Register a company in Delaware

If the business will raise venture capital or issue equity to investors, Delaware remains the standard because term sheets and fund documents are already built around it. For a lean holding or e-commerce LLC that will never raise VC, Wyoming can perform a similar role at much lower annual cost and with stronger statutory privacy.

Yes, but it is narrow. A single-member LLC owned by a non-resident, with no US-source effectively connected income, no US office, employees or dependent agents, may owe no US federal income tax. The owner’s home country still taxes according to its own rules, and US operations can change the position.

Through the paper route: Form SS-4, a designated third party and the IRS fax process. In practice, it takes 2-8 weeks. Errors can restart the processing clock.

Yes, through fintech platforms such as Mercury or Relay when the file is clean. Traditional banks more often expect US presence and may require an in-person visit. Banking is usually more difficult than the state filing itself.

It is an annual information return that a foreign-owned single-member LLC files together with a pro-forma Form 1120 to disclose reportable transactions with its owner. A missed year carries a $25,000 penalty. For many foreign-owned LLCs, this is the most important recurring filing behind financial reporting in Delaware.

The rules changed in 2025: FinCEN’s interim rule exempted US-formed companies and US persons from beneficial-ownership reporting, while leaving certain foreign companies registered in the US within scope. The applicable requirement depends on the current status of the specific entity.

Because their lawyers, fund documentation and transaction mechanics already assume Delaware law. Preferred-stock rights, board duties and exit disputes sit within a mature body of Chancery Court precedent, reducing legal uncertainty.

The authorised-shares method can produce a very large figure for startups with millions of authorised shares. Recalculation under the assumed-par-value method often reduces the amount to roughly $400-800 for the relevant structure.

The Tesla decision gave Texas and Nevada more momentum, and Delaware responded with statutory changes. Even so, the network effect remains strong for VC-backed and cross-border companies because investors and lawyers already know the Delaware framework.

Formation with the registered agent, EIN and corporate documents starts from $2,400, while the banking package starts from $4,400. State filing takes 1-3 days, an EIN without an SSN takes 2-8 weeks, and fintech banking usually adds another 1-4 weeks. Annual maintenance starts from $600 plus the $300 LLC franchise tax, while Form 5472 filing starts from $800/year where required.