LLC services for founders outside the U.S. (2026)

How is the list of services for founders abroad ordered?

A provider joins the list when one of its own pages says it serves founders outside the U.S., and the providers then run from the highest score on our rating method to the lowest.

1. Tailor Brands

   Separate sign-up flow for non-US citizens linked from the LLC formation page

   Our rating 8.7/10 · Trustpilot 4.8/5

   Sources: Tailor Brands website; Trustpilot

   See Tailor Brands plans

2. LegalZoom

   LegalZoom's pages say it serves founders outside the U.S.

   Our rating 8.1/10 · Trustpilot 4.6/5

   Sources: LegalZoom website; Trustpilot

   See LegalZoom plans

3. Bizee (formerly Incfile)

   Non-US citizens and non-residents can form a business without an SSN (general guidance)

   Our rating 8.0/10 · Trustpilot 4.8/5

   Sources: Bizee (formerly Incfile) website; Trustpilot

   See Bizee (formerly Incfile) plans

4. Swyft Filings

   Yes (states non-US citizens can form a US LLC)

   Our rating 7.7/10 · Trustpilot 4.7/5

   Sources: Swyft Filings website; Trustpilot

   See Swyft Filings plans

5. doola

   doola's pages say it serves founders outside the U.S.

   Our rating 7.2/10 · Trustpilot 4.5/5

   Sources: doola website; Trustpilot

   See doola plans

6. InCorp Services

   Formation and compliance services support international founders (knowledge-base article)

   Our rating 7.0/10 · Trustpilot 4.7/5

   Sources: InCorp Services website; Trustpilot

   See InCorp Services plans

7. BizFilings

   Yes - dedicated Foreign Business U.S. Incorporation package ($389 + state fees)

   Our rating 6.8/10 · Trustpilot 4.5/5

   Sources: BizFilings website; Trustpilot

   See BizFilings plans

No two providers here share a rating, so no tie rule comes into play. The ranking also ignores price. LegalZoom lists its Basic plan at $0, while doola Starter costs $297/yr.^{2, 3}

Some providers we compare are missing: ZenBusiness, Northwest Registered Agent, Inc Authority, Harbor Compliance and Rocket Lawyer. None of the pages we recorded for them says it serves founders abroad. That is a gap in what they publish, not a stated refusal. Inc Authority, for one, writes that an LLC has "no limitations as to how many members can be involved or where they're located", which describes the law rather than its own checkout.⁴

How strong is each provider's statement about founders abroad?

The statements range from a priced package to a general article about the law, so read the wording behind each name before you treat the list position as a promise.

• Tailor Brands links a separate sign-up flow for non-US citizens from its LLC formation page. It publishes no eligibility rules or prices for that flow.⁵
• LegalZoom has a page for Australian founders that offers to form an LLC with no Social Security number, residency, or travel required. The same page says it will "deliver your EIN, without the need for a Social Security Number" and adds "We help open your account with providers within days of formation".⁶
• Bizee (formerly Incfile) points to an article saying non-U.S. citizens and non-residents can start their own businesses. The article is guidance; it doesn't confirm that the order form takes a foreign address.⁷
• Swyft Filings answers in its FAQ that "A non-US citizen can legally form an LLC in the United States". Again, that is a point of law.⁸
• doola Starter bundles an Employer Identification Number (EIN), a Virtual Mailing/Business Address and Registered Agent Service, along with "Guidance to open US Bank Account".^{3, 9}
• InCorp Services says in its knowledge base that its services can support international founders establishing a U.S. business presence.¹⁰
• BizFilings builds its package around owners abroad. It comes with "Free Registered Agent Service for 6 months", an Apostille for proof of U.S. incorporation and International express shipping, and the included RA renews at $167/yr.¹

When a provider's statement is only general, its support team can confirm before you pay whether checkout accepts a foreign phone number and mailing address. The guide for non-U.S. residents covers the legal side for owners who live abroad.

Can a formation service get an EIN without a Social Security number?

Some can, and they charge for it. The IRS online application asks for an SSN or ITIN, so owners without either one apply by phone, fax or mail instead.

The number itself costs nothing (IRS: free; the IRS never charges a fee for an EIN). For owners with an SSN or ITIN the online route is quick: apply with the IRS online tool; if approved, the EIN is issued immediately online. An ITIN is a 9-digit IRS number for people who need a U.S. taxpayer ID for federal tax purposes but aren't eligible for an SSN. For a company run from abroad the IRS sets out a separate path, and a business whose principal place of business is outside the U.S. applies by phone (267-941-1099, Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern) or submits Form SS-4 by fax or mail.^{11, 12, 13}

Providers price this step very differently. Northwest Registered Agent lists its EIN service at $50 (with SSN) and $200 without SSN, though it isn't on the list above. doola Starter folds the EIN into its yearly price. At BizFilings, the EIN service requires an SSN or ITIN, and BizFilings does not help obtain an ITIN. Bizee (formerly Incfile)'s article says of an application filed through a third-party designee: "This option is not typically available to those who do not have an SSN or ITIN." InCorp Services sells its EIN service at $69 without saying whether it handles applicants who have no SSN.^{7, 14, 15, 16}

The EIN guide explains when an LLC needs its own number, and the list of plans that include an EIN shows where it comes in the plan price.

What does this list leave out?

It leaves out cost, the registered agent, a U.S. mailing address and federal reporting, and a founder abroad has to settle each of these whichever service files the LLC.

Agent and address. Each LLC names a registered agent with a street address in the state where it forms, and an owner living abroad usually has no such address to give. doola Starter lists Registered Agent Service among its items, and BizFilings' package includes an agent for a limited period. Bizee (formerly Incfile) gives one year of Registered Agent Service for free with any of its formation packages. Elsewhere the agent is a separate purchase, such as $199/year at Tailor Brands or $249/year (first-time registered agent customers) at LegalZoom. The list of plans with an agent included compares those terms, and the registered agent guide explains the role.^{3, 17, 18, 19}

Cost over time. The list isn't sorted by price. doola Starter comes to $594 through its second year before state fees, on the assumption that it renews at the same price; its terms say renewal is at rates then in effect. Tailor Brands' compared plan, Elite, comes to $498 on the same basis. The cost calculator adds any state's fee, and the list ranked by cost through year two sorts by this figure.²⁰

Federal reporting. FinCEN's current position is that U.S. companies are permanently exempt from BOI reporting under a FinCEN final rule effective August 14, 2026. The reporting duty stays in one case: foreign entities that are reporting companies must still report BOI. A company formed outside the U.S. that registers here should check that rule with FinCEN or a lawyer.^{21, 22}