How to Use Stripe to Process Payments As A Non US Resident

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.

But, 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 ‘0000’ 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

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.

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

But I do find;

• Colorado
• and Kentucky…

to be quite affordable.

Colorado charges $10 annual Tax fee and $50 state filling while Kentucky charges $40 state filling and $15 annual Tax fee.

At least as at the time of writing this article. You could as well 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 purposing of this post is to show you how to get it done as easy 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 Inc Authority and Kentucky as my business state because it’s relatively cheap.

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

Plus, there are various service out there charging as high as $1000 for this same purpose. But at the end of this post I’ll show you how you can get it done for less than $200.

Coming from someone who also is a non-resident of the US I know how beneficial it can be for your online business.

Most especially my blog readers!

How to Form Your Business LLC Using Inc Authority

In other to know how to use Stripe to process payments as a non-US resident you do have to form a business entity in the Us using Inc Authority.

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

At Inc Authority, forming your business entity is free of charge except for state fees. And this is why it’s relatively cheap compared to others charging as high as $1000 for the same business formation.

I did intensive research before I finally picked Inc Authority to for my business LLC formation in the US. Their service was on point and I was moved to partner with them so I can share with you guys.

Going through their reviews on TRUST PILOT 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 Inc Authority:

Setting up your LLC with Inc Authority is really straight forward, I’ve broken it down into the step by step guide below. All you need do is just follow the steps and your LCC and Tax ID will be set up.

Step 1. Head Over to Inc Authority

First thing first, you need to head over to IncAuthority.com to get started. Upon getting to the web page click on the “START NOW FOR FREE” button…

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

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 Kentucky because of the low cost and the cheap annual tax fee.

After that, click on “Save and Continue”

Step 3. Business Owner Details

The next step is about the business owner. At this stage, you’ll need to enter your First and Last name, your email address and as well as your US phone number.

Also, you need to click the “Terms and Condition” box to continue to the next step.

To get yourself a free US number that works fine, you can download the TextPlus App on Google play store.

The App is free and it’s equally what I use.

Step 4. Enter Your Business 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.

If it’s available, your business name will be created immediately upon the state approval. However, in the case whereby 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 simply enter your proposed business name, a good example is Torchbankz Technology and also write a short description of the business.

Finally, “tick the Minimize business and taxes” and proceed to save and continue.

Step 5: Your Business Address

At this stage, you need a physical US address where your document can be sent to. In my case, I gave them a call and I told them to send it directly to my email address.

But that doesn’t mean you don’t need the US address, you do! In other to set this up there are various services you can use like:

• physicaladdress.com
• virtualpostmail.com
• shipito.com

You can get started for free using shipito.com, you just need to create an account and you’ll be giving address automatically. A physical address!

Next, enter your business address and click on Save and Continue.

Step 6: Getting Your Tax ID (EIN)

Inc Authority will be getting your EIN or Tax ID for you at just $49. Which is relatively cheap compared to other services out there.

Step 7. Custom Operating Agreement

At this step, you need to include the custom operating agreement because it’s very important. It actually proof your ownership of the business.

And at the same time represent the state law backing your business.

Step 8. Inc Protection Advisor

The Inc protection advisor and the remaining steps are Upsells. They are not necessarily what you need to have to have your stripe set up.

The remaining steps include:

Lawsuit Protection – $99 (this is a form of protections that exclude you from your business when your business gets sued.

I paid for this, but you don’t have to if you don’t have the funds now. Plus, you can always pay for it later with Inc Authority).

Express Delivery –  $49 (if you want the entire process done within two days you can pay for express delivery.

But normally, your business should be ready within  five days using Inc Authority).

Domain Name – $29.95 (this allows Inc Authority to secure your proposed business domain name for you.

This is totally not necessary since you can get it for less than $10 with NameCheap).

Business License Package – $99 (This also works in form of lawsuit protection. But as I said, you don’t need all this for now, and you can always get them in the nearest future if you want).

Finally, you’ll need to make payment to secure your LLC business registration. The cost of what you’re paying for should be:

• EIN/Tax ID – $49
• Operating Agreement – $89
• Kentucky State Filling fee – $40

== $179

With this, you should have your business LLC set up with your valid Tax ID that can be used to set up your Stripe account.

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

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

To create your Stripe account, simply 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 bring 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, to do this, you do need to access your Stripe account. 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!

Are you Ready to Get started with Inc Authority?