Before starting: separate the applications
Company formation, an EIN, a business account and payment-provider approval are different steps. Completing one does not guarantee the next. Use this checklist to prepare information and clarify service scope before paying. For the wider decision framework, read the nonresident formation guide.
Commercial disclosure: LLC Class sells Wyoming formation services. This guide is not an independent ranking and does not promise tax savings, banking or payment approval.
1. Identify where the business operates
Record the owners, ownership percentages, residences, activity, workers, offices and inventory. Check registration obligations where the business actually operates before choosing a preferred state. Forming elsewhere does not erase those obligations.
For founders operating abroad without such obligations, compare Wyoming and Ohio. Delaware may suit a particular structure or investor requirement; a Delaware LLC and corporation are different choices. See the state comparison.
2. Prepare the filing information
- Prepare name alternatives and check state naming rules. Name availability does not establish trademark rights.
- Confirm ownership and management arrangements and keep them consistent across company, tax and banking applications.
- Confirm the registered agent, permitted address uses, document delivery and renewal terms.
- Retain the submitted filing, state receipt and formation documents. Prepare an operating agreement appropriate to the actual ownership and management arrangements.
A registered-agent address does not automatically qualify as a physical operating address or an address accepted by every payment provider. Compare agent duties and costs.
3. Confirm the price and service boundaries
LLC Class currently displays a $299 one-time Wyoming package, including the state filing fee and first-year registered-agent service. EIN assistance is separate or included in the $485 package. Check the selected package and checkout total.
Budget separately for agent renewal, later state reports or taxes, tax preparation and optional services. Request the renewal quote before ordering. Do not subtract prospective bank bonuses from the amount required to form the company.
Confirm how to submit materials, which documents will be delivered, when handling begins and which waiting periods belong to the state or IRS. Ask about cancellation, refunds, corrections and resubmission fees before payment; this checklist does not promise a provider policy.
4. Apply for an EIN through an eligible route
The IRS issues EINs free. A commercial provider charges for assistance. Online eligibility has principal-place-of-business and responsible-party identification requirements. Applicants whose principal business is abroad should review the permitted telephone, fax or mail routes rather than assume immediate online issuance.
Use the IRS EIN guidance and Form SS-4 instructions. Follow the applicable instructions if the responsible party lacks and is ineligible for an SSN or ITIN; do not invent identification details. Keep the IRS confirmation. Paid assistance does not establish a faster IRS processing channel.
5. Check banking and payment eligibility separately
Formation documents and an EIN do not guarantee a business account. Check the provider's accepted countries, entity types, business activities, physical-address requirements, ownership documents and fees. Its review is independent of the formation service.
For Wise Business, verify the actual trading address and supported country under the official address rules. Relay has its own entity-specific requirements. An agent address alone is not a substitute for satisfying operating-address requirements.
Shopify Payments, Stripe and PayPal each apply their own eligibility and settlement-account rules. If one declines an application, do not assume another must accept it. Use official support and truthful documents for requests or appeals; do not create artificial transactions to bypass reviews or account restrictions.
6. Plan ongoing filings
Keep company and financial records, track state deadlines and confirm applicable tax returns, licences and obligations in the owners' countries of residence. No revenue does not automatically mean no filing obligations.
Under the current FinCEN BOI rule, US-formed entities are exempt; foreign-formed entities registered in the US are a different category. For S corporation tax treatment, the IRS shareholder restrictions exclude nonresident aliens. An income threshold alone does not establish eligibility.
Frequently asked questions
Must I visit the United States?
Formation and EIN procedures can have remote routes, subject to their requirements. Banking depends on the provider and applicant circumstances; remote processing of every step is not guaranteed.
Can I use the agent's address for everything?
No. Confirm permitted uses separately for state filings, ordinary mail, tax correspondence, banking and payment services. A provider may require a real operating address and supporting evidence.
What if a bank declines the application?
Ask the bank about its documented review or appeal route and assess other providers against their actual conditions. Banking approval and company formation are independent. Any formation-service refund depends on the agreed terms, not an assumption that bank refusal guarantees reimbursement.
Next step
Review state selection, then confirm package scope, renewal pricing and delivery terms before ordering.