Best LLC Formation Services for Non-Residents (2026)

Most people outside the US don't form an American company because they want an American company. They form one because of what it unlocks.

A US LLC is how you open a USD business bank account you can actually receive client payments into. It's how you get a Stripe account that isn't restricted or rejected for your country. It's how you reach PayPal Business, Amazon Seller Central, and the dozens of platforms that quietly assume a US entity, a US bank account, and a US tax ID.

That's the real job. And it's exactly where most formation services stop.

Filing the paperwork is the easy part — it's a form and a state fee, and a dozen companies do it competently.

The hard parts are the two steps that come after: getting an EIN without a Social Security Number, and actually opening a US bank account from abroad. Most services either charge separately for the first, or hand you a referral link for the second and wish you luck.

This comparison ranks ten services on that basis. Every price comes from the provider's own pricing page.

Our ranking criteria

1. Ease of formation — how much of the process is genuinely handled for you.
2. Support for non-US founders — whether the EIN, banking, and compliance work is done for someone with no SSN, or just described to them.
3. Pricing transparency — whether the true first-year and year-two cost is visible before you pay, or only after.
4. Ongoing compliance — registered agent, annual report handling, and what year two actually costs.
5. Banking and payment integrations — whether the service gets you to a US bank account, Stripe, and PayPal.

Two notes on reading this. A service scoring low here is not a bad service — most were built for US residents with a Social Security Number, and they do that job well. And the headline price is the least useful number on this page. What matters is the three-year total once the EIN, the registered agent, and the annual tax filing are all included.

The comparison at a glance

Turnaround: what an EIN actually costs you in weeks

This is the criterion most roundups skip, and for a non-resident it decides everything downstream. No EIN means no bank account, no Stripe, no PayPal, no Amazon. Your business does not start until it arrives.

If you have a Social Security Number, you get an EIN from the IRS online in about fifteen minutes, free. Anyone charging you for that is charging for convenience.

Without an SSN, the online tool is closed to you. Your application goes by phone, fax, or mail, and it routes through the IRS's international unit. The IRS advertises fast fax turnarounds, but those reflect routine domestic cases — for non-resident applicants without an SSN or ITIN, 40–60 days is the realistic standard.

That eight-to-twelve-week gap is where these services actually differ:

• StartFleet — Express EIN in 10–12 business days on the Startup and Business plans. That is roughly two weeks instead of two months.
• doola — 6–8 weeks standard Starter plan, and 3–4 weeks if you pay a $300 expedite fee on top, or upgrade to the $1,999/yr Tax and Compliance plan where expediting is included.
• Stripe Atlas — EIN included. Atlas advertises incorporation with next-day expedited processing, which is a separate step from EIN issuance.
• ZenBusiness — EIN is a $99 one-time add-on, not in any formation tier, and is not structured for applicants without an SSN.
• LegalZoom — EIN starts at the Pro tier ($249); the $0 Basic tier files articles of organization only.
• CorpNet — no EIN in the $99 Basic package. It starts at Deluxe ($219).

What that difference is worth. Take a founder who wants to sell online. On StartFleet's Express EIN they're applying for a bank account and Stripe in roughly two-three weeks. On doola's standard Starter plan they're waiting six to eight weeks before they can even begin — and then still need to open the bank account. That is four to six weeks of not trading, on a business that was ready to go. To close that gap with doola you pay $300 more, and you're still at three to four weeks.

Nobody else in this comparison publishes a faster non-resident EIN timeline than 10–12 business days.

Pricing transparency: the number you find out later

"Form your LLC for $0" is the most common promise in this category and the most misleading one — not because anyone is lying, but because formation is the cheap part. The costs that matter arrive later:

Published renewal figures, from each provider's own pricing page:

• StartFleet — $329/yr, covering registered agent, 10 mail scans, the annual state filing, and one amendment. The state annual-report fee is not included.
• Northwest — $125/yr for the registered agent after a free first year. Having Northwest prepare and file the annual report is a further $100 + state fee, so $225/yr for both.
• Bizee — $149/yr for the registered agent after a free first year. Bizee's compliance alerts are free, but alerts are not the same as Bizee filing the report; its annual-report service is priced per state and not published as a flat fee.
• CorpNet — $149/yr registered agent plus $99 for the annual report filing, so $248/yr, before state fees and CorpNet's 3% convenience fee.
• ZenBusiness — $199/yr registered agent plus $199/yr Worry-Free Compliance, so $398/yr to match what StartFleet's $329 covers.
• LegalZoom — $249/yr registered agent plus $199/yr Compliance Filings, so $448/yr. Note that LegalZoom's compliance plan states automatic annual-report filing excludes Indiana, Maryland and Wyoming — so on a Wyoming LLC, that $199 does not file your annual report.
• Firstbase — $299/yr per state for the registered agent, billed separately from the $399 formation fee, plus $315–$350/yr if you want the mailroom.
• Stripe Atlas — $100/yr after year one.
• doola — $297/yr-$2999/yr, because the whole plan recurs and cannot be unbundled.
• Tailor Brands — Essential $199/yr or Elite $249/yr, which do include compliance filing; registered agent is sold separately and the price is not published.

Read that honestly: on the registered-agent line alone, StartFleet is not the cheapest — Northwest at $125 and Bizee at $149 are lower. The difference is what the number buys. StartFleet's $329 is one figure covering the agent, the annual state filing, mail scans and an amendment; the cheaper numbers are agent-only, with the filing sold separately or not at all.

The three-year number

Headline prices reverse once you run them out. For a non-resident who needs an EIN and the annual Form 5472 filing — which is every non-resident with a single-member LLC — here is the three-year total using each provider's own published prices:

Being straight about where this doesn't apply: if you're a US resident with a Social Security Number, the cheap US-focused services genuinely are cheaper, and this table isn't your comparison. The three-year gap above only exists because a non-resident has to buy the EIN work and the Form 5472 filing from someone.

Form 5472: the filing most comparisons never mention

If you're a non-US person who owns a single-member US LLC, you must file Form 5472 with a pro-forma Form 1120 every year. The penalty for not filing is $25,000, per the IRS.

Most formation services will form your company and never say those words to you. Among the ones that handle it:

• StartFleet — $299-$499/yr, as an add-on for the Freelancer and Startup plans, and included at no extra cost in the Business plan (for the first year).
• Firstbase — $899/yr for non-US-owned single-member LLCs, per its published pricing.
• doola — $1,500/yr as a standalone, or bundled into the $1,999/yr Tax and Compliance plan.
• Stripe Atlas — not offered. Atlas states its materials are not legal, tax, or accounting advice; ongoing filings are your responsibility.

The gap is the point. The same annual filing — the same two forms — costs $299 (for 80% customers) at StartFleet and $1,500 at doola. That's $1,101 more every year, nearly four times the price, for identical paperwork. Over three years it's a difference of more than $3,300.

One thing outdated guides still get wrong: FinCEN's March 2025 interim final rule exempted US-formed entities from Beneficial Ownership (BOI) reporting. If you form a US LLC, you are exempt. Any service still selling you a BOI filing add-on is selling you something you do not need.

The services, one by one

StartFleet — built specifically for non-US residents

Overview. StartFleet exists for one customer: the founder outside the United States who has no SSN, no ITIN, no US address, and who needs a working US company — EIN, bank account, and payment processing — without flying anywhere. It is not a US formation service that also accepts foreigners. Every part of the process assumes you are abroad.

Best for. Freelancers, agencies, e-commerce and Amazon sellers, and SaaS founders outside the US who need fast EIN access without an SSN or ITIN, a real USD bank account, and human support rather than a chatbot and a ticket queue.

Advantages

• One all-in package covering state filing, registered agent, EIN, US mailing address, and US bank account setup — $449 to $1,099, Wyoming state fee included. No monthly subscription.
• Express EIN in 10–12 business days on Startup and Business plans, against the 40–60 days a non-resident normally waits.
• Hands-on bank account support. You are walked through the application with banks that accept non-resident-owned LLCs.
• Registered agent included in every plan, at no extra charge, in year one and in the $329 renewal.
• Flat, predictable renewal — $329/yr, covering registered agent, mail scans, the annual state filing, and one amendment. No tiered upsell at renewal.
• Form 5472 / 1120 filing at $299-$499 (where 80% of customers pay $299)
• Any state — Wyoming, New Mexico, Florida, Delaware — not a single-state product.
• Payment platform consultations covering the questions that actually decide whether you can trade: Stripe applications and what to do if you're rejected, PayPal without an SSN, Shopify Payments, Amazon Seller Central, dropshipping-friendly processors, which US bank accounts pair with which processor, Facebook Business Manager and Google Ads verification, WhatsApp Business and Apple Business verification.
• Tax and compliance guidance in writing — W-8 forms when a US client sends you one, what to do with a 1099-K, claiming tax-treaty benefits, whether you need an ITIN, DBA registration, EU VAT for a US company, 83(b) elections, and trading crypto through a US company.
• Premium Partner Rewards — over $500,000 in partner perks and credits on the Startup and Business plans.
• Real people on chat, email, WhatsApp and Telegram — not an AI chatbot front door.

Limitations

• No phone support. A deliberate trade-off to keep pricing down for solo founders; answers come fast in writing instead, but if you want to pick up a phone, this isn't it.
• No bookkeeping or payroll suite. Formation, EIN, banking and tax filing are handled; day-to-day accounting isn't part of the product.

doola

Overview. A non-resident-focused platform that bundles formation, EIN, registered agent and a US business address into one annual price.

Advantages

• Built for non-US founders — EIN and registered agent are included at every tier.
• Low entry price at $297/yr plus state fees.
• Bookkeeping and tax filing available in higher tiers for founders who want them.

Limitations

• The $297 plan is slow. doola's sales team quoted a 6–8 week standard EIN on Starter. That's a month and a half to two months before you can open a bank account or apply to Stripe. Getting to 3–4 weeks costs $300 extra — still roughly double StartFleet's 10–12 business days, at a higher total price.
• Even the $1,999/yr plan is slower. Tax and Compliance includes expedited EIN by default, and expedited still means 3–4 weeks. You can pay four times as much and wait twice as long as StartFleet's Express EIN.
• The Form 5472 price isn't published. A standalone filing is $1,500/yr — and it is $1,200+/yr more than the same filing costs at StartFleet, which cost $299-$499 (where 80% of customers pay only $299)
• You can't unbundle it. The plans recurs annually rather than being a one-time formation fee.
• You may be paying for modules you'll never open. Bookkeeping software and invoicing are bundled into the higher tiers; if you invoice a handful of clients a month, that's cost without use.
• Banking is guidance rather than a hands-on application, so the hardest step for a non-resident is still yours to complete.

Firstbase

Overview. A full business-operations platform — formation plus accounting, mailroom and tax filing sold as separate modules — aimed at founders who want everything in one dashboard.

Advantages

• Open to non-US founders, with formation priced as a $399 one-time fee rather than a recurring plan.
• Modular: you buy accounting, mailroom or tax filing only if you want them.
• Publishes a specific price for non-US-owned single-member LLC tax filing, which most of this category doesn't.

Limitations

• The registered agent is not in the $399. It's $299/yr per state, billed separately, so the real first-year figure is closer to $698 than $399 — and the $299 recurs every year after.
• A US mailing address is extra again — the mailroom runs $315–$350/yr depending on tier.
• Form 5472 filing is $899/yr, roughly double what the same filing costs elsewhere, and it recurs annually.
• The accounting module at $599/month is priced for companies with real transaction volume, not first-year founders — if you're not using it, it's the most expensive line on the page.
• Banking is guidance rather than a hands-on application, so the hardest step for a non-resident is still yours to complete.

Stripe Atlas

Overview. Stripe's own formation product, forming Delaware entities with tight integration into the Stripe ecosystem.

Advantages

• $500 one-time, including government fees and the first year of registered agent; $100/yr after.
• Fast incorporation, with next-day expedited processing advertised.
• Includes founder equity issuance, 83(b) election filing, $2,500 in Stripe credits and partner discounts.
• A recognised choice for founders raising US venture capital, where investors expect a Delaware C corporation.

Limitations

• Not primarily built with non-US residents in mind. Atlas is a startup-incorporation product that non-residents can use, not a service designed around the problems of founding from abroad. There is no ITIN support, no non-resident tax filing, and banking is a Mercury referral rather than hands-on help.
• Delaware only. Delaware charges a $300 annual LLC tax regardless of where you operate. For a non-resident who isn't chasing US venture capital, Wyoming or New Mexico is usually cheaper.
• No ongoing tax filing. No Form 5472, no bookkeeping, no ITIN — all of it stays your responsibility.
• Built around the Stripe ecosystem, so less useful if your payments live elsewhere.

Northwest Registered Agent

Overview. A long-established US registered agent and formation service, known for privacy and for answering the phone.

Advantages

• Privacy by default — not selling customer data is Northwest's core proposition.
• Filings handled in-house, with named support staff rather than a ticket queue.
• Minimal upselling by the standards of this category.

Limitations

• Built for US residents with a Social Security Number. The EIN is an add-on rather than a core part of the process, and it isn't structured for applicants without an SSN.
• No hands-on US bank account support. Like most US-focused services, Northwest forms the company and leaves the bank account to you — which is the step a non-resident is least able to complete alone.
• No bookkeeping, payments, or tax-filing modules, and no Form 5472 filing.
• Formation is $39 + state fees with the registered agent free for year one, then $125/yr — the lowest ongoing agent price in this comparison. Having Northwest file the annual report is a further $100 + state fee.

Bizee (formerly Incfile)

Overview. A high-volume US formation service built around a $0 formation tier where you pay only the state fee.

Advantages

• Lowest headline entry price in the category.
• Clean dashboard and fast digital document delivery.
• Works well for a US resident who wants to file cheaply and handle everything else themselves.

Limitations — and what "$0" actually costs

The $0 is real, and it buys exactly one thing: the state filing. Everything that makes the company usable is priced separately, and you meet those prices one at a time, after you've started.

• The registered agent is free for year one, then $149/yr. That renewal is not a one-off — it's every year, forever, and it's the cost most founders forget when comparing against an all-in price.
• The EIN is an add-on, and Bizee is not set up for founders without an SSN — so for a non-resident the cheapest tier can't deliver a working company at any price.
• Compliance and annual-report handling are separate, as are the operating agreement and most documents.
• Add the pieces back together and "$0" lands close to what a full-service package costs — except you've assembled it yourself, and you're still doing the EIN and the bank account alone.

LegalZoom

Overview. The largest and best-known US legal services brand, offering formation alongside trademarks, contracts and attorney consultations.

Advantages

• Longest track record and widest service range in the category.
• Attorney access and legal document tools that pure formation services don't offer.
• Strong educational library.

Limitations — the $0 tier and what it leaves out

• The $0 Basic tier files articles of organization and nothing else. No EIN, no registered agent. It is the filing, alone.
• EIN starts at Pro, $249 + state fees — so the real entry point for a usable company is $249, not $0.
• The ongoing cost is the highest here. Registered agent is $249/yr and the Compliance Filings plan is a further $199/yr — $448/yr before any government fee.
• That compliance plan won't file a Wyoming annual report. LegalZoom states automatic filing is available only where required, excluding Indiana, Maryland and Wyoming — worth knowing, since Wyoming is one of the most common states for a non-resident LLC.
• Not structured for non-resident EIN or banking, and no Form 5472 filing.

The pattern is worth naming: a $0 headline that becomes $249 at checkout isn't cheaper than a $449 all-in price — it's the same money, discovered later. Knowing the number before you start is worth more than seeing a smaller one first.

ZenBusiness

Overview. A polished, automation-first US formation platform with a $0 entry tier and a broad menu of add-ons.

Advantages

• Genuinely easy, well-designed onboarding — among the best interfaces in the category.
• Publishes à la carte pricing, which not every competitor does.
• Broad ongoing services: bookkeeping, banking, website, domain.

Limitations — modelling the real total

• The $0 tier is formation only. EIN is a $99 one-time add-on and registered agent is $199/yr, so a usable first year is closer to $298 plus state fees than to zero.
• Worry-Free Compliance renews at $199/yr, and compliance products are easy to leave selected in the cart. Check what's ticked before you pay.
• Matching what a $329 all-in renewal covers means buying registered agent and compliance — $398/yr.
• No non-resident EIN or banking support, and no Form 5472 filing.

CorpNet

Overview. A veteran US filing service, family-owned since 2009, emphasising manual review and compliance accuracy across all 50 states.

Advantages

• Consistent multi-state coverage and compliance tracking, with SOC 2 certification.
• Filings reviewed by staff rather than fully automated, with standard internal processing in 2–4 business days.
• 100% satisfaction guarantee with a 60-day refund window on service fees.

Limitations — read the Basic package carefully

• The $99 Basic package includes no EIN. You get a name check, the Articles of Organization, and a compliance tool. The EIN starts at the Deluxe package, $219.
• Basic includes registered agent for 60 days only. Not one year — sixty days. Every LLC is legally required to maintain a registered agent continuously, so that's a renewal you will be paying, and soon. A full year of agent service starts at Deluxe.
• A 3% convenience fee is added to service prices, on top of state fees and shipping, per CorpNet's own pricing page.
• From year two it's $149/yr for the registered agent, plus $99 each time CorpNet files your annual report — $248/yr before state fees and the convenience charge.
• No non-resident EIN or banking pathway, no payment integrations, and no Form 5472 filing.

The $99 headline is the clearest example on this page of a price that isn't the price. A company with no EIN and a registered agent that lapses in two months is not a company you can bank with.

Tailor Brands

Overview. A branding platform — logos, domains, websites — that also files LLCs, aimed at founders launching a brand and an entity at the same time.

Advantages

• Formation and branding in one flow, genuinely convenient if you need both.
• Beginner-friendly interface with AI-assisted design tools.

Limitations

• Formation starts at $0 + state fees, but the paid plans are annual subscriptions — Essential $199/yr, Elite $249/yr — not one-time formation fees. They do include compliance filing.
• Registered agent is sold separately and the price isn't published, so a plan price alone doesn't tell you the yearly total.
• The bookkeeping trial converts to $39/month after 30 days unless cancelled.
• Formation and compliance are secondary to the branding product; long-term entity management is thin.
• No non-resident EIN or banking support, and no Form 5472 filing.

So which should you choose?

If you're a non-US resident who wants a working company, not just a filing — StartFleet. It's the only service here where the Express EIN, the hands-on bank account application, the payment-platform consultations and the Form 5472 filing are one product rather than modules you assemble and pay for separately. On the three-year non-resident total it comes out $1,300 to $3,300 below the other services built for this audience.

If you're raising US venture capital, Stripe Atlas is a well-known route to a Delaware C corporation. Worth knowing: StartFleet also forms Delaware C corporations, and adds what Atlas doesn't — Form 5472 and 1120 filing, ITIN applications, and written tax consultation. If you're a non-resident who needs that structure, StartFleet covers both halves, the entity and the compliance that follows it.

If you want bookkeeping alongside formation, that's a real need — but check whether you need a platform for it. Most founders in their first year or two are invoicing a handful of clients, and a spreadsheet handles that at no cost. Bookkeeping modules in this category run $300–$600/mo. You can always add a bookkeeper later, matched to your actual volume, rather than paying for a suite from month one.

If you want branding and an entity together, compare the formation half on its own merits — EIN, registered agent term, renewal cost — because that's the part that's hard to change later. The design half is the part you can cover with a freelancer or Canva for a fraction of a bundled plan.

If you're a US resident with a Social Security Number, you're not really this article's reader. You can get an EIN from the IRS yourself in fifteen minutes, free, and open a bank account the same week — so weight your decision on price and privacy rather than on non-resident support.

The bottom line

Score any service on the five criteria at the top: how much it handles, whether it supports non-residents properly, whether the true cost is visible before you pay, what year two costs, and whether it actually gets you to a US bank account and Stripe.

And ask two questions before you pay anyone: exactly how long does the non-resident EIN take, and what is the total in year three? The answers will tell you more than any ranking, including this one.

Frequently asked questions

Can I form a US LLC if I'm not a US citizen or resident?

Yes. There is no citizenship or residency requirement to own a US LLC. You do not need a US address, a US phone number, a Social Security Number, or a visa. You will need a registered agent in your formation state.

How long does an EIN take without a Social Security Number?

The IRS online application is unavailable without an SSN or ITIN, so applications go by phone, fax, or mail through the IRS international unit — typically 40–60 days. StartFleet's Express EIN service delivers in 10–12 business days on the Startup and Business plans.

Which is the best LLC formation service for non-US residents?

StartFleet. For a founder outside the US, four things decide whether the company actually works, and StartFleet leads on all four: Express EIN in 10–12 business days, against 40–60 days for a standard non-resident application and 6–8 weeks on doola's Starter plan; registered agent included, rather than a $299/yr extra as at Firstbase; Form 5472 filing at $399, against $899 at Firstbase and $1,500 at doola; and a hands-on US bank account application rather than a referral link. It also forms in any state, where Stripe Atlas is Delaware only. Over three years that comes to roughly $2,675, against $3,993 at Firstbase and $4,191 or more at doola.

Can I open a US bank account without visiting the United States?

Yes. Several US banks and fintechs open business accounts for non-resident-owned LLCs remotely, using your passport, proof of your non-US address, your formation documents and your EIN. No service can guarantee approval, because banks make their own decisions — what differs is whether the service walks you through the application or just sends a link.

What is Form 5472 and do I have to file it?

Form 5472, filed with a pro-forma Form 1120, is an annual IRS information return required from foreign-owned single-member US LLCs. It is required every year, and the due date is April 15. The penalty for failing to file is $25,000.

Do I still need to file a FinCEN BOI report?

No, if your LLC was formed in the United States. FinCEN's March 2025 interim final rule exempted US-formed entities from Beneficial Ownership reporting. Any service selling a BOI add-on for a US-formed LLC is selling something you don't need.

Which state is best for a non-resident LLC?

Wyoming and New Mexico are usually the cheapest to maintain and offer strong privacy. Delaware carries a $300 annual LLC tax and is mainly worth it if you're raising US venture capital, which normally calls for a C corporation rather than an LLC.

Is the cheapest LLC formation service the cheapest overall?

Rarely, for a non-resident. A $0 or $99 headline typically excludes the EIN, limits the registered agent term, and never includes the annual Form 5472 filing. Compare the three-year total with those three items included — that's the number you'll actually pay.