Who this is for
This guide is for founders who live outside the United States and want a US company to access Stripe, Amazon Seller Central, Shopify Payments, US banking, and US-facing clients. You can be a sole founder or have co-founders in any country. Typical readers are e-commerce sellers, SaaS founders, freelancers and agencies, dropshippers, and digital creators monetizing US platforms.
You do not need to be a US citizen or resident, hold any visa, or ever set foot in the US. The only hard exclusions are OFAC-sanctioned countries (Iran, North Korea, Syria, Cuba, and certain regions) and a handful of restricted business categories such as gambling and adult content.
Why non-residents choose Wyoming
- No state income tax and no franchise tax. Your only recurring state cost is the $60 minimum annual report.
- Privacy. Members and managers are not listed on the public Articles of Organization (Wyoming Statutes Title 17, Chapter 29). See the anonymous LLC guide.
- Strong asset protection. Wyoming Section 17-29-503 makes a charging order the exclusive creditor remedy - and extends it to single-member LLCs, which many states do not.
- Low, flat cost. Formation plus year-2 upkeep is among the cheapest of any US state, with no surprise fees.
- Non-resident friendly. No SSN, US address, or in-person verification required at any step.
How the process works (5 steps)
The end-to-end timeline is roughly 3 to 4 weeks, with about 20 minutes of active work on your side. Full detail is in the step-by-step formation guide.
- Pick a name - provide three alternatives; we check availability with the Wyoming SoS before filing.
- Order and complete intake - pay $397 and fill a 20-minute form (members, structure, business description).
- Wyoming filing (24 hours) - we file your Articles of Organization and appoint your registered agent.
- EIN via Form SS-4 (8–10 business days) - filed by fax, the reliable path for applicants without an SSN. See EIN without SSN.
- US bank introduction (8–10 business days) - Mercury, Relay, and Wise Business, with a country-specific prep packet.
US banking for non-residents
The three banks that most reliably approve non-resident Wyoming LLC owners are Mercury, Relay, and Wise Business. Each is fully remote and accepts your LLC documents, EIN letter (CP575), and passport - no US visit. Approval is never guaranteed and depends on your country and how clearly you describe the business.
- Mercury for non-residents - best features (Treasury, API, sub-accounts); apply first.
- Relay for non-residents - different reviewer pool; common second choice.
- Wise Business for non-residents - broadest country coverage; the usual fallback.
Start with the bank account for a Wyoming LLC overview, which compares all three side by side.
Taxes for non-resident LLC owners
A foreign-owned single-member LLC is a disregarded entity for US federal tax. It pays no US income tax itself, but it must file IRS Form 5472 plus a pro forma Form 1120 every year - the penalty for not filing is $25,000. Filing does not by itself mean tax is owed; tax generally applies only if the LLC has income effectively connected to a US trade or business (ECI).
Multi-member LLCs are taxed as partnerships (Form 1065 with K-1s). Your home country may also tax the income under its own rules, and a US tax treaty may reduce US withholding on certain platform payouts. Dig deeper in the foreign-owned LLC tax guide, the Form 5472 guide, and Wyoming LLC tax.
Domestic Wyoming LLCs are exempt from FinCEN Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) reporting under the March 26, 2025 Interim Final Rule - see BOI reporting for non-residents.
What you get for the all-in price
| Included | Detail |
|---|---|
| Wyoming LLC formation | Articles of Organization filed within 24 hours |
| Registered agent (year 1) | Our Wyoming address on public filings, not yours |
| Custom operating agreement | Single- or multi-member, Wyoming charging-order language |
| EIN via Form SS-4 | Filed by fax, no SSN required, CP575 returned to you |
| Bank introductions | Mercury, Relay, and Wise Business with prep packet |
| Document delivery | Searchable PDFs of every formation document |
| Support | WhatsApp and email across NYC and Dhaka time zones |
Does your country change anything?
For 60+ countries the answer is no: the formation steps, the EIN-without-an-SSN path, the $397 price, and the Form 5472 obligation are identical no matter where you live. What changes is your banking approval odds and your tax-treaty position - both covered in the banking and tax sections above. The only hard exclusions are OFAC-sanctioned countries (Iran, North Korea, Syria, Cuba, Russia, Belarus).
Three countries have a dedicated deep-dive guide with country-specific banking options, tax-treaty status, and typical rejection reasons:
- Wyoming LLC for Bangladesh residents
- Wyoming LLC for Nigeria residents
- Wyoming LLC for Mexico residents
Not sure which banks approve your country? See the bank approval data by country for the provider-by-country breakdown.