Stripe for a non-resident: how to open it through a US company

In short. A non-resident opens Stripe for their own US company. An SSN, a green card and an American director are not needed: instead of an SSN Stripe accepts a passport and a date of birth. You need a company, an EIN and a business account in a US bank: Stripe receives the clients' money and transfers the amount due to that account.

Myth: you cannot open Stripe without an SSN

• An SSN in the Stripe application is one of the ways to confirm identity, not a condition.
• A non-resident's passport and date of birth are accepted instead. The check takes longer, sometimes with additional documents, but it goes through.

What is actually needed

• A US company — an LLC or a C-Corp, registered remotely.
• An EIN — without an SSN, by fax, 4–6 weeks.
• A business account in a US bank — Stripe is not an account but a payment processing system: Stripe receives the clients' money and then transfers the amount due to your company's account.
• A US phone number, the owner's passport and address — an address in a country that is not under sanctions. A virtual office does not work for address verification.

What Stripe checks

• The same as a bank: the company's documents, EIN, address, the owner's passport, the payout account, what the business does.
• Transactions are compared with the declared business. A mismatch means questions, frozen payouts, up to closure.

LLC or C-Corp for Stripe

• For Stripe itself there is almost no difference.
• The difference is in the tax form: a corporation is a US person (W-9), a foreigner's LLC is a foreign one (W-8BEN).
• The company type is chosen by taxes and reporting, not for Stripe. For someone who works in the company personally and lives outside the US, a C-Corp is usually simpler.

Conclusions

• Stripe is available to a non-resident through a US company, without an SSN and without a nominee.
• The order: company → EIN → account → Stripe.
• The main thing after opening is that transactions match the declared business.

Price. A company, EIN and account — $1,499. Stripe registration and verification with a linked bank — $400; the client connects it to their website themselves.

About EasyFirm

EasyFirm — US company formation (LLC or C-Corp) for non-residents, with an account in a US bank. Remotely, without an SSN or a visit to the US, with any passport. In business since 2020, more than 1,200 clients. A company from $899, with an account from $1,499.