Which route fits me: part of a corporate group or not?
If a company is a member, such as your company at home, your LLC is part of a corporate group. It then also needs your parent company's documents, above all its resolutions. If you hold the shares yourself, alone or with co-founders, it is not part of a group.
Who can be a member or manager?
Any individual or company, of any nationality and living anywhere in the world. An LLC can have a single owner (in the US: a member). It is run by its members or by managers who don't have to be members; you decide which at formation. The public Certificate of Formation names neither members nor managers, only the LLC's name and its Registered Agent.
How much share capital is required?
There is no share capital requirement, and Delaware sets no minimum capital. What the members contribute is set out in your Operating Agreement.
Do I have to travel to the USA?
Not for the formation; everything is done remotely. You only travel to Austin for the optional introduction at a traditional US bank. With Credit Builder, you travel to the USA once for the bank appointment.
Here's how it works.
How long does it take?
Delaware gives no fixed timeframe for standard processing; for a fee, the state works faster, down to one hour. Once the corporation is formed, the EIN, BE-13 and bank application follow step by step.
What do we need for identity verification (KYC)?
For the formation: details of the members and, if there are any, the managers; in a group, also details of your parent company and its representatives. For Mercury: the formation documents, the IRS letter confirming the EIN and your passport; Mercury may also ask for proof of address. For the euro account details, Wise requires photo ID of the owners and proof of the company's address.
What does it cost from the second year?
The annual package: $2,400 a year on its own, $2,900 a year in a group. Plus state fees at cost: in Delaware, that's your LLC's annual tax of $400, due by June 1. Bookkeeping and tax returns are only added if you book them.
Do I really need resolutions and minutes?
Yes. They are your LLC's memory, and anyone who does business with you, lends to you or buys from you will want to see them. We keep them from day one.
Why they matter.
Can your LLC get a US account even if you live in Europe?
According to Mercury, it accepts applications from founders without US citizenship or US residence if the company is formed in the US, operates or plans to operate there and provides a real business address (no Registered Agent address, no P.O. box). We file the application with you once the documents and EIN are in place; Mercury decides on the account. On top of that, euro account details through Wise and, if you travel to Austin, an introduction at a traditional US bank. More under
US banking.
Can my company send employees to its US company?
That's what the L-1 is for, and it's the preferred route: your company transfers someone who has worked for it full time for at least one continuous year in the three years before the application, in a managerial role or with specialized knowledge. For a new US office, business premises must be secured, and the first approval is valid for one year at most. Which route suits whom is set out in writing in the visa roadmap for $2,000, prepared with the immigration attorney on the firm's team, who also files the petitions.
What does the LLC mean for me and my company tax-wise?
That depends on your situation, and that's exactly what the $2,000 tax plan is for: in writing and coordinated with your accountant at home. In Delaware, your LLC pays the annual tax; state income tax only applies to income from business in Delaware. On top of that come US federal taxes, and for you or your company, the taxes in your home country.
How do I build a credit history in the USA?
With two connected histories: yours and your company's. The strongest business cards also check your personal credit history. That's why we build both. For you:
ITIN Express included, a US bank account, a US residential address with a phone line and our guidance to your first credit card; on-time payments on cards that report to the credit bureaus can help build a credit history. For your company: the D-U-N-S number, the Mercury IO card, whose payments Mercury says it reports to Experian, Equifax and Dun & Bradstreet (Mercury decides on the card), and a second business card that reports to the bureaus. We stay with you until your company has its own credit.
All about Credit Builder.