Register a company in Ohio

Yes. The Secretary of State takes the articles online through the Ohio Business Filings portal, and the statutory agent signs its acceptance on the filing, so nobody has to fly to Columbus. The EIN comes from the IRS by fax, usually within 4 business days, or by phone on its international line, with no SSN needed. Fintech accounts are applied for remotely; a traditional bank may want a US footprint first.

Formation starts from $2,400 all-in, including the Ohio filing fee ($99), the statutory agent for the first year, the EIN and the operating agreement. With a fintech or bank account set up, from $4,400. After that, Ohio has no annual report fee for an LLC, the CAT applies only above $6 million of Ohio taxable gross receipts, and our renewal, from the second year, starts at $600 a year.

An LLC suits founders who will take profit out rather than raise equity: by default it is disregarded for federal tax with one member and a partnership with two or more. A C-Corp pays the flat 21% federally and is the usual choice when investors are coming. In Ohio, count the shares before you file: a corporation pays 10 cents a share for the first 1,000 authorised shares, falling in steps to a quarter cent above 500,000, with a $99 minimum and a $100,000 cap. Ten million authorised shares would cost $27,600 to file. S-corp status is closed to you, because non-resident aliens cannot hold S-corp shares.

Federally, a C-Corp pays 21% and an LLC normally passes its profit to the owners. Ohio's main business tax is the CAT: 0.26% of Ohio taxable gross receipts, owed only above $6 million a year. If an LLC has Ohio nexus and an owner living outside Ohio whose share tops $1,000, it withholds 3% for that owner on the IT 1140 (the IT 4708 composite return is the alternative), and the owner files an Ohio IT 1040. Municipalities add a net profit tax at their own rates. Taxable sales carry 5.75% state sales tax, and county and transit rates can take the total to 8.75%.

Regular service at the Secretary of State takes 3-7 business days. Faster lanes cost extra: $100 for two business days, $200 for one, and $300 for four hours if the filing is delivered in person by 1:00 p.m. The EIN by fax generally arrives within 4 business days; by mail it takes about 4 weeks. The bank account follows the EIN, and its timing depends on the platform and your file.

There are two routes, and your footprint decides between them. A new company run from abroad usually applies online to a fintech platform of the Mercury or Relay type; a traditional bank becomes realistic once there is a US presence behind the company. We choose the route with you and assemble the file; once the account is open, we connect ACH, wires and Stripe. The bank decides, and if your file has a weak spot we say so before you apply.

It is Ohio's name for a registered agent: the person or business that receives legal documents and official notices for the company. The law requires an Ohio resident or a business with an Ohio address, at a street address that cannot be a P.O. box, even one with a street address attached. A founder living abroad therefore cannot do it. The state charges no fee for the original appointment, and ours is included for the first year. Keep one at all times: an LLC left without an agent can have its articles cancelled 30 days after the state's notice.

Not to Ohio. The Secretary of State keeps no ownership or officer lists, and the articles ask for the company name and the statutory agent, not the members. Federally, FinCEN's final rule, in force since 14 August 2026, exempts companies formed in a US state from BOI reporting. Owners do appear at the IRS: the EIN application names a responsible party, who must be an individual.

Form 5472, and it is federal. A single-member LLC wholly owned by a non-US person files it every year with a pro forma Form 1120, due by the 15th day of the fourth month after its tax year ends. Money you put in or take out counts as a reportable transaction, so a year with no sales still needs the form. It cannot be filed electronically, only by fax or mail, and missing it costs $25,000, plus $25,000 for each further 30 days once 90 days have passed after an IRS notice. Our accounting add-on files it from $800 a year.

It depends on where the business runs. Ohio calls an LLC formed in another US state a foreign LLC - the word is about the state of formation, not where the owners live - and such an LLC registers here on Form 617 for $99, with an Ohio statutory agent of its own. If your plant, staff or warehouse are in Ohio, forming here avoids paying for two states. If you sell online from abroad and plan to raise money, Delaware is usually the better fit.