How to open a US business bank account from abroad

What are the two routes?

Most guides on this topic start by telling you to form a US company. That is one route, and for some businesses it is the right one. The other route is to keep the company you already have and get USD account details for it, so US clients can pay you by ACH or wire.

Route A: how do you open an account for a non-resident LLC?

1. 1Form the LLC in one stateYou file formation documents with the US state you choose, and that state's law sets the ongoing rules. Delaware's LLC Act, for example, says every LLC must have and maintain a registered office and a registered agent in Delaware.
2. 2Get an EIN from the IRSThe IRS says you never have to pay a fee for an EIN. If your principal place of business is outside the US, you can't use the online application. You send Form SS-4 by fax or mail, or call the IRS international line at 267-941-1099 (not toll-free).
3. 3Apply to a bank or fintechSend your formation documents, the IRS letter confirming your EIN and each owner's passport. Every provider sets its own list of owner countries and industries it accepts, so check that list before you apply.
4. 4Keep up the yearly filingsThe IRS instructions for Form 5472 say a foreign-owned US disregarded entity, such as a single-member LLC owned by one non-US person, must file a pro forma Form 1120 with Form 5472 attached. Check your state's annual report and fee rules too.

Older guides also tell you to file a beneficial ownership report with FinCEN. FinCEN issued a final rule on 11 August 2026 that keeps US companies exempt from that report. Banks still ask who owns your company when you open the account, under a separate rule covered in the documents section below.

Route A takes more paperwork, and it gives you one thing Route B does not: your LLC is the bank's customer and the account holder. If a marketplace, an investor or a large client insists on a US entity, this is the route that meets the requirement.

Route B: how do you receive USD from US clients as a non-US company?

With Route B you apply as the company you already run, wherever it is registered, such as Mexico, Kenya, the UAE or somewhere else. The provider verifies the company and its owners, then issues USD account details.

Clients pay to those details by ACH or wire. You hold the dollars, convert them, or pay them out to your bank at home. Some countries require foreign income to be brought home within set time limits, so check your central bank's rules; see getting paid by US clients from abroad.

Before you apply anywhere, ask which countries of registration and ownership the provider accepts, who holds the account behind your details and how your money is held while it sits there.

Vezmo offers USD account details for ACH and wire in early access. Vezmo serves businesses registered in the US and many other countries, including freelancers and sole traders working for themselves, and checks which details your business can get when you apply, based on where it is registered and where its owners live.

Clients pay into an account held by Vezmo's regulated partners & Bank, and the money is credited to your Vezmo balance, which belongs to your business. It is not a bank account in your name. Read how money is held.

What documents do you need?

US rules set a floor for what a bank collects. Under the Customer Identification Program rule (31 CFR 1020.220), a bank must get each customer's name, date of birth for a person, address and an ID number.

For a non-US person, that number can be a passport number and country of issuance instead of a US taxpayer number. FinCEN's CDD rule adds that banks must identify anyone who owns 25% or more of a company, plus one person who controls it. Each provider adds its own checks on top.

The IRS instructions for Form W-8BEN-E say foreign persons are subject to US tax at a 30% rate on certain kinds of income from US sources, and that a foreign entity gives the form to the payer before it is paid.

For services, the IRS says the place where the services are performed generally determines the source of the income. If your team does the work outside the US, ask an adviser how that applies before you sign the form.

Should you use a bank or a fintech?

A US bank holds the account directly. A fintech gives you an app and account details, while a partner bank or other regulated firm holds the money. Both run identity checks under the same US rules. The differences show up in four places.

• Who they accept. Banks and fintechs each decide which owner countries and industries they serve. A refusal from one provider does not mean a refusal from all.
• How they verify you. The CIP rule lets a provider verify identity with documents, non-documentary methods or both. Some banks still ask owners to visit a branch. Fintechs typically verify you online.
• What else you get. Banks are more likely to offer loans and credit lines. Fintechs more often add balances in several currencies, conversion and international payouts.
• How money is held. Read the terms. A fintech should state which regulated firm holds your money and on what basis.

Vezmo is a financial technology company, not a bank, and its banking services are provided by regulated partners & Banks. Its global business account is in early access and adds EUR details for SEPA and, for companies outside the UAE mainland, AED details for local transfers.

What do US clients need from you to pay by ACH or wire?

Send these with your first invoice so the client can set you up as a payee.

• Account holder name, exactly as your provider shows it.
• Routing number, the nine-digit ABA number that identifies the receiving institution for ACH and wires.
• Account number and the account type.
• Bank name and address, which many wire forms ask for.
• A tax form if they ask: Form W-9 if your company is a US person for tax purposes. Form W-8BEN-E if it is a foreign entity. Form W-8BEN if you're a foreign individual, such as a sole trader or the foreign owner of a single-member LLC. Ask a tax adviser which applies.
• An invoice with your company's legal name and address, the work done, the amount in USD and the payment terms.

ACH suits regular invoices. A wire suits larger or urgent payments. If a client would rather pay by card, you may be able to send an invoice through VezmoPay that they pay by card, ACH, Apple Pay or Google Pay.

Which payment methods your business can use is confirmed when you apply. Card payments are priced separately (pricing). Your USD account details are free, and receiving ACH and domestic wire (Fedwire) payments to them is free.

Why do applications get refused?

Providers rarely explain a refusal in detail. These are the usual causes, and most can be fixed before you apply.

• Sanctions. OFAC, part of the US Treasury, runs sanctions programs that can be comprehensive or selective. If the company, an owner or a client is linked to a sanctioned country, region or person, US providers are likely to refuse or close the account.
• An unclear business. The provider needs to see what you sell, who pays you and why money comes from the US. A missing website or a vague description of your work can end the review.
• Mismatched documents. A name spelled one way on a passport and another way on the formation documents, or two different addresses across your forms, leads to manual review or refusal.
• Missing owners. Everyone who owns 25% or more has to be named and verified. Leaving out a shareholder can stall or end the application.
• Expired or unreadable files. Expired IDs, cropped photos and an old proof of address get sent back.

Questions

Sources

Each one is the organization’s own page, checked 24 Oct 2026. Rules and fees change, so check them before you act.

• IRS: Instructions for Form SS-4 (12/2025)
• IRS: Get an employer identification number
• IRS: Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)
• IRS: About Form W-8BEN-E
• IRS: Instructions for Form W-8BEN-E (10/2021)
• IRS: Source of income, personal service income
• IRS: Instructions for Form 5472 (12/2024)
• FinCEN: Beneficial ownership information reporting
• FinCEN: Customer due diligence (CDD) final rule
• 31 CFR 1020.220: Customer identification programs for banks (govinfo)
• US Treasury OFAC: Sanctions programs and country information
• Delaware Code, Title 6, Chapter 18 (LLC Act), § 18-104
• American Bankers Association: ABA routing number

Vezmo is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking, stablecoin and card services are provided by regulated partners & Banks. Last reviewed 24 Oct 2026.