How to Use Stripe For Payments As A Non US Resident [2024] (2024)

In this post, I’ll shed more light on how to use stripe to process payments as a non US resident for your online business.

I’ll assume you offer services online or have an e-commerce/dropshipping store or you simply need Stripe to receive payment on your business website.

Whichever it may be, Stripe is still by far the #1 payment processor you can use to process payments on your website across the Globe.

Using stripe allows you to easily accept payment on your website via credit card without transferring your customers to another website.

The payment processor is embedded on your website which makes it invariably quick, easy and flexible for your customers to make payments.

It doesn’t matter what country your customer is paying from, your price in dollars is charged on your customer’s credit card and remitted to your stripe account immediately.

We all know how important it is to receive your hard-earned profits after you must have invested your time and funds in the business.

And using Stripe makes this easier and reliable! Even better than PayPal.

However, the bad news we already know is that Stripe is only available for residents in the US and a number of other countries. While others are left to their fate.

Let’s quickly have a look at the list of countries stripe is not supported.

Countries Stripe is not supported

• Pakistan
• Russia
• Vietnam
• Nigeria
• Ghana
• Kenya
• Philippines (Limited)
• India (Limited)
• Croatia (Limited)
• Gibraltar (Limited)
• Indonesia (Limited)
• Liechtenstein (Limited)
• Bangladesh
• Turkey
• Thailand
• South Africa
• Uganda
• Ethiopia
• Greenland
• Grenada
• Guadeloupe
• Guam
• Guatemala
• Guernsey
• Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Guyana
• Haiti
• Heard & McDonald Islands,
• Honduras
• Iceland
• And few others…

What if your country is outside Stripe availability by default, is all hope gone? Nah!

This now brings us to the good news that you can still use Stripe legally even if your country is not part of the supported country.

How can you achieve this?

All you need to do is register a business in the US and use this information to set up your Stripe account legally.

And this is exactly what I’ll be doing justice to in a bit…

How to Set Up Stripe Account for Non-US Resident or Non-Supported Countries

For you to set up a Stripe account legally without any future issue as a non US resident you’ll need the following:

• US Business Formation (LLC)
• EIN (Employer Identification Number) or Tax ID
• US Physical Address
• A US Phone Number
• Finally, US Bank Account

Okay. Before you get overwhelmed, everything can be set up within a few days and equally at a relatively low price.

The most important of all is creating a Limited Liability Company (LLC) in the US in other for you to get your Tax ID (EIN).

Once you’ve gotten your EIN or Tax ID, you can then proceed to create your Stripe account.

Below is a message from Stripe confirming the validity of setting up a stripe account as a non US resident.

If you’re a non-US citizen and have a US based business with an EIN you would be able to open a Stripe account. When we request the last four digits of your SSN, you can just enter ‘8888’ please ensure that you enter a valid tax ID (EIN) that has been provided for your business. We will then reach out at a later stage and request either a passport or government issued ID to verify your identity.

If you don’t have a SSN/ITIN, you are only able to register as an LLC Corporation, Non-Profit or Partnership. If you sign up as a sole Prop/Individual, we require a valid SSN/ITIN even if you have a valid EIN

See Also

From Zero to Stripe: A Non-US Resident's Journey to Accepting Online Payments with StripeDocumentation needed to verify a bank account : Stripe: Help & SupportGetting started with Stripe: create or connect an account : Stripe: Help & SupportStripe Capital eligibility

So basically, as a non-resident you can create an account with Stripe so far you have a business entity in the US and a valid EIN number.

Luckily for you, you don’t have to pay for the business formation, however, you do need to pay for state filing and tax ID.

Setting Up an LLC for Your Business in The US

One of the perks of having your business set up in the US isn’t limited to Stripe usage. You can have several similar businesses under the registered business.

Also important is the fact that you don’t have to have a Social Security Number (SNN) to have your business set up in the US.

You just need to choose a NAME for your business and decide on the state you want it to be registered in the US.

However, you need to be careful about which state you decide to set up your business entity. This is because some states charge high state filing (Business Registration) and as well as annual business tax.

But I do find;

• Colorado
• New Mexico

to be quite affordable.

Colorado charges a $10 annual Tax fee and $50 state filing, while New Mexico charges a $50 state filing and $0 annual Tax fee.

At least at the time of writing this article. You could also do further research on that if you want.

The state annual tax is a tax you pay on your business at the end of every year. So, they vary based on the state you choose to set up your business.

States like California and Hawaii should definitely be out of your pick because they are freaking high on tax.

But not to worry, the sole purpose of this post is to show you how to get it done as easily as possible and at the cheapest fee.

I’m equally not based in the US, but I have my business set up in the US, so I can equally use Stripe to process payments as a non-US resident.

I was able to do this using Northwest Registered Agent and New Mexico as my business state because they’re relatively cheap.

The good news is I’ve been able to partner with them because I know many people will need this service, and I want them to have it at the best place.

Plus, there are various services out there charging as high as 500 – $1000 for this same purpose. A good example is Stripe Atlas. But at the end of this post, I’ll show you how you can get it done for less than $290.

Coming from someone who’s also living in a Country where Stripe is not enabled, I know how beneficial it can be for your online business.

Most especially my blog readers!

How to Form Your Business LLC in the US Using Northwest Registered Agent

In other to be able to use Stripe in Nigeria to process payment as a non-US resident you do have to form a business entity in the US using Northwest Registered Agent.

Northwest Registered Agent offers online business incorporation services, as well as additional business services such as record books, operating agreements, federal tax identification numbers, etc.

I did intensive research before finally picking Northwest Registered Agent for my business LLC formation in the US. Their service was on point, and I was moved to partner with them to share with you guys.

Going through their reviews on Google reviews should show you exactly what I’m talking about; they are simply the best out there.

Now let’s proceed to form your LLC at Northwest Registered Agent:

Setting up your LLC with Northwest Registered Agent is really straightforward; I’ve broken it down into the step-by-step guide below.

All you need do is follow the steps, and your LCC and Tax ID will be set up.

Step 1. Head Over to Northwest Registered Agent

First, you need to head to Northwest Registered Agent to get started. Upon getting to the web page, click on the “Let’s Get You Started” button…

The next page is your business entity type and the state you want to form the LLC.

===>>> Get Started with Northwest Registered Agent

Step 2. Choose Your Business Entity and State

Simply choose LLC (Limited Liability Company) from the drop-down menu and choose your state. You can go with New Mexico because of the low cost and the free annual tax fee.

The business formation fee itself is $39, and the state fee for New Mexico is $50 as you can see from the image above.

You can also see the option of spending it up below the state. The opt 6 days, 4 days, and 2 days processing for your business formation.

After that, click on “Continue”

Step 3. Enter Your Companies Information

As I said earlier, you’ll need to pick a name for your business and a search will be carried out on it to check if it’s still available.

Your business name will be created immediately upon state approval if it’s available. However, in the case where your proposed business name is not available, you’ll need to adjust the name or find another one.

But it’s not going to cost you any additional fee!

What you need to do here is enter your proposed business name, A good example is Smartbizfreedom LLC and also write a short description of the business.

Another good option for using a Northwest registered agent is the fact that you don’t have to bother about a US address for your company.

Northwest registered agent gives you the option to use their address as your business address. Some other agents require you to rent a virtual address for this.

But with Northwest Registered Agent, it won’t cost you extra money. For the mailing, you could also use them only if you don’t have a mailing address option.

If you want your physical documents, add a US mailing address for this option.

Step 3. Enter Management For Your Company

The next step is about the business owner. At this stage, you’ll need to if the business is member-managed or manager-managed.

Next, tick the “Omit Members/Manager with the state, which will keep your business details private from the state you’re forming it. After that, indicate how many members will be in the company.

Since it’s a single-man business, you can leave it at one member and then enter your name as you can see mine from the image above.

Step 4: Create an Account with Northwest Registered Agent

At this stage, you need to create an account with Northwest registered agent so you can manage your business from their dashboard.

As you can see from the image above, enter your email address and create a password for logging in to your Northwest registered agent account.

After that, click the continue button.

The next thing you want to do is enter your contact details, which will be your contact details for Northwest Registered Agent.

So make sure it is your original details and the country you’re living in.

Step 5: Getting Your Tax ID (EIN)

Northwest registered agents will get your EIN or Tax ID for just $200 if you don’t have an SSN or you’re a foreign entity, which is relatively cheap compared to other services out there that may look cheap but have hidden charges.

Northwest is 100% transparent about all the money you’ll be paying.

So you’ll only pick the Tax ID here; other things are additional upsell. For the phone service, I did a video on how to get one at an affordable price.

Step 6. Pay and Checkout

The last thing left here is to enter your card details, make the payment for your business registration, and get your EIN as soon as possible.

===>>> Get Started with Northwest Registered Agent

Opening Your Stripe Account to Process Payments As A Non-US Resident

You can watch the above video and see how you can set up your Stripe account.

Once your business LLC is registered, your business will equally receive a tax ID or EIN. Which is part of what we need to create your Stripe account.

To create your Stripe account, head over to Stripe.com and create your account. Enter your email address and full name.

After the registration, you’ll need to activate it by filling an account application. In the application, you’ll need to enter your US company details, EIN, your personal details, and a digital copy of your government-issued ID.

Once everything is done correctly you should be approved in a few days.

After this, you can now successfully use stripe to process payments on your website. All your funds will be remitted to your US bank account.

Which brings us to how to create a US bank account to cash your Stripe payments!

Opening a US Bank Account with Payoneer

This is very much easy since we have Payoneer for that. All you need to do is register with Payoneer.com, connect with Global payment service and you’ll be able to get your virtual US bank account.

Once this is done, you can now have your funds move to Payoneer and cash it in your local currencies. It’s as easy as that.

However, you need to access your Stripe account to do this. From your account, you can proceed to the payout sections and add your Payoneer account number and that’s it, you’re all set up.

You are now a proud owner of a business in the US plus you can also process payments with stripe. Isn’t that cool?

Conclusion

With the above formation, you can now receive payment twice as you used to. If you have a PayPal business account this will also be an addition to it.

Your business is also fully legalized in the US in a real place and real state. I hope you find this very helpful.

That’s it on how to use Stripe to process payments as a non-US resident. What are your thoughts on this? Let me know them using the comment box!

Get started with Northwest Registered Agent

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