Portugal has become a base for freelancers and remote entrepreneurs from all over the world, and most of them invoice clients who pay in dollars. A US LLC gives you a real US entity, a USD business account and Stripe access, all set up remotely without flying to the US.
Why entrepreneurs in Portugal open a US LLC
- Get paid in USD from clients worldwide, straight into a US business account.
- Unlock Stripe and PayPal with a real US entity, including the features reserved for US businesses.
- Project trust to American clients who prefer to contract with a US company.
How a US LLC is taxed
The American treatment is the first thing to understand. Left as it is, an LLC is transparent: it owes no corporate income tax, its result being attributed directly to the people who own it. Electing to be taxed as a corporation stays available.
Then comes the point that concerns a non-resident owner. Absent an office, employees or a dependent agent in the United States, the LLC is normally not considered to carry on a US trade or business, which leaves its profit at 0% US federal income tax. The mandatory IRS filings each year are ours to prepare. What you declare in Portugal is unchanged.
How to register your US LLC from Portugal, step by step
- Choose a state, Wyoming or New Mexico in the majority of online cases.
- We handle registration and obtain the EIN, without an SSN.
- Your US account and Stripe are opened remotely, wherever you are.
- Ongoing compliance, IRS returns and state annual report, is filed by us.
Form your US LLC from Portugal with everything included from the first payment: formation, EIN, US bank account and compliance.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to travel to the US?
No US travel is needed, and you do not need a US SSN. We obtain your EIN for you as a non-resident owner.
Can I keep invoicing local clients as before?
Yes. Most entrepreneurs route their US-facing revenue through the LLC and keep their local invoicing unchanged.
Is it legal to create a US LLC while living in Portugal?
Yes. US law places no citizenship or residency condition on owning an LLC.
What happens after the company is registered?
We obtain your EIN, then open your US bank account and Stripe, and we keep the annual filings on schedule.