How to open a US bank account for your LLC as a non-resident: documents and steps (2026)
A lot of people think that to open a bank account for their LLC they have to fly to the United States and sit down with a banker. I opened mine with Mercury from Colombia without setting foot in a branch. What took me the longest wasn’t the account. It was the EIN.
In this guide I’ll walk you through which bank will open an account for someone who lives outside the US, which documents they ask for in 2026, the order everything happens in, and what they asked me for when I opened mine.
One note: this is information and personal experience, not legal or tax advice.
Why does your LLC need its own account?
Because the LLC only protects you if it behaves like a business separate from you. The LLC keeps your personal assets apart from the business: if someone sues the business, the LLC’s money is on the line, not your house or your savings. But you have to show that separation. If you pay for groceries with the business card or collect client payments in your personal account, a judge can decide that you and the LLC are the same thing, and your personal money is exposed. That’s called piercing the corporate veil.
There’s a more practical reason too. No US account, no Stripe. Stripe can’t be registered from Colombia or several other countries in the region. To use it you need an entity in a supported country, with its EIN and its bank account, as I explained in the under-$100 guide (in Spanish).
Which bank will open an account for a non-resident?
If you live outside the US and don’t have an address there, the most direct option is Mercury. It was my first attempt: I picked it because it was flexible with non-residents and built for founders, and today it still accepts founders who live abroad. Before you apply, check that your country isn’t on its prohibited countries list. Relay also accepts foreign owners, but it asks for a physical US address that almost nobody living abroad has. And traditional banks like Chase or Bank of America generally require an SSN or an in-person visit to a branch.
| Criterion | Mercury | Relay |
|---|---|---|
| Accepts owners who live outside the US? | Yes, except countries on its prohibited list | Yes, if the business has an operating presence in the US |
| Legal address | In the US; your registered agent’s works, a virtual office doesn’t | In the US; if it’s your registered agent’s, it asks for a separate operating address |
| Physical address | Can be in your home country | Physical US address, no virtual mailboxes |
| ID | Passport | SSN or passport |
Sources: Mercury’s and Relay’s help centers and the Global Solo banking access index, checked in October 2026.
What documents does the bank ask for?
When I opened my LLC’s account with Mercury in 2020, they asked for my EIN and my ITIN, my passport, utility bills in my name, and the documents from my Wyoming LLC proving the company existed and when it was formed. For the address I used Northwest’s, my registered agent, and that’s where my card was delivered. Northwest forwarded it to a package-forwarding box (a casillero, as we call them in Colombia), and the first time it never made it: it got lost along the way. Today the document list is pretty similar, with one difference around the ITIN that I’ll get to below.
Here’s what you need on hand before you apply:
- Articles of Organization. The document the state uses to register your LLC. You get it from the state or from the service that formed it.
- Your EIN letter. The IRS calls it the CP 575, and it arrives when your number is assigned. If you lost it, you can request a 147C, a letter that confirms the same number.
- A valid passport.
- Proof of your personal address from the last 60 days, like a utility bill or a bank statement. That address can be in your home country.
- A US legal address for the LLC. Your registered agent’s address works. A PO Box or a virtual office doesn’t.
- A description of what the business does and, if you have one, your website.
- The Operating Agreement, if the LLC has more than one member.
If you have partners, every person who owns 25% or more of the LLC provides their information and ID. Banks ask for this because of FinCEN’s customer due diligence rule, in place since 2016, which requires them to identify the real owners of every company.
In what order does it all happen, and how long does it take?
The account comes almost last. No LLC, no EIN. No EIN, and the bank has nothing to verify your company with. No account, and you can’t connect Stripe. Each step unlocks the next one.
My order in 2020 was this:
- I formed the LLC in Wyoming with Northwest, which charged me $39 for the registered agent.
- I applied for the EIN myself, faxing the SS-4 to the IRS. It was free and took almost a month. Why so long? It overlapped with the election season, which slowed the whole system down. I cover that process step by step in the EIN guide for foreigners (in Spanish).
- In the meantime I reached out to suppliers in China and built the site on Wix.
- I paid a third party $150 to handle the ITIN.
- I applied to Mercury. Opening the account took a few weeks.
- I connected Stripe.
Between the month for the EIN and the weeks at Mercury, more than a month went by from the day I requested the number to the day the account was open.
Do you need an ITIN or an SSN to open the account?
No SSN. Mercury doesn’t require one from a foreign owner, and Relay accepts a passport instead.
The ITIN is where things changed. Mercury asked me for it in 2020, which is why I got it before applying. Today it doesn’t show up among the Mercury requirements listed in the Global Solo index as of October 2026.
The ITIN was useful to me later for personal and banking matters, so it wasn’t wasted money. But if you’re only getting it for the account, ask Mercury first whether they’ll need it: that’s $150 you may not need to spend at this stage.
Common mistakes
- Using a PO Box or a virtual office as your legal address. Mercury doesn’t accept them. Your registered agent’s address works.
- Paying someone for your EIN. Getting it from the IRS is free. I did it by fax with the SS-4.
- Applying without your EIN letter in hand. It’s the document the bank uses to confirm your company has a tax ID.
- Paying for an ITIN without asking the bank first whether you need it.
- Mixing personal and LLC expenses from the first week. That’s exactly what strips away the protection for your personal assets.
Frequently asked questions
Can I open the account without traveling to the US? Yes. Mercury handles the whole process online. I opened mine from Colombia without going to any branch.
Can I use my registered agent’s address? As your legal address with Mercury, yes. I used Northwest’s. Your personal address is a separate thing and can be in your home country. Relay, on the other hand, also asks for an operating address in the US.
How much does the account cost? Mercury’s base plan has no monthly fee, no minimum balance, and no fees on domestic wires, according to its pricing page as of October 2026. The paid plans, Plus and Pro, aren’t needed to get started.
What if I have partners? Every person with 25% or more of the LLC provides their information and ID, and the bank asks for the Operating Agreement.
I lost my EIN letter. What do I do? Ask the IRS for a 147C letter, which confirms your number.
Conclusions
If you already have the LLC and the EIN, the account is the cheapest step in the whole process: Mercury’s base plan costs $0 a month. What holds you back is everything before it. The EIN alone took me almost a month.
Your first step is to gather the seven documents on the list, starting with the EIN letter, and make sure your legal address isn’t a PO Box.
If you don’t have your EIN yet, start with the EIN guide for foreigners (in Spanish).
Last updated: October 2026. Mercury’s and Relay’s requirements, plans and country lists change; check their help centers before you apply. This is information and personal experience, not legal or tax advice.
