Hi,

Anybody can give an insight on how to register a business in US? Outside US people can do this? My friend saying outsiders without greencard can't register outside US businesses in US. I am saying they can do it.

Which one is correct? How to register if yes?

(is this correct forum to ask this?)

Non Us persons can form US companies or LLCs.

Can you please elaborate a little?

I think you've to obtain first the E Treaty Trader's, E visas, there after you might be able to register with LLC, however I am not quite sure, you should visit the workpermit sites of US.

radhika,

Depends what your aiming at. You can get yourself a Delaware company. I saw them for 400$ on the internet.

Originally posted by FashionPoint
radhika,

Depends what your aiming at. You can get yourself a Delaware company. I saw them for 400$ on the internet.


http://www.thedelawarecompany.com/
This site. right?

I am gonna get info on that. Thank you :)

I think you've to obtain first the E Treaty Trader's, E visas, there after you might be able to register with LLC, however I am not quite sure, you should visit the workpermit sites of US.

Thank for the info. I will search on these words too. thanks :)

radhika,

You've got it! You might as well take a look at http://www.offshore-manual.com/ -> TAX HAVENS -> Delaware. Some info is out of date, but you'll get the idea. Actually there are a lot of sites like this on the net, which explain pluses and minuses of any particular jurisdiction / company type.

Shure you can.
In Delaware you can have a registered business, and if you do not have office or staff there you dont pay taxes to delaware.

Hovever, you are obligated to have an agent with opening hours weekdays/business hours, to take care of communication for you.

More info:
www.delawareintercorp.com

oh, you probably also need to register as a foreign corporation in your local jurisdiction.

its called an international corperation

www.delawareintercorp.com
http://www.thedelawarecompany.com/

Both same? Because costs are different.

Originally posted by radhika
www.delawareintercorp.com
http://www.thedelawarecompany.com/

Both same? Because costs are different.

No, I think its 2 different agents.

I would recommend Valis for incorporation, cheap and they do a good job, and of course :) anyone can register a company :), if you are above 18 years, can provide minor paperwork (natinal id card and utility bill) you can open a company, either Corporation or LLC

Well i would recommend you to buy an already registered company ! They cost something like 3.5k+ but also have a Bank Account + Merchant Account.

It seems Valis are partners of thedelawarecompany?

I received a response from thedelawarecompany, everything seems OK to me. I'd like to talk to them in person to clear few more detais, then I guess I'll go with thedelawarecompany.

Thank you for all the info to all of you :)

That I know off Valis has nothing todo with thedelawarecompany. To my knownledge they take care of the paperwork all by them selfs but I may be wrong :)

VALIS has no business dealings with The Delaware Company, though we do know them and have dealt with them concerning bank accounts when VALIS Savings was alive and well. The Delaware Company is a good company with good people from my experience.

You can see a fee/service matrix comparison at
http://www2.valisinternational.com/?pg=inc
if you're interested in seeing a few different Delaware incorporators services and fees.

What about merchant accounts?
What if we incorporate a company through Valis, will we be able to apply for an authorize.net merchant account?

What about merchant accounts? What if we incorporate a company through Valis, will we be able to apply for an authorize.net merchant account?

Yes. You will.

1) Incorporate
2) Get an EIN
3) Get a Mailling Address (Not PO Box)

You will be able to apply for an authorize.net account & for a business bank account (in a number of banks, including the major new ones).

And what are the chances to get approved for the merchant account using incorporated company?

I think probability to get the merchant is low or maybe I am wrong?

Chances are very high.

If you get incorporated, us mailing address & ein chances are very high you can get a merchant account.

And is the company required to have some balance in the bank account?

And is the company required to have some balance in the bank account?

No. It has nothing to do with it. You don't have to have any money on the bank, when Russ from merchantaccounts4less opens accounts for us (we work with merchantaccounts4less maily) for opening accounts and the bank accounts where we send the money are usually new accounts with balance<=$100

Paulo Thanks

Any time :)

I opened my company using Valis & Russ from Merchant Account 4 Less helped with our credit card processing (we use authorize.net + csi) and we forward all our customers to them.

I can recommend both companies, one for opening the corporation and other for the credit card processing.

Paulo,

Yea that's interesting. I am checkint out both of them, to determine the total cost to get the merchant account including getting incorporated

Cheapest :

LLC Incorporation = $375
EIN = $100

Mailing US Addres Not PO Box:

http://www.mailforwarding.biz/rates.asp
$15 (One-Time) + $8.33/month

or

http://www.myus.com
$ 35 (One-Time) + $132 / year

Valis also offers mailing forward service but it's a bit more expensive.

Credit Card Processing for authorize.net:
http://www.merchantaccounts4less.com/products/internet/authorizenet.asp

$230 setup
Monthly Gateway: $15
Per Transaction: $0.10

With LLC + EIN + US Mailing Address you can open an account with HSBC, Wells Fargo & Bank of America (All of them for free without anyone's involvment. I've done it several times). Valis is opening accounts at e-trade for a fee (I have David's emails in my inbox but haven't looked at their prices yet).

These are to get you started, besides this you can count on these fees:

1) Mailing Fwd fees to your home from your post office
2) Registered Agent - Paid Yearly = $100/year
3) Delaware State Fees = $246/year

Besides this if you want, you can add support service from India for a low fee or you can get a voip phone + fax for us tool free numbers.

just a question!

I can use an EIN as an SSN?

To get US credit card and all that

joephill,

An EIN is the corporate equivalent of a SSN. But claiming that your company's EIN is your ITIN or your SSN would be illegal.

Another factor to consider: Virtually all, if not absolutely all, credit cards issued in the USA require you to be a US resident.

Finally: EINs have a distinct formulaic value that differs from SSNs, so anyone that actually checks these things (probably most banks, if not all) would know that it wasn't your SSN just by glancing at it.

As David said EIN are for companies where

SSN = Individuals (US citizens)

ITIN is pretty much the same as SSN but for foreing citizens.

Nevertheless, from my experience, sometimes ITIN doesn't work where we need to input SSN, usually works but I've seen it working. I called the IRS and they specifically say that ITIN is the equivalent to IRS and it must work on every option where SSN is requested but that's not true. For example ITIN doesn't work in PayPal's Payments Pro where they ask for SSN

Now regarding the credit card thing, David has a point it's dificult but it can be done, you can get a credit card, the way to do it is simple. Both Wells Fargo & HSBC recomend this:

After opening the bank account (either Wells Fargo, HSBC or Bank of America) each bank has an option for building a credit card report or something like that. You will need to enroll in that program (with your bank) and they will start reporing your credit to several institutions that do credit card reporting. They will send a statement each month to the credit card reporting companies with the statements of your bank, money used, etc... and if you had any problems with payments, etc...

After a couple of YEARS, HSBC tells me usually 2 once your credit card report turns out ok, you will be able to apply for a credit card (REAL credit card) and based on those reports they will give you an top balance, ex: $1,000 of credit.

Paulo, perhaps you ignore the difficulty that openning a US bank account for a US business that owned by non-US person...

That would be prefect if there's a bank that does not require me to go to the US to open an account for my LLC, I really hope there's a real solution, what I mean is that I will get a checking & saving account(optional, anyway), with debit card that support US address verification, online wire transfer ... for these, even large initial deposit required / higher monthly fee / agent openning service charge.. all are acceptable to me.

Originally posted by Paulo
Cheapest :

LLC Incorporation = $375
EIN = $100

Mailing US Addres Not PO Box:

http://www.mailforwarding.biz/rates.asp
$15 (One-Time) + $8.33/month

or

http://www.myus.com
$ 35 (One-Time) + $132 / year

Valis also offers mailing forward service but it's a bit more expensive.

Credit Card Processing for authorize.net:
http://www.merchantaccounts4less.com/products/internet/authorizenet.asp

$230 setup
Monthly Gateway: $15
Per Transaction: $0.10

With LLC + EIN + US Mailing Address you can open an account with HSBC, Wells Fargo & Bank of America (All of them for free without anyone's involvment. I've done it several times). Valis is opening accounts at e-trade for a fee (I have David's emails in my inbox but haven't looked at their prices yet).

These are to get you started, besides this you can count on these fees:

1) Mailing Fwd fees to your home from your post office
2) Registered Agent - Paid Yearly = $100/year
3) Delaware State Fees = $246/year

Besides this if you want, you can add support service from India for a low fee or you can get a voip phone + fax for us tool free numbers.

Paulo,

Your information was really helpful. Thank you very much. Just one more thing. Is it necessary to pay the following fees?

2) Registered Agent - Paid Yearly = $100/year
3) Delaware State Fees = $246/year

I presume the State fees would be obligatory but what about Registered Agent one?

Paulo, perhaps you ignore the difficulty that openning a US bank account for a US business that owned by non-US person

I didn't found that at all. All the 3 banks I opened accounts, they where very friendly, explained everything and I opened them very quickly.

Is it necessary to pay the following fees?

2) Registered Agent - Paid Yearly = $100/year
3) Delaware State Fees = $246/year

I presume the State fees would be obligatory but what about Registered Agent one?

I am not 100% sure about the Registered Agent :) I think that everyt time I pay :) but I haven't looked at it. I am betting it's necessary thought.

Originally posted by Paulo
I didn't found that at all. All the 3 banks I opened accounts, they where very friendly, explained everything and I opened them very quickly.


:( I asked them millions times, they just repeated "You must come to one of our bank centers"(BOA), "for our records we ask the owner(s) of
the business to provide individual Tax Identification Number(s) issued by the
Social Security Administration, usually a Social Security Number, so we can
verify that credit has been established in the United States" (WF)... But I did not contact HSBC regarding business account yet.

I am not sure the is WF talking about the SSN or ITIN.. if ITIN, how to obtain it? I checked the IRS website that it says I must have a tax return documents or something like that accompany with ITIN request form...

Paulo, I appreciate if you can share the experience in detail on openning account with these 3 banks...(without going to the US). Thanks.

ITIN

1) Download W7 form from IRS
2) Fill the W7 form, make sure you filled it correctly
3) Go to the US Embassy in your country and have then autenticate your National ID card and/or Passport - THIS IS A MUST. IRS WILL NOT ACCEPT ANYTHING ELSE.
4) After about 3 months you will get the ITIN

Here is mine: http://www.bug-mall.org/itin.jpg

You will get a paper something like this.

I've done this for a couple of local folks and I find that sometimes IRS sends some papers over to you with a reason why it was rejected, just fill the reuqests again and you are in. If we scan the ITIN it will look exactly like this and the VOID VOID VOID strings will show up.

A side notice, even without ITIN you can get a bank account in Wells Fargo, HSBC & Bank of America, problem is they will not give you Internet Home Banking if you don't have ITIN. So make sure you have ITIN if you want Internet Home Banking.

You don't have to file for taxes at all (At least I don't nor people in europe or people that live in countries where US has Tax Treaty. For example, I live in Portugal and Portugal has a Tax Treaty with US, thus I don't have to file anything in US but rather here in Portugal. If US doesn't have a Tax Treaty with your country YOU WILL HAVE to file for Tax income) but all EU countries, Australia, New Zeland, etc... have tax treaties so you don't have to file for tax return if you live in those countries.

Again, ITIN is not a must but if you want Internet Home Banking you have to get it.

I got several emails telling it is impossible to get bank accounts.

Here is the prof:

http://www.bug-mall.org/wells-fargo-void-check.jpg
http://www.bug-mall.org/hsbc-voided-check.jpg

I will post bank of america checks later on cause I don't have them here at the office.

Paulo, Thanks your info on ITIN.

Do they (banks) accept US Business Application as well? I noticed that weeks ago you have a post about HSBC Business app in WHT, can you please let me know the out come of the app. Thanks.

Yes. I have a Business Account with HSBC for my LLC corporation.

The application went fine. Besides my Personal HSBC bank account I also have a Real Business Account with HSBC.

Congratz Paulo! It is realy awesome that could get those accouts open!
If you have a spare minute, would you be so kind to explain step by step "for dummies" how you application went for example with HSBC ? I think there are many ppl that would apprecite very much if you could.
I mean, did you done everything on the phone ? besides the paperwork and Embassy stuff. Or some kind of online application. If you dealt with HSBC only of the phone please post the number, because they got couple of numbers on the site and those i tryed didnt helped much, ppl either had no clue about dealing with international customers or not willing to help at all.
Also did you first opened personal or business account at HSBC?
What is the next step after a person interested in an US checking got following stuff done:
- Incorporated an LLC
- got an EIN
- US mailing address
- ITIN

Thanks in advance!

I first got the personal accounts and then went for the business account ones. Once I knew Mt. Morris Savings & Loans was closing and the same thing happended with The bancorp I decided to try it on my own. It took me about 2 months to open 3 personal bank accounts and 1 business account. All this after we got a warning from Mt. Morris Savings & Loands saying they where going to close down the accounts.

For the business account the bank also required a document called "Good Standing" or something can't recall the name right now but I asked David to get it and he did. It's like a paper from the Secretary of State of Delaware telling that your company has no debts and paid all the bills.

I am going to post what I did later on today or monday moring a step by step of what I did.

I am going to post what I did later on today or monday moring a step by step of what I did.Rest assured that someone is waiting for that update... (me). You posted great info in this thread Paulo! :)

I am going to post what I did later on today or monday moring a step by step of what I did.

Please don't forget to post :)

On this page:
http://www2.valisinternational.com/?pg=inc
I am seeing this:
"You may also have to file a federal corporate income tax return (though you probably won't have to pay anything), we can recommend an accountant if you like."

On this page:
http://www.thedelawarecompany.com/_WhyDelaware
I am seeing this:
"A Delaware LLC is tax-free, except for a $200 annual franchise tax."

So any commentys on both above statements. So why valis saying that I have to file but no need to pay and delaware taking $200.00?

ANOTHER QUESTION:
http://www.thedelawarecompany.com/_WhyDelaware
"Incorporate in Delaware from anywhere in the world for PROTECTION FROM LAWSUITS"
Is the above available with Valis?

What is "Certified Copy of Certificate of Incorporation ."? It seems I can get it from Valis, but not from thedelawarecompany?


Anybody can throw some light?

>On this page:http://www2.valisinternational.com/?pg=inc
>I am seeing this:"You may also have to file a federal corporate
>income tax return (though you probably won't have to pay
>anything), we can recommend an accountant if you like."
If you will have EIN, you would need to file annual report for federal taxes and maybe pay some taxes or not.

>On this page:http://www.thedelawarecompany.com/_WhyDelaware
>I am seeing this:"A Delaware LLC is tax-free, except for a $200
>annual franchise tax."
This is true about taxes in state of Delaware and not federal taxes. In Delaware you do not pay any other taxes beside franchise tax if you do not have business license in Delaware.


>ANOTHER QUESTION:
>http://www.thedelawarecompany.com/_WhyDelaware
>"Incorporate in Delaware from anywhere in the world for
>PROTECTION FROM LAWSUITS"Is the above available with Valis?
This is for all Delaware companies no mater with which provider you form them.

>What is "Certified Copy of Certificate of Incorporation ."? It
>seems I can get it from Valis, but not from thedelawarecompany?
It depend what you are planning to do with company, where you would like to open the bank account. You might need or not it.

Is EIN same as ITIN?

What are the documents needed to apply for a HSBC business account?

paulo did you registered on bank accounts with an EIN and ITIN (both) or just ITIN
I already have my corporate EIN sine i have a company but dont have an ITIN.

Well i would recommend you to buy an already registered company ! They cost something like 3.5k+ but also have a Bank Account + Merchant Account.


Is there a good website where I can research the company want to be sold and its number of years in business? I looked at the BizBuyandSell but every company was around 100k$ in software category.

Wow, so many threads about getting an US checking account still !!!
These are the ways of getting an US checking account if you dont want to travel in the USA.
1. The best way if you can travel to a branch which does have US branches also. There are alot of very big banks with branches around the world including USA.
Like Citibank, ING Barrings, HSBC, Alpha Bank there are many... The procedure is simple. They do mail you the account opening kit, you complete it, sign it and then go with all these papers and with your passport, ID etc to your local branch of the US bank you want your account opened in. This procedure basically does same thing as going to the USA in person. You can easy get interest checking acount even. While a bank worker from you local branch does confirm your identity and certify the papers you get the same account like you would get goin to the US in person. Its very simple really, dont look for middlemans who turn out to be crocks, do it youself. I suggest HSBC as it seamed fastest and easyest to be just call them: +1-716-841-7542, explain where are you located and that you need an checking (personal/business) account opened in the US Branch of HSBC. A friendly person will ask you for your name/address/phone/email and thats all u gotta wait for the package with papers to come. You dont need US address, they will mail you the kit even if you live on the north pole.
2. If you can not travel to a bank wich got branches in the USA but you have an US ambassy near, then there ara couple of banks that would open you an checking account if the ambassy worker does confirm your identity. I did not tryed this way because i didnt had to. So i dont know banks which would work this way but i did called my local US ambassy and they said that they can do that, they did that couple of times in the past.

So! Find a BIG Worldwide bank wich does have branches in your country as well as in the USA and call them, dont write emails, just call!

This is the hot topic!

damn, this thread has really clearified a lot of things :) Great job guys, appreciate all the great feedback!

OK, so what about a summary of the entire thread? I am sure many of us would be interested to get a clear view. In my opinion, there are a few important points:
1. Registering LLC or Corporation in Delaware.
2. Once registered, steps and costs of getting a US bank account that has online banking facilities.
3. Once you have a bank account, steps and costs of getting a merchant account.
4. Required (and optional) yearly expenses with your Delaware company once everything is settled.

Paulo, can you summarize this for us? Thank you in advance.

It does not always make sense for a foreign company to register in Delaware, as it is often cheaper and easier to register in another of the 50 states. The problem with the online registration companies is that they do not give out any real advice on the best state for you or even the best type of entity. All of this can vary depending on your individual situation. If your situation is anything other than cookie-cutter (and nearly all situations have their unique characteristics, particularly when we are talking about an international internet company, you should be going to an international law firm experienced in dealing with internet merchants. You will have to pay thousands of dollars more for this, but in the end you will likely save tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. An attorney will also be able to work with you in getting a bank account because he or she will have local bank contacts.

Thank you very much for the loads of additional information posted on this website everyone.

It does not always make sense for a foreign company to register in Delaware, as it is often cheaper and easier to register in another of the 50 states.

This statement caught my eye -- I would be interested to know what states do you feel are better for registrations?

If you read all of his post it states that different states are better for different situations.

Nevada has some of the same tax benefits of Delaware. I know Minnesota is a 1-time $125 fee to register and no annual fees.

If you read all of his post it states that different states are better for different situations.



Thanks - I did read that. I've re-worded by response:


This statement caught my eye -- I would be interested to know what states do you feel are better for registrations and under what circumstances or situations do you suggest these particular states?

I ask because I am curious as to the range of suggested states other than the common -- and the influence states with state income tax has on your suggestion.

Thank you

valis will cost around 800 for complete business package but there mailing option doesn't sounds good.

i find legalzoom.com to be quite helpful...and I did use legalzoom to take care of a couple of legal documents :)

what about thedelawarecompany service for opening usa bank account ? maybe someone used this service ? Its real bank account or its just opening account on etrade ?


U.S. Bank Account Package $1500.00

This service is primarily for non-U.S. citizens who wish to open a business checking account in the U.S. for their corporation or LLC. You are assigned a U.S. attorney who acts as secretary of your corporation or LLC, with responsibilities limited to establishing a business presence and facilitating the opening of a corporate bank account on your company’s behalf.

more info:
http://www.thedelawarecompany.com/_Business+Presence+FAQ.html

what about thedelawarecompany service for opening usa bank account ? maybe someone used this service ? Its real bank account or its just opening account on etrade ?


U.S. Bank Account Package $1500.00

This service is primarily for non-U.S. citizens who wish to open a business checking account in the U.S. for their corporation or LLC. You are assigned a U.S. attorney who acts as secretary of your corporation or LLC, with responsibilities limited to establishing a business presence and facilitating the opening of a corporate bank account on your company’s behalf.

more info:
http://www.thedelawarecompany.com/_Business+Presence+FAQ.html
they closed this service :/

Hi
I found
https://www.instacorp.com/index.cfm

they have a package for $9 what is that.

how do i open an bank account should i do it online or do i have to send the forms via mail.

one more question, when u register a company you have to send accounting formation to the company house in the end of each year, do we have to do this as well

I got my LLC from bizfilings.com 5 month ago, ~400$ with tax ID and 2 days service, no problem at all, I don't have green card and opened US bank account

hey how did u open a bank account, please let me know which bank, how did u open it did u open it online or sent the forms via mail ?

or did u go to USA and walk in to a branch ?

it's bank of america, just walked in to the branch

eodessa,

so you are in the U.S. ?

do you have internet banking facility ?

what about tax? If you got your ITIN or EIN from IRS, you will need to file and pay tax. How do you US bank guys handled this?

I have Tax Id as well, im stepping into opening a bank now. Good question that concorde made, does someone know tax issues regarding international or no us citizens?

what if i cant fly into us so easily? i need the way to open bank account by phone conversation or other ways. :/

Although the top 2 states in the US for foreigners to register their businesses are Nevada and Delaware, it's not always the logical choice to. If you do business in other states you're subjected to that state's tax etc. Can be very expensive at the end of the day. You do get a good amount of legal protection though by being registered in these 2 states with regards to corporate veil and anonymity etc. Be careful of which agents you use to incorporate, imo best way is to hire a lawyer to do it for you.

And for banks I believe you can pay for an agent to open a bank account for you. Banks in the US tend not to favour clients with no visa to remain in the US unless of course you're a HNI and want to bank with them. FYI it may not be in your favour to start a bank in the US, it's a bit sketchy whether or not having a bank creates a nexus for your business in the US.

Taxes: Depending on what you incorporate as, different taxes apply. I believe for a LLP or LLC, as long as (for aliens) you're not living in the US, you don't need to pay US taxes, unless you generate income from the US. You still need to pay state fees and taxes but not taxes on your profits from outside of the US.

US Tax Guide for Aliens: Chapter 2, page 11:
"A nonresident alien usually is subject to U.S. income tax only on U.S. source income."

Whether or not you declare it in your income tax statements in your home country, that really depends on your choice. It is technically illegal in your home country not to declare it of course.

Hope that helped!

Ok, how will IRS now you tell the truth. What happens if i have mix incomes. Some % from the US and the rest from Outside. Its logic not pay taxes if the incomes are not from the US since you are not having any benefits from the US. Also you are taking money inside the US not taking.
If i have a merchant for example, and i make 70% from orders outside the US. and the rest from orders inside the US. All money goes to the same account. How will the IRS now if you are making a correct report, and they will not just tax all incomes as US income?
As for banks accounts questions. If you dont live the US, you dont need to fly in, you can pay a service wich i think costs 500$ plus the account money or go to your Us Consulate have your Passport Verified, and see wich bank accepts just to send the documents. The best way is just to go to a local branch like Citibank or other in your country and open a US account with them.

Well that's why there are accountants! But legally you have to declare your income from the US. Local citibank branches will not open a US account you from where you are, they will open a USD Forex Account but not an american based bank account. It is fairly unusual for a bank overseas to open a bank account in another country other than the one they're based in because they're usually considered as separate entities.

Well im opening my bank account on the HSBC in Florida. I just received a call and they need 2 or 3 more papers to finish. I did all over the phone, and trough my local branch.

ok. but what if i'm from rusia and i go into local UK HSBC branch with all papers and i will ask for USA bussines account for my usa company ? it could work ?

...but these accounts...do they have fees and a minimum balance??? Are there bank accounts that have no fees and no minimum balance and offer online banking and a VISA card???

Yes codex, but first yuou should talk via phone with the US local brach of the HSBC, and they will send you the papers, after that you will need to go a local branch and they will ask you some more papers, the local branch then gets in contact with the US branch.
Ricky321
A bank account with no fees, that sounds like heaven. All banks have fees, and there are free account with no limits, on the US, but i don think you can apply for them so easy. You do have to maintain a limit, if the bank is not going to make money with you then they will not open the bank account for you. If you plan to deposit 100$ on a HSBC account forget it. Just like the citibank they dont want small customers even if on the websites you see account for small business, its just marketing. If you want one of those free account, or 0 limits, then yes you have to open it on a small US bank and they will NOT accept you like big banks if you live outside us. You will have to flight in. Also remember, if you cant apply for US Visa, or you dont have one, or you think you dont apply or you will not even get a tourist US Visa, then forget it also.You must have a US Visa, or at least be able to fit all requirements for a tourist one. I dont say you have to get one for bank account, but if you cannot even enter the US for vacations, then you will also dont be able to have a US bank account. Its logic.

If I make an US LLC, haw about accounting? I must fill the necessary papers. I have no ideea of US accounting. Haw much does cost an US accounting firm? What papers/forms do i have to maintain and report to US Gov?

Hello
I am going to tell you my experience, opening a business account for a non US is just a mirage. unless you go there.
If u go search on ebay on google for US Bank account for Non residents, you will get lot of results. I have tested them, what they do is give you forms to open a brokerage account with etrade. It’s not a real bank account. It’s not worth. Do not be fooled like me :uzi:

The next thing I did was I went to my local HSBC branch and told them I need an account in USA. They managed to open an account for me in less than 1 week.

But it’s a personal account not a business account. You can’t use personal checking account to get a merchant account you need a business account.

there are ways you can use a merchant account with a personal account, but the name on the card statement will be ur name, not the business name.

I spoke to a person in HSBC USA, she said if I register a business in US and if I have even a mail forwarding US address they will open a business account for me.
But I have to walk in to the branch with a letter from company directors stating that they want a company account opened.


How to get a merchant account :usflag:


1.) Register a business in Delaware ( you do not have to pay any tax)
Make sure you register a single-member LLC if you don't want to have to file US tax returns every year.

2.) Get a US address forwarding service

3.)Get an EIN. You can use this as a SSN when you apply for a merchant account, any business in US can get a EIN for a fee.

4.) Then open a US business bank account

5.) Apply for an account, use all the US information when u apply, it's better you have a VOIP US number as well.:banana:

Thank you all for the very helpfull information.
One more question:
After completing all the steps what reports does a non us have to file for the IRS?
Does a single-member LLC have to have a cpa or Bookkeeping by law?
Does anyone one know of cheap tax consulting for this matters?
Thanks