMRC. Since 6 April 2025, UK residents are taxed on worldwide income on the arising basis, and HMRC generally treats the LLC as opaque. Report your LLC income on SA106 and get a UK accountant to confirm treatment — do not assume "US pass-through" means UK-tax-free.
Managing the LLC from the UK without thinking about residence. If all real decision-making happens at your UK desk, HMRC may argue the LLC is UK tax-resident by central management and control, dragging it into UK Corporation Tax. Understand this risk before you scale.
Skipping Form 5472. A foreign-owned single-member LLC must file Form 5472 with a pro-forma 1120 every year even with zero US income. The penalty is $25,000. This is non-negotiable.
Using a registered-agent address as the bank's US address. Mercury and Relay tightened this in 2025 and may reject it. Describe your business honestly and have your home address and documents ready.
Picking the wrong entity for your goal. If your business and customers are entirely UK-based with no US payment need, a UK limited company may serve you better. The Wyoming LLC shines when you need US rails, US-platform access, and privacy.
Sources cited: IRS — United Kingdom (UK) Tax Treaty Documents; IRS — Tax Treaty Tables (Table 1); IRS — Form 5472 instructions ($25,000 penalty); US Department of State — UK Convention (entry into force 31 March 2003); GOV.UK — Controlled Foreign Company guidance and 2024 HMRC guidance on US LLC treatment; Wyoming Secretary of State — annual report / business registry.