Business bank account for non-US founders
A non-US founder can open a business bank account, either for a US company or for the company they already have at home, and US rules do not require a Social Security number: a passport number is an accepted identification number for a non-US person. What decides the outcome is each provider's own policy on where the company is formed and where its founders live, and at some providers their citizenship. This guide sets out the federal rules, each provider's founder rules from its own pages, and how to choose which company to bank.
- Under the federal customer identification rule, a bank may identify a non-US person by passport number and country of issuance, so a Social Security number is not a legal requirement for a founder.
- US banks must identify every individual who owns 25% or more of a company and one individual who controls it, and the rule applies to companies formed abroad as well as in the US.
- Mercury, Relay and Brex open accounts only for US companies, and each adds its own founder rules: Mercury on where founders live, Relay on owners' citizenship or residency and a physical US address for each owner, and Brex on a US physical address.
- Relay cannot open an account for a business with any owner who holds citizenship or residency in one of 31 listed countries, including Nigeria, Pakistan, Ukraine and Venezuela.
- Stripe Atlas forms a Delaware C corporation or LLC for a one-time $500 fee that includes the first year of registered agent service, which then costs $100 a year.
- Stripe's global availability page lists 51 countries and regions, and Pakistan, Colombia, Peru and Chile are not among them, which is one reason founders there form a US company.
Business bank accounts for non-US founders: the short answer
Two questions decide which account a founder outside the US can open. The first is which company the account is for: a new US company, or the company the founder already runs at home. The second is whether every owner passes the provider's founder rules, which look at where owners live, sometimes at their citizenship, and sometimes at whether they have a physical US address.
Citizenship of the US is not one of the federal requirements. The rule that governs how US banks identify customers accepts a passport number for a non-US person, and Mercury and Relay both state that they accept founders who are not US citizens or residents. The barriers are provider policies, and they differ widely, so the order of work matters: choose the company for business reasons, then check each provider's rules against every owner before you apply.
| Founder situation | Account that usually fits | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Raising from US accelerators or venture funds | A US corporation with a US startup account | Investors set where they invest; Y Combinator's terms list corporations based in the US, the Cayman Islands or Singapore |
| Selling software or services to US customers, not raising | The home company with USD account details in its own name | US customers can pay by ACH without a second company to run |
| Importing, exporting or trading goods | The home company with a USD account alongside its local bank | Home-country rules on export proceeds and import payments still apply |
| Founder living in a country on a provider's list | A provider whose list includes that country, or the home bank's dollar account | Forming a US company does not change where the founder lives |
| Needs Stripe, but Stripe does not list the home country | A US company, then a US account | Stripe Atlas states it incorporates a US company from almost anywhere |
Source: Helm Editorial Team, from the provider and investor pages cited in this guide. As published on 29 October 2026. This table compares account types and is not a ranking.
ACH is the US batch transfer network most businesses use to pay vendors. A company with US account details, whether it is a US company or not, can be paid by ACH; a company with only a dollar account abroad is paid by international wire.
What US rules require of a founder, and what providers add
Two federal rules shape every US account opening. The customer identification program (CIP) rule sets the minimum a bank collects to open an account. The customer due diligence rule sets which owners it must identify. Both are enforced by FinCEN, the US Treasury bureau responsible for anti-money laundering rules. Providers then add their own policies on top, and those policies are where most founders are refused.
| Item | What the federal rule says | What some providers add |
|---|---|---|
| Identification number | For a US person, a taxpayer identification number; for a non-US person, one or more of a taxpayer identification number, a passport number and country of issuance, an alien identification card number, or the number of another government-issued photo document showing nationality or residence | Relay asks each owner for a Social Security number or passport number, and non-US citizens must use a passport as photo ID |
| Company address | For a company, a principal place of business, local office or other physical location | Mercury rejects registered agent addresses, P.O. boxes and UPS Store addresses; Brex requires a US physical address |
| Founder address | For an individual, a residential or business street address | Relay requires a physical US address for each beneficial owner, with no P.O. boxes or virtual mailboxes |
| Owners | Each individual owning 25% or more, directly or indirectly, and one individual with significant responsibility to control the company | Relay asks non-US owners for the source of the business's initial income, annual personal income and the countries where the business operates |
| Tax number | A bank may open an account for a customer that has applied for, but not yet received, a taxpayer identification number | Brex requires a US EIN issued by the IRS |
| Where founders live or their citizenship | Not part of the CIP rule's minimum information | Mercury restricts by where founders live; Relay by owners' citizenship or residency |
Sources: 31 CFR 1020.220; 31 CFR 1010.230; Relay, Mercury and Brex pages listed in the references. As published on 29 October 2026.
An EIN (Employer Identification Number) is the federal tax number the IRS issues to a business. A beneficial owner is an individual who ultimately owns or controls the company, whatever the number of holding companies in between. The 25% rule also covers companies formed abroad: the definition of a legal entity customer includes a similar entity formed under the laws of a foreign jurisdiction.
Two practical points follow. A founder who is told that an SSN is legally required can point to the passport option in the CIP rule, but the provider may still decline under its own policy. And a founder abroad usually has no physical US address, which rules out providers that require one for each owner, whatever company is formed.
Provider rules for founders, from their own pages
The table sets out what each provider states about the company it accepts and the founders behind it. It is drawn from each provider's own pages, dated, and it is not a ranking.
| Provider | Company it accepts | Founder rules it states | Address and other rules it states |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Formed and registered in the United States or a US territory, with existing or planned US operations | Founders do not need to be US citizens or residents; it cannot support businesses with founders living in certain countries and regions | Residential addresses accepted; registered agent addresses, P.O. boxes and UPS Store addresses not accepted; no accounts for money services businesses, adult entertainment, cannabis, internet gambling or trusts |
| Relay | US-registered businesses, including those owned by non-US citizens or residents, with an operating presence in the US | No account if any owner holds citizenship or residency in one of 31 listed countries | A physical US address for each beneficial owner; a separate operational address if the legal address is a registered agent's |
| Brex | A valid US incorporation, a US EIN and US operations | Not stated on its requirements page | A US physical address; with a virtual address, the beneficial owner or control officer must maintain a physical presence and be verifiable in the US; $50,000 minimum cash balance for startups that have raised funding |
| Wise Business | Businesses in the countries Wise supports | No USD account details if the personal profile has an address in Bangladesh, Cameroon, China, Nigeria, Pakistan or Ukraine | No USD account details if the business has an address in Bangladesh, Cameroon, China, Nigeria or Pakistan |
| Airwallex | Businesses registered in its listed countries and territories; Brazil and Mexico are onboarded to its US entity and India to its Singapore entity | Applications from unlisted registration locations cannot be processed | Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Colombia, Peru, Chile and the UAE are not on the list |
Sources: Mercury eligibility; Relay required documents and Relay prohibited countries; Brex account requirements; Wise, Can I get USD account details; Airwallex eligible countries and territories. As published on 29 October 2026.
Read the founder column with care. Mercury looks at where founders live, so a founder who moves later can be affected. Relay looks at citizenship as well as residency, so a founder living in Europe who holds citizenship of a listed country is also outside its policy. Wise and Airwallex look at the company's own country and addresses, which matters to a founder who wants to bank the home company rather than form a US one.
For Mercury's full country list and what it means for an existing account, see our guide to business accounts in countries Mercury does not serve.
Choose the company before the bank
Founders often form a US company only to open a bank account, then find that the company brings filings, fees and tax questions in two countries. Decide the company first, on business grounds.
If you plan to raise from US investors
Investors set the structures they invest in. Y Combinator's standard deal terms state that it invests in corporations based in the United States, the Cayman Islands or Singapore; Canada was removed from that list by the end of November 2025, as reported by BetaKit on 26 January 2026. Stripe Atlas describes a Delaware C corporation as the entity often used by startups and an LLC as the one often used by small businesses. A C corporation is a company taxed separately from its owners; an LLC (limited liability company) is a more flexible US entity often used by owner-run businesses.
| Stripe Atlas item | What Stripe states |
|---|---|
| Entity | Delaware C corporation or LLC; a subsidiary owned by a parent company is also offered |
| Fee | One-time $500, covering government fees and the first year of registered agent service |
| Registered agent after year one | $100 a year, renewing automatically |
| Included | Delaware incorporation, EIN, founder equity issuance, 83(b) election filing and document templates |
| Bank account | Opening a business account is a step in the process, not part of the base package |
| Who can apply | Apply online from almost anywhere in the world |
Source: Stripe Atlas and Stripe Atlas documentation. As published on 29 October 2026. Other formation services set their own prices.
A section 83(b) election is a filing with the IRS that a founder makes on shares subject to vesting, which Atlas files for each founder. Stripe also publishes a guide for founders resident in India on incorporating a US entity in compliance with India's overseas direct investment (ODI) rules, a reminder that home-country rules can apply to owning a US company at all.
If you sell to US customers and do not plan to raise
A US customer can pay any company that has US account details by ACH. If no investor, contract or US team requires a US entity, a USD account for the home company avoids the US company's annual state fees and IRS information returns. Our Mercury alternative guide for non-US founders sets out those yearly costs, and our guide to a USD account without a US company explains how such accounts work.
If you trade goods
Importers and exporters face rules at home on export proceeds and import payments, and a US company invoicing the buyer does not remove them for goods leaving the home country. The trading company usually keeps its local bank and adds a USD account in its own name.
Getting paid online: where Stripe is available
Many founders ask about bank accounts because they want a payment processor. Stripe's global availability page lists the countries and regions where businesses can use it, and it states that Atlas lets a founder incorporate a US company from anywhere in the world.
| Status on Stripe's page | Countries and regions named |
|---|---|
| Listed | 51 countries and regions in total, including Brazil, Mexico, Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States |
| Listed as Preview | India and Indonesia |
| Listed as Extended network, through Paystack | Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa |
| Not listed (examples) | Pakistan, Colombia, Peru and Chile |
Source: Stripe global availability, as published on 29 October 2026.
A founder in a listed country can use Stripe through the home company. A founder in a country that is not listed often forms a US company to use Stripe, and then needs a US account for it, which brings the founder rules in the previous sections into play. Check the provider's list for your own country on the day you apply, because it changes.
Documents a founder should prepare
The same file serves most applications. Prepare it once, keep names and addresses identical across every document, and translate anything not in English.
| Document | For a US company | For the home company |
|---|---|---|
| Passport for each 25% owner and the controlling person | Yes | Yes |
| Proof of personal address | Yes; some providers require a physical US address | Yes, in the founder's country |
| Formation documents | Certificate of incorporation or articles of organization; bylaws or operating agreement | Certificate of incorporation and a recent registry extract |
| Tax number | IRS EIN confirmation | Home tax registration number |
| Company address | A real operating address, not only a registered agent's | Registered office and operating address |
| Ownership chart | Every layer to the individuals, with percentages | Every layer to the individuals, with percentages |
| Evidence of the business | Website, contracts, invoices, expected monthly volumes and counterparties | Website, contracts, invoices, expected monthly volumes and counterparties |
Sources: 31 CFR 1020.220; 31 CFR 1010.230; Relay required documents; Mercury eligibility. Other rows are typical requirements compiled by the Helm Editorial Team and vary by provider. As published on 29 October 2026.
A registered agent is the firm that receives legal papers for a US company in its state of formation. Its address is not where the business operates, and several providers state they will not accept it as the business address. For the full US company sequence, from formation to EIN, see our guide to opening a US business bank account as a non-resident.
Where Helm fits
Helm is a financial technology company, not a bank. Accounts are held with regulated partner institutions. Helm gives the founder's operating company USD account details in its own name: a routing and account number that receives ACH, Fedwire and SWIFT, with EUR details (IBAN, SEPA and SWIFT) and GBP details (sort code, Faster Payments and SWIFT) alongside.
- US customers can pay the company as they pay a domestic vendor, and collections can be held in USD or converted.
- Suppliers can be paid by SWIFT, or by local rails in their currency where available, with the rate, fee and expected arrival shown before sending.
- USDC and USDT can be received, sent and converted to USD inside the account, where local law allows.
- Trade finance, such as supplier finance, receivables finance and working capital, is arranged case by case.
Each client has a named account manager, and review questions are answered in writing within one business day. Eligibility depends on the country where the company is registered, and Helm cannot currently provide USD account details to companies based in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kenya, Nepal, Morocco, Qatar, Japan or South Korea. Helm agrees pricing with each business in writing before the account opens, and shows the rate, the fee and the expected arrival before you confirm each payment.
For independent rankings of business accounts, see the BCC Trade Banking Index. Buckingham Capital Consulting (BCC) is a Helm group company.
Before you apply
- Decide the company on business grounds. Investors, US contracts or US staff are reasons for a US company; a bank account alone usually is not.
- List every owner. Note each 25% owner's country of residence and citizenship, and who controls the company.
- Check each provider's own pages. Compare its company rule, country lists and address rule against that list before you apply.
- Get the EIN first for a US company. Some providers require the IRS document at application.
- Use a real operating address. Do not give a registered agent's address as the place of business.
- Describe the business precisely. State who pays you, who you pay, in which countries and in what monthly amounts.
- Ask whose name is on the account details. US customers see that name when they set you up as a vendor.
- Test with one payment. Ask one customer to send a small ACH payment and check the amount and name that arrive.
Open a Helm account
USD, EUR and GBP accounts in your company's name, with a named account manager.
Open accountQuestions
Can a non-US founder open a US business bank account?
Yes, for a US company, at a provider whose rules the founder meets. Mercury states that founders do not need to be US citizens or residents, and Relay accepts US-registered businesses owned by non-US citizens or residents. Each provider also applies its own rules on where founders live and, at some, their citizenship.
Do I need a Social Security number to open a business bank account?
Not under federal rules. The customer identification rule lets a bank identify a non-US person by passport number and country of issuance, among other options. Some providers set stricter policies, so check each one's own requirements.
Do I need a US address to open a US business account?
It depends on the provider. Mercury accepts a residential address and rejects registered agent addresses, while Relay requires a physical US address for each beneficial owner and Brex requires a US physical address. The federal rule asks only for a principal place of business, local office or other physical location for a company.
Does my citizenship matter, or only where I live?
Both can matter. Mercury restricts accounts by where founders live, while Relay cannot open an account if any owner holds citizenship or residency in one of 31 listed countries, including Nigeria, Pakistan and Ukraine.
Can I open a business account before I have an EIN?
The federal rule allows a bank to open an account for a customer that has applied for, but not yet received, a taxpayer identification number. Providers decide whether to do so; Brex, for example, requires a US EIN issued by the IRS.
Should a non-US founder form a Delaware C corporation or an LLC?
Stripe Atlas describes the Delaware C corporation as often used by startups and the LLC as often used by small businesses. Founders planning to raise should check what their investors accept; Y Combinator's terms list corporations based in the US, the Cayman Islands or Singapore.
How much does Stripe Atlas cost?
Stripe states a one-time fee of $500, which covers government fees and the first year of registered agent service. After the first year, the registered agent costs $100 a year.
Can I use Stripe without a US company?
Yes, if Stripe lists your country; its global page lists 51 countries and regions, with India and Indonesia in preview. Pakistan, Colombia, Peru and Chile are not listed, and founders there often form a US company to use Stripe.
Can my company at home get US account details instead?
Yes, from providers that accept companies registered in your country. Airwallex lists eligible registration countries, including Brazil, Mexico and India, and Wise does not give USD details to businesses with an address in Bangladesh, Cameroon, China, Nigeria or Pakistan.
What is the best business bank account for a non-US founder?
It is the one whose company, country and address rules every owner meets, with US details in the company's own name. For independent rankings, see the BCC Trade Banking Index; Buckingham Capital Consulting is a Helm group company.
References
- 31 CFR 1020.220: Customer identification program requirements for banks
- 31 CFR 1010.230: Beneficial ownership requirements for legal entity customers
- Mercury: Eligibility and requirements for opening a Mercury account
- Relay: Required documents to open a Relay account by entity type
- Relay: Prohibited countries
- Brex: Brex account requirements
- Stripe: Stripe Atlas
- Stripe: Global availability
This guide is general information for businesses, not financial, legal or tax advice. Rules, fees and timings were checked against the sources listed on the review date and may change.