You must have seen freelancers, internet marketers, and dropshippers in unsupported countries receive payments using Stripe, and the question that comes to your mind "Is it possible to use Stripe in unsupported countries?”.
In this post, I answered the common questions people ask concerning using Stripe in unsupported countries or as a non-US citizen.
Does Stripe Support All Countries?
At the time of writing this, Stripe is available in 46 countries. If Stripe is not supported in your country, you can still use Stripe. That is the essence of this post - to show you how to use Stripe in unsupported countries.
Stripe Supported Countries
Below is the list of Stripe supported countries.
Can I Use Stripe In An Unsupported Country?
Yes, you can open a Stripe account and use it if you are from an unsupported country. Although there is a process to go about it and that is what this blog post is all about - how to use Stripe in unsupported countries.
How To Set Up Stripe In Unsupported Countries
RequirementsTo Use Stripe In Unsupported Countries
To use Stripe in unsupported countries, you need to form a US company, an LLC (Limited Liability Company).
You might ask why can’t I use a registered company in my country. It is not possible because the documents required to create the Stripe account are not available in your country.
Forming an LLC is not hard and does not require much paperwork. What you need is just an EIN (Employer Identification Number) or Tax ID, a US physical address, a US phone number, and a US bank Account.
Getting these things is not difficult. I will show you how to get them easily in order to be able to use Stripe in unsupported countries.
Before I proceed to show you how to form your LLC, you need to get these two things ready; a US physical address and a US phone number.
How To Get A US Physical Address
It is entirely free to get a US physical address without having someone over there or using someone’s house address.
Go to Shipito.com and create a US address. You will likely get a California address. Take note that CA means California.
How To Get A US Phone Number
There is no free way to get a US phone number except if you have a trusted someone in that country. It is easy to get the phone number. Go to your app store and download dingtone. You can use dingtone to create a functional US phone number. Another option is Skype.
If you have created the US address and phone number, the next stage is to form your LLC.
Forming an LLC will cost you some dollars. If you are to register your business name or company in your home country, you will spend money. It is the same thing with LLC formation.
If you are to register your LLC using a lawyer, you should be ready to cough out close to $1000.I will show you the cheapest and easiest way to form your LLC.
Let me explain a little about an LLC so you can have a clue of what you want to venture into and spend your money on.
What Is An LLC?
An LLC is also known as a "limited liability company" or "limited liability partnership."
An LLC is a business structure that allows you to operate as a limited liability company. This means that the owners of an LLC have limited legal responsibility for their actions and are protected from personal liability.
An LLC is a great option if you want to start your own business and keep your personal assets separate from your business assets.
Even though the main purpose of forming this LLC is to use it to open a stripe account for unsupported countries, it has other benefits for your business.
I mentioned EIN earlier in this post as one of the things you will also need to be able to use Stripe in unsupported countries.
What Is EIN?
EIN stands for Employer Identification Number. It is a nine-digit number that you will use to identify your business.
This number is also like an SSN (social security number) and it is used by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to track the status of your business's tax forms.
Do not get worried about this that you will have to start paying heavily on taxes. You can avoid paying taxes by filing your LLC in a tax-free state.
There are some states in the US where it is cheap to form an LLC and has no annual tax fee.
What Is The Cheapest States To Form An LLC?
If you are asking what are the cheapest states to form an LLC, here are a few with low state filing fees and annual tax fees.
The state filing fee is the fee charged by the state to file a new business entity. The annual tax fee is a tax that you pay to the state government every year. The tax fees that you pay depend on the type of business you have. If you have an LLC, then your annual tax fee is based on the number of members and profits in your company.
The reason I took my time to explain all of these terms is for you to understand what you are paying for and why you are paying for it. They are required for LLC formation whether you are doing it yourself or hiring someone to do it for you.
If you don’t want to be paying taxes every year, then you should choose either of these states: Mississippi, Missouri, or New Mexico. Please do know that things are meant to change over time but at the time of publishing this post, the information above was accurate.
With all of these explained and other requirements ready (US phone number and address), it is time to start your LLC registration.
How To Form An LLC
To form an LLC, you will need to use an LLC formation service. An LLC formation service is a company that helps you form an LLC (limited liability company).
Many people who want to form an LLC don't have the time, resources, and knowledge to do it themselves. That is where the service comes in.
They will handle all the paperwork, including filing the articles of incorporation, which is necessary if you want to operate under this type of structure.
The best and cheapest LLC formation service provider out there that will help you with everything is [ad]Incfile which is now Bizee. They offer free LLC formation. They won’t charge for their services but you only pay the mandatory fee required to form the LLC.
Visit [ad]Incfile (Bizee) to get started.
1. Click on form your free LLC now.
2. Select your entity which should be LLC and the state.
3. Choose the gold or platinum package.
4. Add your information and contact details.
5. Choose the state filing fee time.
6. Add your company information.
7. Skip the premium service package if you don't need it.
8. Choose an individual if your LLC member is a person or a business. (Choose a person).
9. Assign Incfile as your registered agent.
10. Indicate that you are a non-US citizen.
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11. Fill in the EIN/Tax identification number information (Tick I am a foreigner and do not have a social security number).
12. Skip small business banking if you don't need it.
13. Skip tax strategy / free consultation.
14. Skip business licenses and permit if you don't need this.
15. Review your order.
16. Make your payment.
If you want other LLC formation services, you can try Northwest Registered Agent and ZenBusiness.
With this, you are just a few steps away from opening a stripe account as a non-US citizen. Your information will be processed and in some weeks' time, you will get your EIN which will be needed for the Stripe account creation.
If you have gotten your EIN, congratulations again! You are a few steps away from opening a verified stripe account in an unsupported country. But first, you need to create your US bank account.
Go to Payoneer.com and create an individual US bank. It is needed during the stripe registration process - they will request for a bank account. If your US bank account is available, then it is time to proceed to Stripe and set up your account.
How To Set Up A Verified Stripe Account In An Unsupported Country
It is assumed that at this stage, your LLC has been formed, and your EIN and registered agent details have been obtained. Now it is to proceed to Stripe to set up your account.
Step 1. Visit https://dashboard.stripe.com/register.
Enter your email, full name, and country (leave it in the United States). Enter your password and click create account.
Step 2. Verify your email address.
Step 3. Activate payments on your account. Click on activate payments to start the process of setting up your Stripe account.
Step 4. Choose your business type. The business location should be the United States. The type of business should be a company and business structure single-member LLC.
Step 5. Business details. Your legal business name should be the name of your LLC. Fill in the EIN gotten from Incfile. The registered business address should be the registered agent's address from [ad]Incfile. Choose your industry, and enter your website URL and product description (business description). Click on continue.
Step 6. Business representative. This part is for you to verify your personal details. Your legal name should be your real name. Your email address will automatically be displayed there. Enter your home address. You should use your home address and phone number (not a US phone number). Since you are a non-US citizen, you don't have an SSN. So choose to provide a government-issued ID number instead.
Step 7. Fulfilment details. This part is to let Stripe know how long it will take for you to deliver to customers the products or services that you are selling after they make payment.
Step 8. Public details. This part is for you to decide what customers will see on their payment statements, invoices, and receipts. It is recommended that you enter your LLC in the statement descriptor (eg Mazicom LLC). In the shortened descriptor, you can add only the name of your business (eg Mazicom).
Step 9. Add your bank account to receive payouts. For you to be able to move your money out for Stripe, you must add a bank account. If your bank is not listed there, you need to enter it manually.
If you have a Payoneer account, you can go there and add the bank details. If you have any other US bank account from other financial institutions, you can try it too.
Step 10.Secure your account. You can use SMS or an authenticator app. With two-step authentication, no one else will be able to log in to your account. Once you are done, click continue.
Step 11.Tax calculation. Click No thanks.
Step 12. Climate contributions. Ignore this part.
Step 13. Review and submit. Check to see that all details you have entered are correct. If all information is correct, click on submit.
Should I say finally? Maybe!
You need to check your email for any further information from Stripe. Sometimes they ask you for proof of certain details you submitted if they are finding it hard to verify the information.
If you follow this guide step-by-step, and you live in a country where Stripe is not supported, you should be able to start using Stripe legally. This method is accepted by Stripe. You won't get banned by Stripe as long your business is not restricted or prohibited.
Should I Buy A Stripe Account?
Don’t Buy A Stripe Account! Buying a Stripe account is strongly discouraged due to several reasons. Firstly, it violates Stripe’s terms of service, exposing you to legal consequences.
Purchased accounts may have been acquired fraudulently, putting you at risk of account suspension or frozen funds. Acquiring someone else’s Stripe account means inheriting their business history, which could include unresolved disputes, chargebacks, or financial liabilities.
It is crucial to establish your own legitimate Stripe account to ensure legal compliance, safeguard your reputation, and retain control over your business operations. By doing so, you can maintain transparency, trust, and accountability with your customers and partners.
