How to Open a US Business Bank Account as a Non-US Resident, Step by Step

If you live in Nigeria, the provider pages we read on 20 October 2026 say you cannot open a Mercury or Relay account, and Wise will not give you USD account details with a Nigerian address. If you live somewhere else, you can open a US bank account online as a non-resident, as long as you own a US-registered company and your country is not on the provider’s list.

This guide follows the order the work happens in. The country check comes first because it costs nothing.

Last checked against official sources: October 2026.

1. Check Your Country Before You Spend Anything

Mercury looks at where the founder lives, not at citizenship, so a Nigerian citizen who lives in an allowed country may still be eligible after review. Relay checks citizenship and residence of every owner on the application, so a Nigerian citizen living abroad is also blocked.

The table shows what each provider’s own page said about Nigeria when we read it. Relay says its list can change without notice.

Important Note: Before you pay any formation fee, open each provider’s current prohibited-countries page and check every owner. Anyone who promises guaranteed Mercury or Relay approval for an owner who lives in Nigeria is contradicting those published rules.

You can read the full lists on Mercury’s prohibited-countries page and Relay’s prohibited-countries page. Wise sets out its own rule in its USD account details help article.

2. Form a US Company in Wyoming or Delaware

Mercury, Relay, Bluevine, Brex and Revolut all want a company registered in the US with an IRS EIN. A company formed abroad, such as a UK Ltd, cannot apply to Mercury. So the first real purchase is a US LLC or corporation.

Wyoming and Delaware are the two states most founders compare. The figures below come from each state’s own pages, so confirm them before you pay.

A Wyoming example: the $100 filing fee plus the $60 minimum licence tax is $160 in state costs for year one, before a registered agent. A Delaware LLC that misses 1 June owes a $200 penalty plus 1.5% interest a month.

Registered agents price differently. Stripe Atlas lists $100 a year for the agent after year one, and Firstbase lists $299 per state per year. Those are the providers’ own prices, not a recommendation, and no formation service removes a bank’s country rules.

3. Get Your EIN From Outside the US

The IRS online EIN form needs a US residence or place of business, so most non-resident founders must use phone, fax or mail. The phone line is 267-941-1099, it is not toll-free, it runs Monday to Friday from 6am to 11pm Eastern, and it is for international applicants only.

On Form SS-4, line 7b asks for an SSN or ITIN. If you have none and cannot get one, write “foreign”. A single-member LLC is a disregarded entity by default, so line 9a gets “Other” with those words written in.

Plan around about 4 business days by fax and about 4 weeks by mail, then Mercury’s usual 0 to 2 business day review. The details are on the IRS EIN page.

Pro Tip: The EIN is free from the IRS. In April 2025 the FTC warned about lookalike sites that charge up to $300 for it, so only pay a formation service for the services it actually lists.

4. Gather the Documents

Documents and addresses are where applications stall. Mercury says denials are often due to missing or incorrect documentation. The table lists what Mercury, Relay and Bluevine ask for, as shown on their pages in 2026.

Ownership needs thought too. Mercury wants every person who owns 25% or more, directly or through holding companies, plus one person with significant management responsibility. A holding company cannot be listed as an owner, so trace it down to the individuals.

5. Sort Out Your Addresses

Mercury accepts a residential or international address as the company’s principal place of business, but not a registered agent, P.O. box or UPS Store address. Each owner must give the physical address where they live now, and mail drops and virtual addresses are refused.

Relay differs. A registered agent address can be the legal address, even for non-US residents, but you also need a separate real operating address. Every owner needs a verifiable personal home address, and one address cannot serve all three roles.

Quick Answer: Can a virtual office cover every address? No. Both Mercury and Relay want a real operating location and a real home address for each owner.

If you are relocating to the US and have no fixed address yet, settle that first. Our guide to short-term housing for immigrants in the USA covers options for arrivals.

6. Choose Where to Open a US Bank Account Online as a Non-Resident

We do not rank providers, because the right one depends on your case. Use seven tests instead: the country rule, whether it takes a US LLC with an EIN, the documents you can supply, cost, how deposits are protected, your industry, and the stated timelines. The table compares three, from pricing pages read on 20 October 2026.

Check Relay’s current fee page, because its own pages disagree on incoming wires. Mercury and Relay both decline money services businesses, adult entertainment, cannabis and gambling.

As an example, a $1,000 USD wire into Wise costs $6.11, leaving $993.89 before any sender or intermediary bank charges. The same amount by ACH costs $0.

7. Submit the Application and Wait

When the files are ready, work through the same sequence each time you apply. The order matters because the country check can end the process early.

1. Confirm your country on the provider’s current prohibited-countries page.
2. Upload the formation document, EIN document and passports as clear files.
3. List every 25%+ owner and one person with management control, using real home addresses.
4. Describe the business and its US operations plainly.
5. Submit, then watch your inbox and spam folder for requests.

Timelines are stated by the providers, and none of them guarantees approval. Mercury says usually 0 to 2 business days, and to check your inbox if nothing arrives within 7. Relay says most get a decision within one business day, and Wise says verification can take up to 10 working days.

Quick Answer: Why do applications fail? The providers’ own pages point to a prohibited country, a prohibited industry, a missing or wrong EIN document, an unsupported entity type such as a series LLC, and a registered agent address used as an operating or home address.

Mercury says it cannot disclose the reason for a denial and asks you to reapply only if you have new information. So fix the documents or address problem first, then try again.

8. Open a US Bank Account Online as a Non-Resident From Nigeria: What You Can Verify

The provider pages we read give an owner who lives in Nigeria no route to Mercury, Relay or Wise USD details. Do not pay a formation fee hoping for an exception. Ask the provider’s support in writing and keep the answer.

Whether Nigerian law or the CBN limits a resident from owning a US company is a question for a Nigerian lawyer or your bank. Get that answer before you form anything.

Some payment routes are worth checking instead. Wise can send money to Nigeria, which is separate from holding USD account details. Stripe lists Nigeria under its extended network through Paystack, not as a direct sign-up.

Paystack says Nigerian businesses can take international card payments, with USD payouts needing a Zenith Bank USD domiciliary account and a 3.9% USD fee. Payoneer’s pricing page, updated 1 January 2026, lists 1% for receiving into a non-local-currency account and a $29.95 annual fee if you receive less than $6,000 in 12 months. Payoneer also announced a Kuda partnership for naira withdrawals in about August 2025, so confirm it is current.

Reported CBN rules let ordinary domiciliary account holders use funds without restriction, with cash deposits capped at USD 10,000 a day, so ask your bank which rules apply. If you earn from overseas clients, our piece on how tech professionals climb the pay scale covers the earning side.

9. Keep the Company in Good Standing

A foreign-owned single-member LLC has no income tax return of its own, but it must file a pro forma Form 1120 with Form 5472 attached. The due date is the Form 1120 date, normally 15 April for a calendar-year entity, and Form 7004 extends it if filed on time.

Foreign-owned entities cannot e-file Form 5472, so you file by fax or mail, as the IRS instructions for Form 5472 (Rev. 12/2024) explain. They tie the filing to reportable transactions with a related party, so ask a qualified adviser what counts in your case, such as capital contributions or payments to you.

Key Statistic: The penalty for a missed or substantially incomplete Form 5472 is $25,000. If it is still unfixed more than 90 days after an IRS notice, a further $25,000 applies for each 30-day period, so 100 days after notice would be $50,000 in total.

On BOI reporting, FinCEN’s final rule took effect on 14 August 2026. Companies formed in the US are exempt, so a Wyoming or Delaware LLC owned from abroad does not file. Check the FinCEN BOI page, and treat any paid demand to file one for a US-formed company as suspect.

Your own US tax position depends on your facts, including the source of your income and any treaty, so ask a US tax adviser. For a sense of how regulated advisers lay out fees in another field, see our UK immigration lawyer fees guide.

10. Frequently Asked Questions

Can I open a US bank account online as a non-resident without visiting the US?

Mercury does not require US citizenship or residence, and the application is online. Bluevine uses on-camera identity verification. In every case the country rule applies first.

Do I need an SSN or ITIN?

You can get an EIN without either by phone, fax or mail. Mercury’s document list asks for a passport, but Stripe’s Atlas docs mention SSNs, so check Mercury’s current page.

Can a Nigerian citizen living abroad open Mercury or Relay?

Mercury tests residence, so such a founder may still be eligible after review. Relay blocks owners with Nigerian citizenship or residence, so citizenship alone is enough to stop the application.

Is Mercury a bank?

No. Mercury says it is a fintech, with banking from partner banks Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., both FDIC members.

Is a Wise USD account a US bank account?

Wise says it is not a bank. USD account details are payment details so people can pay into your Wise balance, which Wise holds. They are also unavailable with a Nigerian address.

How long does the whole process take?

A fax EIN takes about 4 business days and a mailed one about 4 weeks, plus formation time and the provider’s review. Approval is never guaranteed.

11. Next Steps

Start with the country test for every owner. If one owner fails it, change the plan before you form anything. Then work down the steps in order.

If you do decide to open a US bank account online as a non-resident, keep a folder with each provider’s page and the date you checked it, because rules change. If a move abroad sits behind all this, our Melbourne relocation guide for tech professionals covers a different destination. For tax and legal questions, ask a qualified adviser.