You want to form a US LLC and you are looking for a guide that does not stop after five sentences on an order form. Here it is: all seven steps, the honest cost calculation, the choice of state and what comes after formation. By the end you will know whether the LLC suits you, what it really costs and how to get it started, with us or without us.
The requirements: shorter than you think
To form a US LLC you need no US residence, no US citizenship, no Social Security Number, no minimum capital and no notary appointment. A valid passport is enough, and everything happens online. What you do need BEFORE formation is clarity about your own tax residence, because it decides whether the 0% sum works out for you. The LLC is the tool for people who live in a low-tax country of residence or travel the world as perpetual travellers. And if your plan is the reverse, that is, moving to the US yourself or building a business with a real US presence, a zero-tax LLC is not the right tool for that.
The 7 steps to forming your LLC
Step 1: choose your state. LLCs are a matter for the states, and each has its own fees, reporting obligations and register rules. For a properly run non-resident LLC, the state of formation makes no difference for tax purposes, but in practice it does: costs, discretion and administrative effort vary considerably. More on this below; the complete overview of all 50 states saves you the research.
Step 2: settle on a name. The name has to be available in the state of formation and carry the legal form, usually "LLC" or "L.L.C."; a handful of states allow variations, right up to the British-sounding Ltd suffix. Check availability in the state's register, and have a second name ready.
Step 3: appoint a Registered Agent. Every LLC needs an agent for service of process with an address in the state of formation, who receives official mail. It is mandatory, not an extra, and it is exactly where cheap providers later hide their surcharges. With us, the Registered Agent, together with a representative business address and mail scanning, is included in the package.
Step 4: file the Articles of Organization. The actual formation document goes to the Secretary of State, with the name, the agent, the address and the business purpose. Once it is approved, your LLC officially exists; depending on the state, that takes anything from hours to a few weeks.
Step 5: apply for an EIN from the IRS. The Employer Identification Number is your LLC's tax number and the key to everything that follows, from the bank account to Stripe. Without an SSN, the application goes to the IRS on a fax form, and this is where doing it yourself and having it done part ways: in peak season, self-filers sometimes wait many weeks for their number.
Step 6: draw up the Operating Agreement. The company agreement governs ownership, management and profit distribution. No state requires it for formation, but every bank wants to see it, and without it, in a dispute, the state's default law applies instead of your rules. A clean Operating Agreement is part of our package.
Step 7: open your account and payment channels. With the EIN and your documents, you open a US business account with a fintech bank and connect Stripe or PayPal. How that works without a US residence, and what compliance departments look for in 2026, we have described in detail here.
Then comes the part most guides keep quiet about: running the company. The annual report to the state, Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 to the IRS, deadlines, mail. It is not much, but it is mandatory, and the penalties for a forgotten Form 5472 are severe. In our model, exactly this part is the core of the package: all returns, reports and state fees included, with written correspondence in your language.
Which state? The honest short version
For most founders, the road leads to one of the firm's favourites: Wyoming as the proven standard with strong register protection, New Mexico as the lean option for discretion, Florida and Colorado with profiles of their own, Texas as our home state, and Delaware with the big name and a few quirks worth knowing about. Eleven states keep owners out of the public register; the details on anonymity are here. And if a provider tells you Delaware is a tax paradise: that is the most stubborn myth in the industry. Compare for yourself in the big state matrix.
What does it cost to form a US LLC?
The honest answer has two layers. The state fees for formation range, depending on the state, from a two-digit to a mid three-digit dollar amount, plus annual reports and levies. Your choice of provider decides the rest: with the 300-dollar formation service, you pay for the formation and then extra for every email, every tax return and every deadline reminder, if anyone gets back to you at all. With us, there is a flat price per state that includes formation, EIN, Registered Agent, business address, Operating Agreement, all US tax returns for the first year and ongoing support; from the second year, a fixed annual price, again with everything included. The current figures for every state are set out transparently on the costs page. And if your LLC already exists and sits with a provider who no longer responds: moving it to us costs you nothing, you only pay the annual price.
Tax residence: the question to settle before you form
Where are you tax resident? A properly run LLC, structured correctly, triggers no US taxes; what your country of residence does with the profits is decided by its own law. Which countries are suitable for this, we have sorted out in detail here.
Do it yourself or have it done?
You can take each of the seven steps yourself. The forms are public, and anyone who brings time, English and patience with US authorities can manage it. The realistic counter-calculation has three items: the wait for the EIN without support, the Form 5472 trap in the second year, which costs more if you miss it than any formation package, and the hourly rate that research and correspondence with the authorities actually cost you. Our position on this is immodest but honest: formation is the easiest part. What you pay for is support, meaning the years afterwards, in which someone knows the deadlines, files the returns and picks up the phone. That is exactly our model as a firm in Austin.
Frequently asked questions about forming an LLC
Can I form a US LLC without a US residence?
Yes, without restriction. Neither formation nor operation requires you to spend time in the US; everything happens online, and a passport is enough.
Can I form an LLC if I am not a US citizen?
Yes. What matters is not your nationality but your tax residence: the LLC only makes sense if you live in a low-tax country abroad or as a perpetual traveller.
How long does formation take?
Depending on the state, registration takes anything from a few working days to a few weeks; on top of that comes obtaining the EIN from the IRS, which is the slowest single step without support. With complete documents, a supported formation is typically fully operational within a few weeks, bank account included.
Do I need an SSN or ITIN?
No. The LLC needs an EIN, and it gets one even if the owner has no SSN or ITIN.
What does a US LLC cost per year?
State annual fees plus compliance. In our model: a fixed annual price per state that includes fees, annual reports, all US tax returns and ongoing support.
Which state is best for my LLC?
For tax purposes they are all the same (zero, if run correctly); in practice they are not. For most people: one of the firm's six favourites. The state comparison gives you the full basis for your decision.
Ready? Then the rest is easy.
Choose your state and order your LLC: five minutes of form, then we take over. If your situation still hinges on your residence, a shareholding back home or the questions around leaving your country, settle them first in a consultation, held in English. That is the right order.