Fintech accounts for a foreign-owned US LLC: Who accepts

Mercury and Wise accept non-resident owners, Novo does not

For fintech accounts for a foreign-owned US LLC, Mercury and Wise publish clear paths for non-resident owners. Novo publishes a clear no. Relay accepts non-US owners, but its published document rules make a US presence the practical issue to solve before applying.

The deciding factor’s often not citizenship. It’s whether you can show a real business address that the provider accepts, alongside formation records, an EIN document, and identification for the people behind the company.

Requirements answer. Every provider requires a US-formed and registered business, identification for each beneficial owner with 25% or more ownership, and a person with operating control. Mercury and Wise accept non-resident owners, Novo requires US-resident owners, and looch requires a qualifying US street address but no SSN or ITIN.

Last verified: August 19th, 2026.

This is a requirements reference, not a recommendation. Provider rules change. The linked source pages are the place to check again before you submit an application.

Mercury makes room for international founders, but not address substitutes

Mercury states that a founder doesn’t need to be a US citizen or resident to apply. Its published eligibility rules require a business formed and registered in the US or a US territory, existing or planned operations in the US, and a principal place of business with a US or international address.

That international-address option’s a real advantage for a founder running a US LLC from abroad. It doesn’t mean every address works. Mercury says residential addresses are accepted, while registered agent addresses, PO boxes, and UPS Store addresses are not. A formation address isn’t automatically an operating address.

Mercury’s document list’s straightforward: A formation document, an IRS-issued EIN document, and photo identification. Its guidance lists CP 575, 147C, and a returned SS-4 among acceptable EIN records. The important distinction’s that a submitted SS-4 application isn’t the same thing as an IRS-returned document.

Mercury also requires identification for any owner with at least 25% ownership and for at least one person with operating control. For an international applicant, a passport can satisfy the photo-identification requirement. Mercury’s published requirements don’t say that an SSN or ITIN’s required for that purpose.

Country and business-activity restrictions still apply. Mercury’s prohibited-country rules are based on where a founder lives, not only on citizenship. Its eligibility material also identifies business types it can’t support, and it requires ownership to be traced to the natural people behind a holding structure.

Mercury’s a strong option when you have an international principal address that’s genuinely where the business operates, complete ownership records, and a company structure that fits its program. It’s not a workaround for an LLC whose only address is a registered agent.

Sources: Mercury eligibility, Mercury documents, and Mercury prohibited countries. For a fuller product comparison, see looch vs Mercury.

Relay accepts non-US owners when the business has a real US presence

Relay states that it accepts US-registered businesses owned by non-US citizens or residents when the business has an operating presence in the US. That phrase matters. It makes Relay less suitable for a company that exists only on state records and has no genuine US business footprint.

Relay’s published document requirements ask an LLC for an EIN, business address and phone number, entity-formation records, an industry description, and an operating agreement where applicable. It also asks for information about the people who own and control the business.

For beneficial owners, Relay’s materials list government identification and an SSN or passport number. That wording suggests a passport can be relevant for an owner without an SSN, but the public documentation isn’t clear enough to treat it as a universal promise. If no owner has an SSN, get a direct answer from Relay before building your application around that interpretation.

The address rule’s more definite. Relay requires a physical US address for beneficial owners and doesn’t accept PO boxes or virtual mailboxes for that purpose. It also seeks information from non-US-resident owners about their income source, whether the business is new or established, personal income, and countries of operation.

Relay’s country rules are also stricter in one important way. Its prohibited-country list’s tied to citizenship or residency. A founder can therefore face a restriction based on citizenship even when living in another country. Mercury’s policy’s framed around residence, so the same founder may have a different result between the two providers.

Relay can be a good fit for a foreign-owned US LLC that has a genuine US operating presence and can document both the business and its owners cleanly. It’s a poor fit if every owner lacks a qualifying US address.

Sources: Relay required documents and Relay prohibited countries. See looch vs Relay for the broader decision between the two products.

Novo is not an option for a non-resident owner

Novo’s rule’s direct. It says it only opens accounts for business owners who reside within the US, and the business must also be registered in the US.

Its owner requirements add an SSN, a valid US residential address, and an active US cell phone number. Novo also says that a beneficial-owner business partner must be able to provide an SSN. Adding a US-based partner doesn’t solve the requirement when the foreign owner still can’t meet it.

Novo has an EIN exception for a narrow type of single-member LLC, but that doesn’t change its owner-residency and SSN requirements. For the foreign-owned LLC this page addresses, the residence rule’s the answer. Don’t spend time assembling an application if the owner can’t meet it.

Source: Novo availability for businesses or owners outside the United States.

Wise treats your trading location as seriously as your registration location

Wise’s structured differently from a business account provider focused solely on a US entity. Its business verification rules focus on where the owners live, where the company’s registered, and where it actually trades.

Wise states that it asks for an SSN from beneficial owners who reside in the US or have a US passport. For non-US beneficial owners, it requests photo identification. It also seeks business details and information about people who directly or indirectly own 25% or more of the company, or who exercise control.

The trading address is the key practical issue. Wise describes it as the primary place of business, where you work every day. A registered agent address isn’t the same thing. Neither is a mail-receiving service. If the business is registered in the US but run from another country, the address you provide needs to describe the real location of work.

Wise also explains that when a business’ registered address and trading address are in different countries, it can provide only the services available in both places. That means a US LLC owned and run abroad may receive a more limited product set than a company whose registration and operations are in the same supported location.

Wise uses an availability list based on where you live. It also has location restrictions for certain US jurisdictions. That makes Wise a useful option for founders whose home country and operating setup fit its rules, but not a universal answer for every foreign-owned US LLC.

Sources: Wise verification for US businesses and Wise location availability.

looch separates formation support from the account-address requirement

looch’s account eligibility turns on the company and the address, not on an owner’s citizenship. A US-registered LLC, corporation, or foreign entity registered in a US state can qualify with an EIN. An SSN or ITIN isn’t required.

The account address must be a qualifying US street address. That’s the real gate for many foreign founders, including founders who already have a valid US entity and EIN.

The important looch-specific distinction’s easy to miss. looch Start can form the entity and obtain the EIN, including when the founder has no SSN or ITIN. The virtual office included with formation’s useful for formation and mail handling, but it’s not a qualifying business street address for the financial account.

That isn’t a technicality. It’s the same kind of distinction that trips up applicants at Mercury, Relay, and Wise. A registered agent or virtual-office address can be legitimate for entity administration while still failing an account provider’s operating-address rules.

looch’s the right fit when you want formation, EIN support, financial accounts, Smartcards, payments, and real-time accounting in one app, and you have a qualifying US street address for the account. It’s not the right answer if you need an account provider to accept a registered agent or virtual-office address as your operating address.

Sources: looch pricing and looch Start.

Solve the address before comparing account features

The cleanest way to read these requirements is by the address row, not by provider. Mercury rejects registered agent addresses, PO boxes, and UPS Store addresses. Relay rejects PO boxes and virtual mailboxes and expects a physical US address for beneficial owners. Wise restricts the trading address. looch rejects registered agent addresses, virtual offices, and CMRAs.

That pattern changes the order of work. Don’t start by comparing card controls, transfer features, or software integrations. First determine whether you have an address that truthfully represents where the business operates and meets the provider’s published rule.

A real residential or commercial street address may qualify where a registered agent address does not. Do not substitute one for the other. The provider’s assessing the address type, not merely whether it appears in public business records.

The entity and EIN come before every account application

A foreign-owned US LLC needs the entity paperwork and an EIN record before an account application can move forward. That’s why formation and account setup should be planned as one sequence, even when different providers handle each piece.

The IRS allows an EIN application where the responsible party has no SSN or ITIN. The IRS instructions address how that responsible party’s identified on Form SS-4. The document you should keep once the EIN’s issued is the IRS confirmation record, because providers may ask for that record rather than the application you submitted.

For the practical process, see getting an EIN without an SSN. For the broader account-opening rules and the role of identity documents, read opening a US business bank account without an SSN.

looch Start brings formation and EIN support together for $249 all-in. It’s built for founders who need to create the US entity first, then move into accounts, Smartcards, payments, and accounting from the same app. The account-address requirement still applies after formation, so solve that independently rather than assuming a formation address carries over.

There’s also an ongoing federal obligation to understand. A foreign-owned US single-member LLC generally has a Form 5472 filing requirement, with a $25,000 penalty for failing to file. Read the full context in our Form 5472 guide for foreign founders.

Apply with documents that match the business you describe

A strong application’s consistent from top to bottom. The entity documents, EIN record, ownership details, identification, business description, operating address, and country information should all describe the same real company.

Before applying, use this checklist:

• Confirm that the address is accepted by the provider you chose. Don’t use a registered agent, virtual mailbox, or virtual office where the provider’s rules reject it.
• Keep the EIN confirmation document ready as a file. A returned IRS record’s more useful than an application copy.
• Collect identification for every owner with at least 25% ownership and for the person with operating control.
• Read the provider’s country rules on the day you apply. Country policies can differ by residence, citizenship, or both.
• If a holding company owns the LLC, prepare to identify the natural people behind that structure.
• Describe the US operating presence honestly. A state filing alone doesn’t convert a mail address into an operating location.

The bottom line’s simple. Mercury’s often the clearest account option for an international founder with a qualifying address. Wise can work when the trading location and owner location fit its availability rules. Relay can work when the company has a real US operating presence and its owner-address requirements are met. Novo doesn’t fit a non-resident owner. looch fits founders who want to form and run the company in one app, provided the account has a qualifying US street address.