US Bank Account for a Non-Resident LLC: Mercury, Relay and Alternatives

Your LLC is registered and you have an EIN, but without a US bank account Stripe and the marketplaces have nowhere to send your money. Here's which online banks currently accept owners from CIS countries, what documents to prepare, what to do about Mercury's email on the move to Column N.A., and how to keep your account through re-verification.

Step 01Check whether the bank will take you at all

The first thing an online bank looks at isn't your business - it's the citizenship and country of residence of every LLC owner. If even one member is on the restricted list, the application gets rejected, no matter where the company is registered.

Relay. Its official list has 31 countries. From the CIS, it includes Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Moldova and Tajikistan aren't on the list at the time of writing. But there's another hurdle, covered in Step 03.

Mercury. Officially, the bank says it doesn't work with founders from "certain countries and regions" and keeps the full list in its help center. In summer 2024, Mercury closed accounts of companies whose founders held Russian, Belarusian or Ukrainian passports. Unofficial retellings of the 2026 list also mention Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, but I couldn't confirm that on the official page. Before applying, open the current list in Mercury's help center and check your country.

If both banks are off the table. Most people look at Wise Business next. Keep in mind that it isn't a US bank but a payment service, with its own country restrictions (more in our article on Wise account blocks). Big banks like Chase or Bank of America accept an ITIN instead of an SSN, but usually require a branch visit.

Step 02Gather your documents before you apply

You can save an application and come back to it, but it's better to have everything ready from the start. If you stop halfway, you'll end up hunting for paperwork under pressure.

The core set for an LLC that both Mercury and Relay ask for:

• your EIN and the IRS letter confirming it;
• Articles of Organization or Certificate of Formation;
• Operating Agreement (Relay requires a signed one if there are multiple members);
• a passport for each owner;
• a US company address and phone number;
• a description of the business: what you sell, to whom, and through which platforms.

Relay also asks foreign owners where the startup funds came from, their annual personal income, whether the company is new, and which countries it operates in. According to owners who've been through it, Mercury asks similar questions about the source of funds and the business's ties to the US.

Timing: according to company formation services, reviews for non-residents take noticeably longer than for Americans - plan on several weeks.

Step 03Your company and personal addresses have to line up

Addresses trip up more applications than anything else. The bank compares the address in your formation documents, the IRS letter, the application and the proof-of-address document you upload. If one place shows your registered agent's address, another a virtual office, and a third your home address with no explanation, it looks like you're hiding something.

Relay spells out its rules in the help center:

• the company address must be a physical one, no PO boxes;
• every beneficial owner needs a physical US address - no PO boxes and no virtual mailboxes;
• if the legal address belongs to a registered agent, you also need an operating address, and it can't be another agent's address.

For an owner living in Almaty or Tashkent, the personal US physical address requirement effectively rules out Relay. Using someone else's address where you don't live isn't an option: that's false KYC information, and the account will be closed once it's checked.

I didn't find an official ban on virtual addresses at Mercury. But the same logic applies: use one and the same company address everywhere - with the state, the IRS, the bank and Stripe. For your personal address, give your real place of residence and back it up with a document in your name.

Step 04Mercury is moving to Column N.A.: don't miss the email

Mercury isn't a bank but a fintech company; customer funds are held at partner banks. Accounts are currently being moved from Choice Financial Group to Column N.A., a national bank based in Salt Lake City, FDIC certificate number 58224. Mercury attributes the move to changes in Choice's program rules.

How the process works:

1. You get a notice asking you to confirm your company details by a set date.
2. Mercury reviews responses in batches over several weeks and may ask for clarification. Companies with foreign owners usually get more of these requests.
3. Once approved, a Column account opens automatically.
4. When you receive an invitation, you move your balance and history over with the built-in tool.

The old and new accounts run side by side, and the transition period lasts until December 2026. In other words, there's almost no time left.

What to check in the email and in your dashboard:

• that the message showed up in your Mercury dashboard, not just your inbox (phishing that mimics these emails is very much a thing);
• the deadline for confirming your details;
• that your address, owners and business description match what you provided at opening;
• your new routing and account numbers - take them only from the dashboard, never from articles or lists shared by others.

After the move, update your banking details everywhere money comes from: Stripe, Shopify Payments, Amazon, Payoneer, and clients you invoice. Don't touch the old account until every payment has come through to the new details.

Step 05Get through re-verification without losing the account

Opening an account is only half the job. A few months in, the bank may ask for documents again: an updated passport, proof of address, an explanation for large deposits. Many LLC owners run into this in the first 3-9 months, although banks don't publish an official schedule.

What most often triggers these requests:

• volume far above what you stated in your application;
• money coming from someone other than who you described (for example, you said "Shopify store," but transfers come from individuals);
• logins from new countries or different devices;
• payments to countries the bank doesn't work with.

How to respond:

1. Reply within the deadline in the request - ideally the same day.
2. Attach documents, not just text: a Stripe statement, invoices, a supplier contract.
3. If your business has changed, say exactly how. A discrepancy you explain yourself is better than one the bank finds.
4. Keep your passport and proof of address up to date so you aren't scrambling for them.

Payment systems work by similar rules - see our article on keeping Stripe from freezing your account.

Step 06Keep a backup account with a different partner bank

A fintech can close your account without explanation, and there's no branch to walk into. The balance is usually returned, but that takes weeks, and meanwhile Stripe, your suppliers and your ads are all on hold.

You need a backup account in advance, not on the day you get blocked. The key rule: it must sit with a different partner bank. Two fintechs built on the same bank won't protect you from that bank's problems. Ask each service which bank actually holds your money.

A practical setup: a primary account that receives payouts; a second service with a small balance and regular activity so it doesn't get closed as dormant; and a clear idea in advance of how quickly you can switch banking details in Stripe and on marketplaces. We covered how to pick a payment system for your business model in a separate article.

SummaryChecklist before applying and after opening

• Checked your country against the current Mercury and Relay lists for every LLC owner.
• Gathered your EIN, Articles, Operating Agreement, passport, proof of address and a clear business description.
• The same company address is listed with the state, the IRS, the bank and Stripe.
• Your personal address is real - no borrowed or virtual addresses.
• If you're a Mercury customer: confirmed your details for Column before the deadline in the email, checked the new account details in the dashboard, and updated them with every payer.
• You answer bank requests on time and with documents.
• You have a backup account with a different partner bank.

If you need help setting up your LLC, Stripe and Shopify, message us on Telegram and we'll advise on your specific situation.