If you’ve read that forming a US company is only for people with a green card, a US address, or a lawyer on retainer — that’s wrong. You can form a US LLC from anywhere, and most of the “requirements” you’ve heard about don’t exist.
Here’s the whole thing, start to finish.
What you actually need
You need surprisingly little. There’s no minimum capital, no residency test, and no visa requirement.
The four steps
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Pick your state
Most non-resident founders form in Wyoming or New Mexico for low cost and privacy. If you have a US office or staff, form where you operate instead.
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Name the company and file
We check the name is available, prepare the Articles of Organization, and file them with the Secretary of State — usually the same day.
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Get a registered agent
Every LLC needs a registered agent with a physical address in the state to receive legal mail. Taxly is your agent in every state we serve and scans your mail to your dashboard the day it arrives.
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Get your EIN
The EIN is your company’s federal tax ID — you need it to open a bank account. We file Form SS-4 for you, no SSN required.
Banks and payment processors ask for an EIN, not your personal SSN. We obtain the EIN by filing Form SS-4 directly with the IRS — it just takes a few weeks rather than minutes.
What it costs
The LLC itself is cheap. The variable is the state filing fee and whether you want ongoing compliance handled.
| Wyoming | New Mexico | Florida | |
|---|---|---|---|
| State filing fee | $100 | $50 | $125 |
| Annual report | $60 | None | $138.75 |
| State income tax | |||
| Public member names |
After you’re formed
Forming is the easy part — staying compliant is where founders slip. Each state has annual reports and deadlines, and foreign-owned LLCs have federal filings (like Form 5472) that carry steep penalties if missed. That’s the part we automate: deadlines tracked, reminders sent, filings prepared.
Ready to form your US LLC?
Start my LLC →