US Banking & Payments for Non-Residents

1. How to Open a US Bank Account Remotely

Until recently, opening a US business bank account meant being physically present at a branch — which made it effectively impossible for non-residents. That's changed: several US fintech-banking platforms (Mercury, Wise Business, Relay, and others) now offer fully remote business account opening specifically designed for non-resident-owned LLCs.

The general process is:

1. Have your LLC formed and EIN issued first — most banks require both before you can even start an application.
2. Apply online through the bank's website, providing your LLC details, EIN, and personal identification (passport).
3. Complete identity verification — typically a photo of your passport plus a selfie or video verification, sometimes a proof of address document.
4. Answer questions about your business activity — what your business does, where your customers are, expected transaction volume.
5. Wait for review — this can take anywhere from same-day to a couple of weeks depending on the bank and how complete your application is.

The entire process happens online; no US visit, no US address (beyond your registered agent's address, which is typically what you'll use as your business address on the application), and no US phone number is strictly required for most of these platforms — though having a US-friendly contact method helps.

2. What You Actually Need Before You Apply

Having these ready before you start an application significantly improves both approval speed and approval odds:

Document/Info	Why It's Needed
Articles of Organization	Proves your LLC legally exists
EIN Confirmation Letter (CP575 or 147C)	Required by all banks — this is non-negotiable
Operating Agreement	Some banks request this to confirm ownership structure
Valid passport	Identity verification for the beneficial owner(s)
US business address	Your registered agent's address typically works for this
Clear description of business activity	Banks assess risk based on what your business actually does — vague answers slow things down or trigger extra review

Notice that an EIN is on this list as essentially mandatory — this is why EIN application is bundled into our Standard and Premium packages rather than treated as optional. Without it, you can't move forward with any bank application regardless of how well-prepared everything else is.

3. Why Your Bank Account Application Was Rejected

If you've already tried and been rejected or stuck in indefinite review, it's almost always one of these reasons:

• No EIN, or an EIN that doesn't match the LLC name exactly. Even small discrepancies — abbreviations, punctuation differences between your Articles of Organization and your EIN confirmation letter — can trigger a rejection or manual review.
• Vague or high-risk business description. Descriptions like "online business" or "consulting" with no specifics often get flagged. Banks want to understand what you actually do, who pays you, and from where.
• Mismatched information across documents. If your passport, Articles of Organization, and application form have inconsistent name spellings or addresses, this slows or stops the process.
• Country of residence restrictions. Mercury prohibits founders from Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, Ukraine, Russia, and about 30 other countries — regardless of their LLC. Wise blocks USD account details for Nigeria, Pakistan, UAE, Turkey, and several others. Relay has the widest acceptance. If you're from a Mercury-restricted country, try Relay first, then Airwallex or Payoneer Business as further alternatives. See our full per-bank country breakdown →
• Incomplete identity verification. Blurry passport photos, failed video verification, or missing proof-of-address documents are common, fixable causes of delay.

4. Choosing a Bank: Mercury, Wise, Relay

These three are the most commonly used by non-resident LLC owners, each with a slightly different profile:

Bank	Good For	Country Notes
Mercury	General-purpose US business banking, widely recommended starting point	Prohibits Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Vietnam, Ukraine + ~30 others. Check official list before applying
Wise Business	Multi-currency operations and international transfers	USD account details unavailable for Nigeria, Pakistan, UAE, Turkey + others. Good option for most other countries
Relay	Businesses wanting multiple sub-accounts for budgeting	✓ Widest country acceptance of the three — often works when Mercury and Wise don't. Check their exceptions list

For most clients, we recommend starting with Mercury as the primary account — it's well-established, widely accepted by Stripe/PayPal as a linked account, and has a straightforward application process for foreign-owned LLCs. Wise is a strong complement if you're regularly converting between currencies. Once you have a US bank account, setting up Stripe and PayPal Business becomes much more straightforward — both platforms work significantly better with a genuine US bank account behind them than with a foreign account.