Owners of LLC companies can now open a bank account remotely online in the USA, and the procedure is very straightforward. In general, the biggest issues faced by e-commerce businesses in global markets are:
- Opening a corporate (business) account for the business in the United States
- Not being able to locate debit cards to make purchases
- Being unable to conduct inexpensive international money transfers
- And much more
We have put together a guide to help you solve these issues quickly. You can open a bank account without traveling to the USA if you have a business in America and need one.
The way is?
Let’s get right to it.
Is It Necessary to Open a Bank Account in America?
It is necessary, perhaps even essential.
If you own a company in America and conduct business through it, you must have a bank account through which you can send and receive payments.
You must be able to collect your earnings somewhere, reuse them as capital with bank cards, and, most importantly, transfer your earnings to your country of residence with minimal expenses.
Many platforms or marketplaces, however, will require a US bank account. The most prominent example is;
- Amazon
- eBay
- Stripe
- PayPal
- Shopify
- Etsy
- And there are also numerous payment processors and marketplaces.
To open an account on these platforms and conduct business, you must first establish a company in America and obtain an EIN.
These platforms will then request that you enter a US bank account number in order for them to make payments to you.
To summarize, whether you want it or not, if you do e-commerce through your company in the United States, you must open a bank account.
How To Open a Bank Account in the United States
Physical banks in the United States require you to visit the country in order to open an account for a company based there.
This was easier in the past, but things have changed.
Many entrepreneurs were disappointed in this case and even decided to abandon their businesses.
However, digital banks have changed the game and opened up new opportunities for non-US entrepreneurs.
Opening a physical bank account in the United States remotely online was relatively easy in the past, but this situation has changed significantly following updates to some of the country’s security laws.
Why is it so difficult to open a physical bank account in the United States?
Many traditional banks in the United States require the LLC owner to visit the bank in person. With your EIN letter, you can open an account in person at a bank.
When opening an account with a major bank, individuals must provide an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) and proof of address in the United States (details vary by bank). If you require an ITIN number, you can obtain one here. (You can contact us for this)
Those who were unable to meet such requirements were helped by digital banks. Online account opening is possible with digital banking systems such as Mercury Bank and Wise.
While these are not physical banks, they are insured financial institutions that may be sufficient to support your trade or business.
In fact, there are some other Digital Bank alternatives that can help your company open a remote account in the United States.
However, in this article, we will focus on Mercury bank, which is the most popular of these alternatives.
What is Mercury Bank? What Does It Offer?
Mercury bank, whose founders claim to be entrepreneurs, launched Mercury Bank in 2019 to make it easier for entrepreneurs to open a remote bank account.
Immad Akhund, Max Tagher, and Jason Zhang founded Mercury Bank in America in April 2019.
Immad Akhund, an entrepreneur, states that they formed this organization to prevent entrepreneurs from having the same problems with banks that they had during their years of entrepreneurship (and also to close this gap).
For those starting a new job, Mercury Bank provides excellent convenience. These cards can be used to shop online and purchase goods and services. A nice-looking card with your name and company name on it. Mercury, on the other hand, provides you with some benefits.
Mercury Bank Advantages
- Checking and Savings accounts
- Bank card (ATM/Debit)
- A savings that yields 1-2%
- ACH payments
- Check payments
- Internet banking
- Free domestic and international money transfers
- Useful tools to keep track of money
- FDIC insured deposits
- Opening an account remotely online
- A free debit card for every user
- Virtual card
- Teamwork
- No minimum balance
- No monthly dues
- And more
Mercury Bank Costs and Price
It is completely free to open an account with Mercury Bank. They don’t charge any extra fees; all you have to do is open an account by owning an LLC company, stating that your customers are in the United States, and having your company have an EIN.
Even if your customers are not located in the United States, you can transfer funds from payment platforms like Stripe to Mercury Bank.
However, when opening an account, do not state that your customers are located outside of the United States; otherwise, your account may be rejected.
What types of businesses are not accepted by Mercury Bank?
To begin, in order to open an account online with Mercury Bank, you must first form an LLC and obtain an EIN from the IRS.
We emphasize this at every opportunity because we get a lot of questions about opening a personal account.
Individual applications are not considered by Mercury Bank. Entrepreneur-friendly Some businesses are opposed to Mercury Bank. The following are some of the unapproved job categories:
- Money services businesses or involved with adult entertainment
- Cannabis or Internet gambling
- Furthermore, there may be some categories that they do not believe are appropriate.
To summarize, Mercury Bank easily approves many industries that operate within the rules.
Is a website required to open a Mercury Bank and Marketplace Store account?
You must provide a website or a marketplace link (social media account links may be as well) in order to open a Mercury bank account. You cannot open a Mercury bank account if you do not have any projects.
They will accept a completed website in English that complies with the policies. You can provide a link to your Amazon, Walmart, eBay or Etsy store etc if you do not have a website. Stores must be yours and must have active products installed.
If you can, open an account with a specific e-mail address for your domain name when applying through the website.
To summarize, you must have an e-commerce site or at the very least be a marketplace seller of global brands in order to open an account.
The most important thing to remember when opening a Mercury bank account is to state that your primary source of income is from the United States.
In order to avoid problems with account approval, emphasize this in your responses during account opening.
What Documents Are Required to Open a Mercury Bank Account?
To open an account with Mercury bank, you must be a US-based company with an Employer Identification Number (EIN). You must, however, provide your company’s incorporation documents, your EIN approval letter, and your passport.
Furthermore, if you want to open an account in your own country, you must enter your address in your own country instead of your company address, and you must provide proof of residency in the form of an invoice or bank statement. Instead of the registered agent address, they now want the residence address of the LLC company owner.
There are systems in place to verify your passport online via a mobile application when opening an account. Don’t be afraid to start your own business.
It is possible to establish a company in the United States in a short period of time and at a low cost.
You can get information about company formation on our website.
Does Mercury Bank Issue Debit Cards?
Yes, every Mercury member receives a free debit card (Debit). There is also support for virtual cards, which can be created instantly. Once your Mercury account is established, they will send a debit card to your country of residence for free.
However, when ordering your card, specify that it be delivered to your home address. Because if you want it mailed to a US business address, it is first mailed to that address, and then the forwarding process to your country takes longer, and this method is quite expensive.
During the registration process, Mercury bank allows you to specify your own residential address as the mailing address to which your card will be sent. As a result, the card is mailed free of charge to your home address in your country of residence.
The mailed card should arrive within 2 to 5 weeks. Then, log in to your Mercury bank account, create a pin code for your card, and activate it.
How to Open a Mercury Bank Account Online?
This is fairly simple once your LLC company is established.
If everything is in order, go to mercury.com and register by clicking the “Open Account” button.
Note: If you start your membership through NM Digital Team link, a balance of $250 will be added to your account as a gift when you deposit a certain amount.
Complete the form below completely. Fill out the first step by entering your name, surname, e-mail (if you have one) and password.
Type the company name and select the company type.
Enter a brief address. It could be the name of your company.
Only English characters!
This step will show you a list of categories that are not accepted. Proceed without selecting any of these; otherwise, your account will be rejected.
Continue with “OK” if you come across a short informational text.
Following this, you will be taken to a series of registration screens where you will create your company profile.
All forms must be filled out completely and accurately. Fill out all of the fields and submit the form.
Because Mercury is a digital bank, they will base your work on your website or marketplace store link.
If you run an active marketplace, such as Amazon, eBay or Etsy etc, you can include a link to your store, but the store must be yours and contain products.
The website you enter in this field must be relevant, secure, and content-ready. (Having pages such as about us, contact, terms and conditions, and privacy policy can also help to expedite approval.)
Upload your company document and passport to the appropriate fields, then wait for approval.
If you are eligible, you will receive an e-mail confirming that your account has been opened after a certain period of time.
As a result, it’s a good idea to check your e-mail address from time to time.
Enter your residence address in your country instead of your LLC company address in the USA in the Company address section because your country may be no longer accepts Registrated Agent addresses for USA LLCs. Your country address must be one that can be verified with an electricity and water bill.
Mercury bank Transferring Income from America to Your Country
Mercury bank now offers completely free money transfers internationally. During the transfer phase, you can send money for free by entering the details of your USD account in your country as well as your bank’s Swift code.
Alternatively, you can withdraw cash by paying commissions with your debit card. Card cash withdrawal commissions may differ from one bank to the next and from one country to the next.
Are There Any Other Options to Mercury Bank?
There is, indeed.
If you have any issues with account approval, you can try Wise Corporate. Wise Corporate issues cards to US LLC owners with accounts in many countries.
When opening an account with Wise, you do not need to provide a passport; instead, simply upload your ID. During the registration phase, Mercury Bank requests that you upload a passport photo or have your passport defined in the system via the mobile application.
Conclusion
Mercury Bank is a fantastic option for entrepreneurs who are starting a new business and live outside of the United States.
The ability to open a remote account, as well as being free, offering free transfers, a debit card, and not requiring too many procedures, make it unrivaled in this field.
If you are involved in e-commerce or online commerce in another country, or if you intend to expand into the global market and start an online business, you can immediately establish an LLC company and begin benefiting from Mercury Bank’s services.
