US bank account for a non-resident LLC: Mercury, Relay, Wise

No European can walk into a US bank branch and open a business account in an afternoon. The realistic route is an online fintech with a US banking partner. The three names European founders ask about most are Mercury, Relay and Wise Business. They have different address rules, different document requests and different definitions of “non-resident friendly”.

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Approval is never guaranteed. A provider can change its eligibility rules, ask for a document you do not have, or reject a business category. Apply only after the LLC is formed and the EIN is issued, and never pay a third party for a “guaranteed” bank account.

The three providers at a glance

Requirements summarised from each provider's public help pages, checked 22 October 2026. Always confirm in the live application.
Provider	What it is	Published requirements	Address rule	Cost signal
Mercury	Business fintech with partner banks; not itself a bank	US-formed company, EIN document, government ID, details of the owner with operating control	US or international principal place of business; cannot be a registered agent, PO box or UPS box	No monthly fee, minimum balance or account-opening fee on the standard account (Mercury FAQ)
Relay	Business banking platform; accounts through partner institutions	Formation documents, EIN, operating agreement if multi-member, ID for every beneficial owner	Physical US business address and phone; no PO boxes or virtual mailboxes	Pricing and account tiers vary; check the current Relay pricing page
Wise Business	International business account, not a US bank	EIN, registered address, physical trading address, owner/controller details and ID	Registered address can be an agent; the trading address must be physical, not a virtual address	Fee-based transfers and conversions; check the current Wise pricing page

Mercury: the most common first choice

Mercury's FAQ is unusually direct about who it can serve. The company must be formed and registered in the United States or a US territory, have some existing or planned US operations, and have a US or international address for its principal place of business. That address can be residential, but it cannot be a registered agent, PO box or UPS box. Mercury also publishes a list of countries and regions where founders or financial controllers cannot currently be supported; check that list before you apply.

The documents are the formation documents, the IRS-issued EIN document, and a government ID for at least one person with operating control and for any owner with at least 25% ownership. Mercury says the standard business account has no monthly fee, minimum balance, overdraft fee or account-opening fee, though some features and international transactions carry fees. Mercury is a fintech, not a bank; deposits are held at partner banks and eligibility for pass-through FDIC insurance depends on the arrangement.

For a European solo founder, the practical question is the address. If you use a registered agent in Wyoming and have no other US address, do not assume the agent's address will pass. Mercury explicitly excludes it as the principal place of business. You may be able to use your European residential address as an international principal place of business if you also have planned US operations, but the review is manual and the outcome is not guaranteed.

Relay: stricter on the US address

Relay's help centre says an LLC needs formation documents, an EIN, and an operating agreement if there are multiple members. It also asks for a physical US business address and phone number, with no PO boxes and no virtual mailboxes. If the legal business address is a registered agent, Relay asks for a separate operational address where actual business activity occurs, and that address cannot be another registered agent.

That makes Relay harder for a European founder with no US footprint. If you have a real US office, a warehouse or a US partner's address that genuinely operates the business, Relay can work. If your only US address is a registered agent, the application may stall. Relay's international payment services are provided through partner banks and Nium, and its account tiers and fees change; check the current pricing before you apply.

Wise Business: useful for multi-currency, not a US bank

Wise's US business verification page lists the EIN, the business registered address, the business trading address, and details of the owners and controller. For non-US beneficial owners, Wise asks for a copy of a photo ID rather than an SSN. The trading address must be a physical location; Wise says it cannot accept virtual addresses. The registered address can be the address of the registration agency or attorney.

Wise is often the easiest account for a European founder to open because it is built around international payments, but it is not a US bank and it does not offer the same US banking features as Mercury or Relay. It is a strong choice for receiving payments in USD, EUR and GBP, and a weaker choice if you need US checks, a US debit card programme with domestic banking, or a US lending relationship. Read the fee schedule before you rely on it for large volumes.

The address problem, explained

There are three different addresses in a US LLC application, and providers conflate them at your peril:

Registered agent address: where the state sends legal service. It is often a commercial mailbox and is public in some states.
Principal place of business: where the company is managed. For a European founder, this may be a home address in Europe, but some providers want a US address.
Operating or trading address: where the business actually does things. A virtual mailbox is not an operating address.

Mercury accepts a US or international principal place of business but excludes registered-agent, PO box and UPS box addresses. Relay requires a physical US address and a separate operational address if the legal address is an agent. Wise requires a physical trading address and accepts an agent for the registered address. Those are different tests; one provider's acceptance does not predict another's.

Documents to prepare

Stamped articles of organization or the state's formation approval.
EIN confirmation letter (CP-575 or 147C).
Operating agreement, especially for a multi-member LLC.
Passport or national ID for each beneficial owner and the controller.
Proof of address for the business and, if asked, for the individual.
A clear description of what the business sells, who pays it and where the money comes from.
Website, invoices or contracts that support the description.

What to do if you are rejected

Ask for the reason in writing. Common reasons are an address that does not meet the rule, a business category the provider does not serve, missing ownership information, or a mismatch between the formation document and the EIN letter. Fix the underlying issue before applying to a second provider; a rejection is often visible in the next application. If the business is legitimate and the only problem is the address, a real US operating address or a different provider may solve it. Do not use a borrowed address or a mailbox you do not control.

What about a traditional US bank?

A traditional bank may open a business account for a foreign-owned LLC, but it usually requires an in-person visit, a US address and a US phone number, and the compliance review can be long. For most European founders, the fintech route is the practical first step. If you later need a traditional bank, a US accountant or lawyer can introduce you to a branch that handles foreign-owned entities.

Questions

Frequently asked

Can a non-resident open a Mercury account?

Mercury says it supports US companies founded by people across the globe, but not every country. The company must be US-formed, have an EIN and a US or international principal place of business that is not a registered agent, PO box or UPS box. Mercury publishes an exclusion list, and approval is not guaranteed.

Does Relay accept a registered agent address?

Relay asks for a physical US business address and phone number. If the legal address is a registered agent, Relay also asks for an operational address where the business actually operates, and that address cannot be another registered agent. A virtual mailbox is not accepted.

Is Wise Business a US bank?

No. Wise is a money services business, not an FDIC-insured bank. It offers multi-currency accounts and international payments, and its US business verification asks for an EIN, a registered address, a physical trading address and ID for non-US owners. It is useful for international payments but is not a substitute for a US bank account.

Can I use my European home address for the LLC?

It depends on the provider and the state. Some providers accept an international principal place of business; others require a physical US address. Using a European address can also affect the state's view of where the business is managed. Be consistent across the formation documents, the EIN application and the bank application.

Do I need a US phone number?

Some providers ask for one, and Relay lists a US phone number among its requirements. A VoIP number may satisfy the form but can fail verification if the provider checks the carrier. Use a number you control and can answer during US business hours.

Sources and checks

All figures on this page were checked on 22 October 2026. A link is not an endorsement; it is where the number or rule comes from.

Not legal, tax or insurance advice. This article explains general rules and public prices. It does not apply them to your situation and does not create a lawyer–client or adviser–client relationship. Company formation, tax residence, CFC rules, VAT and banking eligibility depend on facts that this page cannot verify. Before you form or move an entity, take advice from a qualified professional in the country where you live. For EU residents: a US LLC does not remove home-country tax, VAT or social-security obligations.

A US bank account for a non-resident LLC