If you are a freelancer, agency owner, e-commerce seller or SaaS entrepreneur in Nigeria, the hardest part of working with clients abroad is not the work itself. It is getting paid. Nigerian accounts often struggle with international cards, Stripe is not available locally and clients want to pay a real business, not a personal account. A US LLC solves this by giving you a legitimate American company, a US bank account and access to Stripe and PayPal, all without leaving Nigeria.
Why Nigerian entrepreneurs open a US LLC
- Get paid in USD from anywhere. Invoice clients in the United States, Europe and beyond, and receive payments into a real US business bank account instead of fighting with international transfers.
- Unlock Stripe and PayPal. With a US LLC, EIN and US bank account, you can accept card payments and subscriptions through Stripe and PayPal, which are difficult or impossible to use through a Nigerian entity.
- Project trust and win bigger clients. A US company on your invoices and contracts signals stability and professionalism, which helps you close higher value deals with international clients.
A US LLC owned by a non resident is usually tax efficient. Under the ETBUS rule, if you have no employees, office or dependent agent inside the United States and you are not personally present doing the work there, your LLC is generally not engaged in a US trade or business, so it typically owes no US federal income tax on that foreign sourced income. You still file the required US information forms such as mandatory IRS filings, and you keep declaring and paying your taxes locally in Nigeria as you normally would.
Moving money between Nigeria and your US company touches local rules from the Central Bank of Nigeria, including forex and reporting requirements under the CBN framework. This is a normal compliance topic, not a blocker, and many Nigerians run US LLCs while staying fully in line with it.
Your LLC in four steps
- Choose your state. We help you pick the right state, usually Wyoming or New Mexico, which are popular with non residents for their low fees and privacy.
- We file your formation. We register your LLC, set up your US commercial address and prepare your operating agreement, all remotely.
- We get your EIN and open your US bank account. We obtain your EIN without an SSN, then set up your US business bank account along with Stripe and PayPal so you can start charging clients.
- Stay compliant. We keep you on track with your annual filings and mandatory IRS filings so your company stays in good standing year after year.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to travel to the US to open the LLC?
No US travel is required. Formation, the EIN and the US bank account are all handled remotely, and you do not need a US SSN.
Can I use the LLC for my online business?
Yes. Most founders route their global, USD facing revenue through the US LLC and Stripe, from freelancing and agencies to e commerce.
How long does the whole setup take?
The application takes about 10 minutes. The formation and the EIN then follow, and we keep you updated at each step until your company is ready.
Join the Nigerian freelancers, agencies and entrepreneurs already running their business through a US LLC. We handle the formation, the EIN, the bank account and Stripe so you can focus on getting paid.
