For many founders outside the US, Stripe is the reason to form a US LLC in the first place. Stripe is not available in every country, and a US company is one way to accept cards from customers around the world. It is also the step where founders most often get stuck, because Stripe runs its own checks after the company exists.
So let us be clear from the start: Stripe decides who it accepts, not your formation provider and not us. What you can do is meet each requirement Stripe publishes before you apply. This guide lists them, using Stripe’s own help pages, and shows where foreign owners usually need to prepare more.
What Stripe asks of every US account
Stripe’s help center lists these requirements for a US account (Stripe, Requirements for having a US Stripe account, checked October 2026):
- A registered business must be registered in the US, even if it operates in another country. Your Wyoming or Delaware LLC meets this.
- Every business must give the address of the physical location where most of its business activity is carried out. P.O. boxes are not accepted.
- Stripe verifies the legal entity name, entity type, EIN, SSN or ITIN, and business address, and may ask for official documents.
Stripe’s page for opening an account outside your home country adds more items you need in that country: a tax ID, a physical location where you can receive mail (not a P.O. box), a phone number, a government-issued ID from any country, a working website that shows what you sell, and a physical bank account there, which cannot be a virtual bank account (Stripe, Requirements to open a Stripe account in another country, checked October 2026).
Requirement by requirement, for a foreign owner
| Stripe asks for | What you use | Where founders get stuck |
|---|---|---|
| US-registered business | Your Wyoming or Delaware LLC | Rarely a problem |
| Tax ID | The LLC’s EIN | Name on Stripe must match the IRS letter exactly |
| Physical business address | Where the business actually operates | Registered agent and mailbox addresses |
| Representative ID | Your passport | Expired ID, blurry photos |
| SSN or ITIN | Depends on the account and representative | Founders without either |
| Working website | Your real site with products, prices and policies | “Coming soon” pages, no refund or contact policy |
| US bank account (not virtual) | A US business checking account in the LLC’s name | Accounts Stripe sees as virtual |
The EIN must match the IRS letter
Stripe checks your EIN against IRS records. The legal name you type must match the name on your EIN letter, character for character. If Stripe cannot verify it, it may ask for the IRS confirmation letter: the CP 575 you received when the EIN was issued, or a Letter 147C. Our EIN verification letter guide explains how to get one from abroad.
The address is the hardest part
Stripe asks for the physical location of your business activity. A registered agent’s address is where the state sends legal notices, not where your business operates. Stripe also says that since July 1, 2025, its Issuing, Treasury and Opal products require a physical presence in the US and do not accept registered agent, mailbox or virtual addresses. Accounts with those addresses can still use Stripe for payment processing (Stripe, Physical presence requirement FAQ, checked October 2026).
In practice, give Stripe an address you can prove and that honestly describes where the business runs. Our guide to which address your LLC needs explains the difference between each type and what each provider accepts.
The website is part of the review
Stripe reviews what you sell. Before you apply, make sure your site shows:
- What the product or service is, with prices.
- A contact email and the company’s legal name, for example “Northline Studio LLC”.
- A refund or cancellation policy and terms of service.
- Nothing on Stripe’s list of restricted or prohibited businesses.
Order of steps that usually works
- Form the LLC and wait for the state’s approval.
- Get the EIN and keep the IRS letter safe.
- Open a US business bank account in the LLC’s name. Stripe needs it for payouts.
- Publish your website with policies and real product information.
- Apply to Stripe with the LLC’s exact legal name, the EIN, your passport and a physical address you can document.
- Answer verification requests quickly with clear photos or PDFs of the original documents.
Applying before the bank account, the website or the EIN letter is ready is the most common reason for a slow or failed review.
If Stripe rejects or closes the account
Rejections happen even when the paperwork is in order. Stripe’s risk review looks at the business model, country links and payment patterns, and it does not always explain its decision.
- Read the email carefully. It often names the missing item: address, identity, website, or business type.
- Fix the specific item and reply through the dashboard, with documents that match what you entered.
- Have a second option ready. Other payment processors and merchant-of-record platforms run their own checks. Compare their published requirements before you need them.
Stripe Atlas vs forming your own LLC
Stripe Atlas forms a Delaware company and connects it to Stripe. Stripe’s Physical presence requirement FAQ notes that Atlas companies still need a real physical US address, not the Atlas registered agent, to use products like Issuing and Treasury. Forming through Atlas does not skip Stripe’s checks. A Wyoming or Delaware LLC formed elsewhere goes through the same review.
FAQ
Can a non-resident open a US Stripe account?
Stripe’s US requirements do not say the owner must live in the US for a registered business. The business must be registered in the US, have a physical business address, an EIN and a US bank account, and pass Stripe’s verification. Each case is decided by Stripe.
Does a US LLC guarantee Stripe approval?
No. An LLC meets one requirement out of several. Stripe makes its own decision, and no formation service can promise it.
Can I use my registered agent’s address for Stripe?
Stripe asks for the address where most business activity happens. A registered agent address is not that, and for some Stripe products it is explicitly not accepted.
Do I need an ITIN for Stripe?
Stripe lists SSN or ITIN among the details it verifies. Whether it asks for one depends on the account and the representative. Our ITIN guide explains who can apply for an ITIN and why.
We form your LLC, apply for the EIN without an SSN and act as your registered agent, so your company documents are ready for Stripe’s checks. Stripe and banks make their own approval decisions. Our Banking and payments page shows the documents and order that work best for a foreign-owned LLC, and Company Formation shows what each plan includes.
