Frequently Asked Questions about US LLCs

No. US law does not require the owners of an LLC to be US citizens or residents. You form the company online with your passport, with no US visit, visa, SSN or ITIN. What the law does require is a registered agent with an address in the state, and that is included for the first year.

An LLC is a US company that keeps the owner's personal assets separate from the debts and lawsuits of the business, while staying simple to run. It can have one owner or several, the owners are called members, and it needs no board or shareholder meetings. That mix of protection and low paperwork is why most founders outside the US choose it.

You choose a state and a company name and fill in the order form, which takes about 30 minutes. We file the LLC with the state, act as its registered agent, apply to the IRS for the EIN and prepare the Operating Agreement. Each document is uploaded to your dashboard as soon as it is ready, and you get an email at every step.

Most founders outside the US pick New Mexico or Wyoming. New Mexico has the lowest cost to keep, with no annual report and no yearly state fee, and starts at $229 in total. Wyoming is better known and charges at least $60 a year for its annual report, and starts at $279 in total. Federal tax rules are the same in every state.

No. A person living outside the US can own 100% of a US LLC. You do not need a US partner, a US director or a US shareholder.

Yes. Formation, the EIN and most bank and payment applications are done online or by fax, so you never need to travel to the US.

No. The state does not ask for one, and the IRS issues an EIN to international applicants by phone, fax or mail without an SSN or ITIN.

Yes. Founders in Pakistan, India, the UAE, Bangladesh, Nigeria and most other countries form US LLCs the same way. What varies by country is which banks and payment platforms will accept you, so check their current rules.

You need a registered agent with a physical address in your state of formation, which is included for the first year. Your own address can stay abroad.

Often not, if you are a non resident working from outside the US with no US office or staff, but every case is different. You still file Form 5472 every year if you own a single member LLC.

Filing the LLC is $0 plus the state fee. A founder outside the US also needs our registered agent and an EIN filed without an SSN, $179 together, so the total is $229 in New Mexico and $279 in Wyoming. A US resident with an SSN can use their own address and get the EIN free from the IRS. Every price is on the pricing page.

The LLC filing (our fee is $0), a registered agent for the first year and your EIN filed on Form SS-4 without an SSN. A free Operating Agreement, the US bank account guide, Mico AI and the Form 5472 Filing Desk come with it.

The state fee is added to the services you choose and you pay everything together in one payment. Each state sets its own filing fee, and we charge the government fee as it is, with nothing added on top.

No. Every service is priced before you pay. Later costs are yearly or optional: the registered agent renewal ($49.50) and the annual report filing ($49) from the second year, the $150 EIN expedite if you want the number faster, and services such as the mailroom or yearly IRS filing if you ask for them.

The first year is $99. From the second year the renewal is a flat $49.50 a year, and we remind you by email and in your dashboard before it is due.

Formation orders are paid in US dollars by card, PayPal or ZionPe. Your bank converts the amount at its own rate on the day you pay.

The registered agent renewal of $49.50 a year, our annual report filing of $49 a year (optional if you have an SSN), the yearly fee of your state if it has one (New Mexico has none, Wyoming charges at least $60), and the yearly IRS filing of Form 5472 for a foreign owned single member LLC.

No. On Form SS-4 you write "Foreign" where it asks for the responsible party's SSN or ITIN. An ITIN is a separate number for individuals and is not needed for your LLC's EIN.

No. The IRS online application needs a US address and a US taxpayer number for the responsible party, so non residents apply by phone, fax or mail.

With an ITIN or SSN, 24 to 48 hours. Without one we file Form SS-4: the standard EIN takes 15 to 30 days, and with the $150 expedite fee it takes 7 to 15 days.

No. The IRS issues EINs for free. Formation services charge for preparing and filing the form for you.

Yes. Add the EIN when you order your LLC: $49 if you have an SSN or ITIN, $80 without one. Founders outside the US get it with the registered agent for $179 plus the state fee.

Open a US business bank account, apply to payment platforms such as Stripe and PayPal, register as a seller on marketplaces such as Amazon, and file your LLC's yearly IRS forms.

No. A non resident can form an LLC and get its EIN without an SSN or ITIN.

Normally 6 to 10 weeks. Sometimes it takes 9 to 11 weeks, which is what the IRS says to allow for applications from overseas.

No. The IRS accepts originals or copies certified by the agency that issued the document. A Certifying Acceptance Agent can verify your passport so you keep the original.

No. The IRS does not charge to issue an ITIN. Acceptance agents and services charge for preparing and verifying the application.

Yes, if it is not used on a federal tax return for three consecutive tax years. It expires on December 31 of the third year and can be renewed.

A registered agent is the person or company that receives legal documents, government notices and tax letters for your business at a street address in the state. Every US LLC and corporation must keep one for as long as the company exists, and a PO Box is not accepted.

Yes. Every state requires an LLC to keep a registered agent with a physical address in the state for as long as the LLC exists.

Generally no. An individual agent must live in the state and be available at a street address there during business hours, so non residents use a registered agent service.

The first year is $99. Renewal is $49.50 a year.

It appears on your state filings, but it is meant for legal and state mail. For banks and platforms use a proper business mailing address.

No. A registered agent receives legal and state mail at a staffed office in your formation state. A virtual office or mail forwarding address does not qualify as a registered office in states like Wyoming.

Micahguru works with Registered Agents Inc. An agent is assigned to your company as soon as you place the order, the first year is $99, and the renewal is $49.50 a year from the second year. Any legal document the agent receives is uploaded to the Mailroom in your Micahguru dashboard.

No. Micahguru handles everything with the agent for you, and every document the agent receives appears in the Mailroom in your dashboard.

Legal documents and official government notices are always accepted. Regular business mail, such as bank letters, is limited to 5 items a year. Packages and personal mail are not accepted. For regular business mail use the Premium Mailroom.

In most states no. A registered agent address cannot be used for the Google PIN or for Amazon Seller Central verification, although some states do allow Amazon postcards. For verification postcards we recommend the Premium Mailroom.

No. Online banks and payment platforms such as Mercury, Wise and Payoneer verify you remotely with your passport and company documents. Most branch banks do ask you to visit in person.

Usually not. The account is opened for the LLC with its EIN, and owners abroad verify with a passport.

Mercury currently lists Pakistan among the countries where it cannot open accounts for founders who live there. Pakistani founders usually look at providers such as Wise or Payoneer instead. Check each provider's current list, because it changes.

Online providers often decide within a few days to two weeks once your documents are complete. Extra review can take longer.

Online providers such as Mercury, Wise and Payoneer open accounts for US LLCs whose owners live abroad and verify you remotely. Each one keeps its own list of countries it accepts, and the list changes, so check it before you apply.

Most branch banks ask the owner to visit a branch in person, and some also ask for a US address or an ITIN. That is why founders who do not travel to the US start with an online provider.

Only on state filings that ask for the agent. Stripe treats a registered agent address as not being an operating address, and banks usually reject it, so use your mailing or real address elsewhere.

Yes. Virtual mailbox companies handle Form 1583 online, with signing by live video in front of the company or an online US notary.

A PO Box can receive mail, but it is not a street address. Stripe and most banks reject it, and many state forms require a street address.

PMB stands for private mailbox. USPS rules require mail receiving companies to show it, or the "#" sign, with your box number.

The Premium Mailroom is $120 per year.

Yes. A foreign owned single member LLC files Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 for any year it has reportable transactions with its owner, such as paying formation fees or sending money in. Most LLCs have these every year.

Only on income effectively connected with a US trade or business, plus a flat 30% (or treaty rate) on certain passive US income. Many owners who run their business entirely from abroad owe no US income tax, but ask a tax professional about your facts.

June 15 for the prior calendar year if you had no US wages subject to withholding, or April 15 if you did. You file it only if you were engaged in a US trade or business or had other US income that requires it.

The LLC files Form 5472 with its EIN. You need an ITIN when you file a personal Form 1040-NR or claim treaty benefits in your own name.

The state usually forms the company in 24 to 72 hours, depending on the state. The EIN takes 24 to 48 hours if you have an SSN or ITIN. Without one we file Form SS-4 for you: 15 to 30 days as standard, or 7 to 15 days with the $150 expedite fee. The bank account depends on the provider's own review.

You follow each step in your Micahguru dashboard, and you get an email when the registered agent is assigned, when the company is formed and when the EIN is issued.

Your Articles of Organization, the EIN confirmation letter, the Operating Agreement and the registered agent details are uploaded to your dashboard. You get an email as soon as each one is available.

Reminders for yearly compliance and for the registered agent renewal, Mico AI for questions about your company, and the Filing Desk for the yearly Form 5472. You can also order a mailing address, a US phone number or an ITIN when you need them.

You sign in with a one time password sent to your email, or with your Google account.

Founders in most countries can. We have a page for 73 countries, each with the Stripe, banking and tax treaty points for that country. We do not take orders from countries under US sanctions, such as Russia.

The LLC, the EIN and the price are the same for everyone. What changes is whether Stripe already supports businesses in your country, which online banks accept owners who live there, and whether your country has an income tax treaty with the US.

Yes. Micahguru Formations is a US company that forms and looks after US LLCs for founders anywhere in the world.

The site and the order form are in English. There are also pages in Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic, German, Turkish, French and Italian that explain the service, and every one of them has a matching page in English.