No doubt, Stripe is the best gateway to receive money from your online business. Unfortunately, Stripe is only supported in a few countries, leaving a lot of freelancers and business owners from fully reaching their target audience and exploring their potential market.
At the time of publishing this blog post, Stripe is currently available for business in 46 countries.
Stripe Supported Countries
The stripe supported countries are listed below:
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- India (preview)
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Malta
- Mexico
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Croatia (preview)
- Gibraltar (preview)
- Indonesia (preview)
- Liechtenstein (preview)
- Philippines (preview)
The countries with bracket preview indicate that Stripe is in beta over there but fully operational in 44 countries.
Common questions that people asked are;
Can I use Stripe in an unsupported country?
Answer: You can open a stripe account in an unsupported country
Can I use Stripe outside the US?
Answer: Yes, you use Stripe outside the US
How do I open a stripe account for unsupported countries?
Answer: If you follow this post to till the end, you should be able to open a stripe account for unsupported countries
How do I open a Stripe account for non US citizens?
Answer: This post also applies to Stripe account for non US citizens. So read on to find how to open a Stripe account for unsupported countries.
Verified Stripe Account For Unsupported Countries – How To Get Started
If you want to open a verified stripe account for unsupported countries, there are two ways to go about it.
The first option is to use Stripe Atlas. No matter your country of residence, you can use Stripe Atlas to easily form a U.S. company. Once your U.S. company have been formed, you can set up a U.S. bank account and activate payments with Stripe.
This is a very straightforward method handled by Stripe but it is very expensive. The total cost is $500.
If you are on a budget, this is not for you. We don’t recommend it.
The second option is the best method and this is what many business owners have used and are still using to open a Stripe account for unsupported countries.
In this method, you will need to use an LLC formation service which will help you to cut costs. You will spend less than $200 to get your verified stripe account. This method is legal and you will never get banned.
Requirements To Open A verified Stripe Account For Unsupported Countries (Stripe Account For Non US Citizens)
Whether you are using the first option discussed earlier which is Stripe Atlas or the second method, you will need the following things to open a verified Stripe account in unsupported countries.
What You Need
- Form a US Limited Liability Company (LLC)
- EIN (Employer Identification Number) or Tax ID
- A US physical address
- A US phone number
- A US bank account
Do not be sacred, these things are very easy to get and that is why this guide is for you. You can form a US company in a few minutes, and get a US physical address in less than 3 minutes.
Before you proceed to form your LLC, you need to get the following things ready, the US Physical address, and the US phone number.
Let’s show you how to get them:
With these websites, you can get a working address in the US.
- shipito.com
- physicaladdress.com
- virtualpostmail.com
- usabox.com
Shipito is recommended because it is completely free. The rest of them have their charges. When you use shipito, you will be given a California address. Take note of that.
To get a US phone number, go to your app store and download Dingtone. Another option is Skype, but both of them are not free.
If you have all of these ready, then you can proceed to form your LLC.
A Brief Overview Of LLC And EIN
LLC stands for limited liability company and it is a US type of private limited company which is a legal entity that can be formed to own and operate a business.
EIN stands for an employer identification number and it is like an alternative to SSN (social security number) used to identify businesses for tax reporting.
Opening a company in the US is not expensive and taxes aren’t a big deal. In this guide, you will see all the states where you can form an LCC at a cheaper price.
All states in the US have state filing fees and annual business taxes.
Cheapest States To Form An LLC In US
At the time of publishing this guide, these were the cheapest states to form an LLC with their filing fee and annual tax fee.
- Kentucky
Filing fee: $40
Annual tax fee: $15 - Arizona
Filing fee: $50
Annual tax fee: $0 - Mississippi
Filing fee: $50
Annual tax fee: $0 - Missouri
Filing fee: $50
Annual tax fee: $0 - New Mexico
Filing fee: $50
Annual tax fee: $0 - Colorado
Filing fee: $50
Annual tax fee: $10 - Hawaii
Filing fee: $50
Annual tax fee: $15 - Michigan
Filing fee: $50
Annual tax fee: $25
Many business owners prefer registering their company in Kentucky because it has the cheapest filing fee of $40. The annual tax fee is $15 whereas in some states it is a $0 annual tax fee.
We are not going to decide for you which states to choose but to avoid the annual tax fee you can choose the states with a $0 fee.
For this guide, we are going to use Kentucky as our state for filing an LLC so that we can use it to open a verified Stripe account for unsupported countries.
How To Form An LLC In US
There are various processes to follow in order to form your US company. The first is you hire a legal professional (a lawyer), the second is you do it yourself and the third is you use an LLC formation service.
Hiring a legal professional will cost you some huge sums of money like $1000 or more. Doing it by yourself means you will have to be in the United States which might not be possible.
Using an LLC formation service is the best option and that is what we recommend because it makes the process faster, and it is cheaper.
There are many LLC formation companies with their various fees, pros and cons. Reviewing all of them is beyond the scope of the guide.
Some of them are:
- Inc Authority
- Zen Business Inc
- Northwest Registered Agent, LLC
- Swyft Filings
If you want to cut costs, Inc Authority is the cheapest of all. People do say excellence is not cheap but in this case, it is different.
Inc Authority is cheaper and they provide excellent service with a $0 service fee. The only things you will pay for are the state filing fee of $40 (if you choose Kentucky), EIN fee of $49 and operating agreement fee of $89. The total sum will be $178.
That is the lowest price you will get, others charges above that amount.
How To Form Your LLC In the US Using Inc Authority
Step 1. Proceed to Inc Authority
When on the homepage, click on the ‘Get Started’ tab at the upper right.
Step 2. Select Business Type And Filing State
By default, it is on Limited Liability Company (LLC). Leave it like that. Choose Kentucky as State.
Click on Save and Continue.
Step 3. Enter Business Owner Details
You need to enter your first name, last name, email address, and US Phone number. I have told you to get a US number and if you already have it, enter it on the phone number option. Tick the box (I agree to the terms and conditions).
Click on Save and Continue.
Step 4. More Details About Your Business
At this stage, you will follow a series of questionnaires about your business. It is necessary you provide the right details.
Is this is your first business?
Choose ‘Yes’.
Click on Save and Continue.
What motivated you to start your own business?
Choose any answer. You can choose ‘All of the above’.
Click on Save and Continue.
When do you plan on being open for business?
Choose ‘I’m already open for business’.
Click on Save and Continue.
What type of business do you have?
You can choose any of the businesses that fit what you do. I rather choose professional service.
Click on Save and Continue.
Do you already have or will you be hiring any employees in the first 12 months?
Choose ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. Your choice depends on your plan for your LLC.
Click On Save and Continue.
Will you be accepting credit card payments?
Choose ‘Yes’
Click on Save and Continue.
Step 5. Your LLC Details
You will need to enter your proposed business name. You can decide to use your personal name if you want to run a personal brand. If not, use a brand name which is much preferable. If the business name you choose is available, it will be created instantly upon state approval.
Enter your business description in one complete sentence.
Click on Save and Continue.
Step 6. Business Address
By now you should already have a US address if you have created it using shipito as stated earlier in this post.
Your shipito address is a California address so your state should be California.
Click on Save and Continue.
Step 7. Employer Identification Number (EIN)
EIN is very important in completing your LLC formation. After going through other LLC services, getting your EIN from Inc Authority is a good deal at $49. They are the cheapest so far.
Choose ‘Yes’.
Click on Save and Continue.
Step 8. Operating Agreement
The operating agreement provides proof you own the LLC.
Choose ‘Yes’
Click on Save and Continue.
Step 9. Legal Documents Package with Ownership Certificates, and Seal
Ignore the lawsuit protection package. Choose ‘No’.
Click on Save and Continue.
Minutes and Resolutions
Choose ‘No’.
Click on Save and Continue.
Express Processing
This is for quick delivery if you want the whole process to be done within a few days. Choose ‘No’ and be patient. If you have the money you can choose ‘Yes’.
Click on Save and Continue.
Website Registration (Domain Registration) + Business Email
The purpose of this is to secure your domain (website address) for your business if you don’t have one at the moment. In my case, I have already secured the domain and it is presently a website having custom email.
To reduce cost, ignore it. Choose ‘No’.
If you need a domain name for your business you can get it at Namecheap and secure it yourself.
Click Save and Continue.
Business Phone Number
Ignore the business phone number. Choose ‘No’.
Click on Save and Continue.
INC Success Advisor
You don’t really need this, so you should choose ‘No’.
Click on Save and Continue.
Business Checking & Credit Card
The choice is yours to choose ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. You might not see this page when you try to do yours. This is just an offer for a limited time.
Click on Save and Continue.
Step 10. Make Payment
Tick ‘Free – Standard delivery’.
Choose your payment method; Credit/Debit card or PayPal.
If your card is not accepted or does not work, use Paypal.
If you don’t have a Paypal account, you can create one and buy funds in order to complete the payment.
If you follow all the above steps closely, you should be seeing $178 for checkout.
If your transaction is completed successfully, your LLC will be created by Inc Authority. At this stage, congratulations to you. But it doesn’t end here.
How To fill The EIN And Memebers Form From Inc Authority
After you have completed your registration, Inc Authority will send you two forms; EIN and members forms.
They are easy to fill. For the EIN form, enter your full names, your US address in the allotted places. For the SSN field, enter Foreign. It means that you are a non US citizen and that you have no SSN or EIN yet.
For the members’ form, enter your full name and US address. If there are other team members, enter their full name and their US address.
All these processes are necessary if you must open a verified stripe account for unsupported countries.
You will need a US bank account in order to receive your payment from Stripe. To open a US bank account is very easy. You need to open a Payoneer account to get a US bank account.
You will add the US bank account gotten from Payoneer to your Stripe payment section. When customers make payments to your Stripe account, you will move the funds into your Payoneer account and send them to your local bank account.
Now you can proceed to open a verified Stripe Account for unsupported countries.
How To Setup A Verified Stripe Account For UnSupported Countries
If you have formed your LLC and your EIN has been delivered, you will use those documents to create the stripe account and verify it.
Step 1. Visit https://dashboard.stripe.com/register.
Step 2. Enter your email, full name, country (United States), password, and click on Create account.
Step 3. Once you are inside the dashboard, use the details from the documents you got from Inc Authority to finish the process.
Questions Some People Ask
Can I use stripe for dropshipping?
Answer: Yes
How do I bypass Stripe verification?
Answer: There is no escape route to bypass stripe verification. You must have all the required documents to be able to open a verified stripe account in an unsupported country.
It took a lot of time to compile this information on how to open a verified Stripe account for unsupported countries. To show your appreciation, kindly use the social media icons below to share the post.
If you have any questions, you can drop them in the comment section or use the contact page to send a message.
Last Updated 7/2/2022
Mazino is a blogger, freelancer, and internet marketer. You can reach him through his personal website at www.mazinooyolo.com.
Pingback: Free LLC Formation – What You Need To Know