Non-US Founders · A US LLC formed from abroad, with your EIN even without an SSN.
Form a US LLC as a non-US resident, no SSN needed.
You don't need to live in the US, hold a visa or have a Social Security Number to own a US LLC. We form the company in the state you choose, serve as its registered agent, file its annual report every year after the first, and get your EIN from the IRS. Without an SSN, that EIN goes through a paper Form SS-4, which we prepare and fax for a one-time $99.
Year one: $298 plus the state fee. Every year after: $199, plus your state's report fee at cost.
✓ Any state in our checkout ✓ Same $199 at renewal ✓ Addresses and phone numbers from any country
Receipt / Year One
US LLC, No SSN
- ✓LLC formation prepared & filed
- ✓EIN: Form SS-4 prepared, signed online, faxed to the IRS
- ✓Registered agent, every year
- ✓Annual report filed, every year after the first
- ✓Compliance reminders
Renews at $199.00/yr, plus your state's report fee at cost. The $99.00 is charged once.
Have an SSN or an ITIN? Answer Yes at checkout and the processing charge doesn't apply.
Who this is for
Anyone who wants a US LLC but lives outside the US and has no Social Security Number. That covers a lot of people: an online seller in Lagos who wants a US company to sell through, a developer in Berlin with American clients, a consultant in Mexico City who invoices US firms, two co-founders in different countries building one product together.
US states don't require an LLC's owners to be citizens or residents. Anyone can own one, from anywhere. What changes when you're abroad is mostly on the federal side: getting an EIN without an SSN, and the IRS reporting that comes with a foreign-owned company. The state filing itself works the same as it does for anyone else.
Already have an SSN or an ITIN (the IRS tax number for people who can't get an SSN), even while living abroad? Then you're on our standard path. Answer Yes to the Social Security question at checkout and the $99 processing charge doesn't apply.
What's included
Your LLC, prepared and filed. We complete the formation document and file it with the state you pick, then deliver the approved filing to your account.
Your EIN. The EIN (Employer Identification Number) is your company's federal tax ID. Banks, payment processors and marketplaces ask for it, and the IRS uses it for your company's filings. The application is part of the package. Without an SSN or ITIN it costs $99 more, once, for the reasons explained below.
A registered agent, every year. Every LLC needs a registered agent with a physical address in its state, to accept lawsuits and official notices on the company's behalf. We're that agent for as long as you keep the package, and anything served on your company is scanned and uploaded the same business day, at no charge.
Your annual report, every year after the first. Most states require a yearly or every-other-year report to keep an LLC active, and missing it is how companies get dissolved. From year two on, we track the due date and file it for you, with the state's fee passed through at cost.
Reminders before deadlines. You hear from us before something is due, not after.
How the EIN works without an SSN
The IRS's instant online EIN application only works for applicants with an SSN or ITIN. Everyone else applies on paper, using Form SS-4. That's the part we take off your hands.
- Answer No at checkout. The checkout asks, "Do you have a Social Security Number?" Answer No, and the international founder processing line ($99) is added to your total. If you have an ITIN, answer Yes instead.
- We prepare your Form SS-4. We fill in the IRS application for your company, with "FOREIGN" in the field that would otherwise hold a Social Security Number.
- You sign it online. There's nothing to print and nothing to post.
- We fax it to the IRS. The signed form goes to the IRS by fax, so you don't have to find a fax machine or call an IRS line from another time zone.
- The IRS issues the number. The IRS takes 2 to 8 weeks to issue EINs filed this way, and it does not expedite them. Nobody can make that faster, us included, so it's worth starting early if a bank or a marketplace is waiting on it.
The IRS itself charges nothing for an EIN, and you're free to file an SS-4 on your own. What the $99 pays for is the preparation, the online signature and the fax, done once and done right.
What it costs
Year one has three parts: the $199 package, the one-time $99 for international founder processing, and your state's filing fee, which we pass through at cost. That's $298 plus the state fee. From year two the price is $199 a year, plus whatever your state charges for its annual report, also at cost. The $99 is never charged again.
The table shows every state's numbers, taken from the same figures our checkout charges. Where a state adds an expedite fee to every filing, it's included in the state fee column.
| State | State fee at filing | Year one, no SSN | Each year after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $236.00 | $534.00 | $199.00 (no state report) |
| Alaska | $250.00 | $548.00 | $199.00 + $100.00 every 2 years |
| Arizona | $87.00 | $385.00 | $199.00 (no state report) |
| Arkansas | $45.00 | $343.00 | $199.00 + $150.00 |
| California † | $70.00 | $368.00 | $199.00 + $20.00 every 2 years |
| Colorado | $50.00 | $348.00 | $199.00 + $25.00 |
| Connecticut | $120.00 | $418.00 | $199.00 + $80.00 |
| Delaware | $110.00 | $408.00 | $199.00 + $400.00 |
| Florida | $125.00 | $423.00 | $199.00 + $138.75 |
| Georgia | $110.00 | $408.00 | $199.00 + $60.00 |
| Hawaii | $51.00 | $349.00 | $199.00 + $12.50 |
| Idaho | $103.00 | $401.00 | $199.00 (no state fee) |
| Illinois | $150.00 | $448.00 | $199.00 + $75.00 |
| Indiana | $95.00 | $393.00 | $199.00 + $32.00 every 2 years |
| Iowa | $50.00 | $348.00 | $199.00 + $30.00 every 2 years |
| Kansas | $85.00 | $383.00 | $199.00 + $90.00 every 2 years |
| Kentucky † | $40.00 | $338.00 | $199.00 + $15.00 |
| Louisiana | $130.00 | $428.00 | $199.00 + $40.00 |
| Maine | $225.00 | $523.00 | $199.00 + $85.00 |
| Maryland | $150.00 | $448.00 | $199.00 + $300.00 |
| Massachusetts | $520.00 | $818.00 | $199.00 + $520.00 |
| Michigan | $50.00 | $348.00 | $199.00 + $25.00 |
| Minnesota | $155.00 | $453.00 | $199.00 (no state fee) |
| Mississippi | $50.00 | $348.00 | $199.00 (no state fee) |
| Missouri | $50.00 | $348.00 | $199.00 (no state report) |
| Montana † | $35.00 | $333.00 | $199.00 (no state fee) |
| Nebraska | $100.00 | $398.00 | $199.00 + $25.00 every 2 years |
| Nevada † | $425.00 | $723.00 | $199.00 + $350.00 |
| New Hampshire | $102.00 | $400.00 | $199.00 + $102.00 |
| New Jersey | $100.00 | $398.00 | $199.00 + $75.00 |
| New Mexico | $50.00 | $348.00 | $199.00 (no state report) |
| New York | $200.00 | $498.00 | $199.00 + $9.00 every 2 years |
| North Carolina | $128.00 | $426.00 | $199.00 + $203.00 |
| North Dakota | $135.00 | $433.00 | $199.00 + $50.00 |
| Ohio | $99.00 | $397.00 | $199.00 (no state report) |
| Oklahoma | $104.00 | $402.00 | $199.00 + $26.00 |
| Oregon | $100.00 | $398.00 | $199.00 + $100.00 |
| Pennsylvania | $125.00 | $423.00 | $199.00 + $7.00 |
| Rhode Island † | $156.00 | $454.00 | $199.00 + $52.50 |
| South Carolina | $110.00 | $408.00 | $199.00 (no state report) |
| South Dakota | $150.00 | $448.00 | $199.00 + $55.00 |
| Tennessee † | $300.00 | $598.00 | $199.00 + $300.00 |
| Texas | $357.00 | $655.00 | $199.00 (no state fee) |
| Utah | $59.00 | $357.00 | $199.00 + $18.00 |
| Vermont † | $155.00 | $453.00 | $199.00 + $45.00 |
| Virginia | $100.00 | $398.00 | $199.00 + $50.00 |
| Washington | $200.00 | $498.00 | $199.00 + $70.00 |
| West Virginia | $101.00 | $399.00 | $199.00 + $26.00 |
| Wisconsin | $130.00 | $428.00 | $199.00 + $25.00 |
| Wyoming | $102.40 | $400.40 | $199.00 + $61.44 |
Year one is $199 + $99 + the state fee. "Each year after" is our $199 plus the state's own report fee, at cost. The District of Columbia is in our checkout too, with its fee shown there. Have an SSN or an ITIN? Take $99 off the year-one figure.
- † California: California's $800 yearly LLC tax is paid separately to the Franchise Tax Board.
- † Kentucky: Most Kentucky LLCs also owe the Limited Liability Entity Tax ($175 minimum a year), paid separately to the Department of Revenue.
- † Montana: That's a waiver for reports filed January 1 to April 15 in 2026 and 2027; the standard on-time fee is $20.
- † Nevada: That covers the $150 Annual List and the $200 State Business License renewal, filed together.
- † Rhode Island: Rhode Island's $400 minimum annual tax is paid separately to the Division of Taxation.
- † Tennessee: Both state fees are $50 per member ($300 minimum, which covers 1 to 6 members; $3,000 maximum), and most Tennessee LLCs also owe franchise and excise tax to the Department of Revenue.
- † Vermont: Vermont LLCs taxed as partnerships or S corporations also owe a $250 minimum business entity tax to the Department of Taxes; single-member LLCs reported on Schedule C don't file that return.
Choosing a state
You can form in any state our checkout lists, which is all 50 plus the District of Columbia. There's no single right answer, but a few honest rules of thumb help.
If you'll have a real presence in a state, start there. A warehouse, an office, staff, or a co-founder living in a particular state usually means the company is doing business there. Forming somewhere else then means registering in that state too (a foreign qualification), with a second set of fees and a second annual report.
If you'll run everything from abroad, compare running costs. For an online business with no US presence, the main differences between states are the formation fee, the yearly report fee, and any state tax or minimum fee on top. The table above puts the first two side by side, and the notes under it flag the states with a separate yearly tax, such as California.
Don't choose a state for federal tax reasons. Federal tax treatment and IRS reporting are the same wherever the LLC is formed. A low-fee state saves you state fees, and that's all it saves.
Delaware's reputation is about corporations. Delaware is known for its business court and its corporate law, which matter mostly to corporations raising venture capital. For a small LLC owned from abroad, weigh its fees and its yearly tax the same way you would anywhere else.
Still deciding? Every state has its own guide to its fees, deadlines and rules. Browse the states.
What you still handle yourself
We're a filing service and registered agent, not an accounting firm or a bank. Three things sit outside what we do, and it's better to know that before you start.
US tax filings. A single-member LLC owned by someone outside the US generally files Form 5472, attached to a pro forma Form 1120, every year. Form 5472 reports dealings between the company and its foreign owner, such as money you put in or take out, and it's due even when the LLC owes no US tax. The IRS penalty for missing it starts at $25,000. LLCs with two or more members are usually taxed as partnerships and file differently. We don't prepare any of these returns, so line up a US tax professional who works with foreign-owned companies, and ask about your home country's rules while you're at it.
A bank account. We don't open bank accounts or sell banking. Banks and payment providers set their own rules for owners who live abroad, and they'll typically want your EIN, your formation documents and your passport. Our guide to opening a business bank account covers what to expect.
A business mailing address. Our registered agent address is for legal papers and state notices. It can't be your mailing address for banks, marketplaces, Google or invoices. We don't sell mailing addresses, but ask us and we'll point you to providers who do.
None of this changes what the package covers. Your company's filings with the state are handled, and the tax and banking side is yours to arrange.
What the checkout asks for
The checkout is built for founders anywhere. Member and manager addresses can be in any country, and the phone field takes international dialing codes. Have these ready:
- an email address (we use it to create your account)
- the state you're forming in and your LLC's name
- each member's name, ownership share and address
- a responsible party for the EIN, usually you
- your answer to the Social Security question
On the formation filing itself, most states let you list our registered agent address as the company's physical address. Illinois, Indiana and Oregon don't allow that, so their filings need a real street address of your own, such as your business location or your home address.
Frequently asked questions
Can a non-US resident own a US LLC?
Yes. No US state requires an LLC's owners to be US citizens or residents, and you don't need a visa to own one. Owning a company is a different thing from living or working in the US, though. If you plan to do either, immigration rules apply separately, and an LLC doesn't change them.
Do I need an SSN or an ITIN to get an EIN?
No. Without either one, the EIN application goes to the IRS on paper (Form SS-4) instead of through the instant online tool. We prepare it with "FOREIGN" in the SSN field, you sign it online, and we fax it to the IRS, for a one-time $99. If you already have an ITIN, answer Yes to the Social Security question at checkout and you're on the standard path.
How long does the EIN take without an SSN?
The IRS takes 2 to 8 weeks to issue EINs applied for this way, and it doesn't expedite them. The EIN is a separate federal step from forming the LLC, which runs on the state's own timeline.
What will I pay in year one, and after that?
$199 for the package, $99 once for international founder processing, and your state's filing fee at cost: $298 plus the state fee. Every year after, $199 plus your state's annual report fee at cost. The table on this page shows each state's figures.
Is the $99 charged every year?
No. It covers the EIN application, which only happens once. Renewal is $199 a year, the same as for everyone else.
Do I need to travel to the US?
No. Checkout, signing your SS-4 and getting your documents all happen online, and as your registered agent we have the in-state address the state requires. Nobody has to be there in person.
Do you file my US taxes or Form 5472?
No. We're not an accounting firm and we don't prepare tax returns. A foreign-owned single-member LLC generally files Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 each year, so talk to a US tax professional well before your first year ends.
Can you open a US bank account for my LLC?
No, we don't open bank accounts or sell banking. Once you have your formation documents and your EIN, you apply with the bank or payment provider directly, and each one sets its own rules for owners who live outside the US.
Can I use your address as my business address?
Only on the formation filing, where the state allows it (Illinois, Indiana and Oregon don't). It's a registered agent address, so it can't be your mailing address for banks, marketplaces or customers. Anything served on your company there is scanned and uploaded the same business day at no charge, and the first three government mailings a year are scanned free. After that, a per-piece fee applies.
Which state should I choose?
The state where you'll actually operate, if you'll have any US presence. If you'll run everything from abroad, compare the formation fee, the yearly fee and any state tax in the table on this page. Federal tax works the same in every state, so a state's reputation shouldn't make the decision for you.
Can I cancel?
Yes, from your dashboard. Once we've filed your formation or a year's annual report, that filing has gone to the state and can't be refunded for that year. Past that, you can stop the renewal any time and we won't bill you again.
Ready to form your US LLC?
$199 a year with the state fee at cost, plus $99 once if you have no SSN or ITIN. The same $199 every year after, with your registered agent and your annual report included.