US banking, credit, companies and residency, explained for non-US residents

Clear, practical answers for non-US residents building access to American banking, credit, and structures. Where you would rather have the work done for you than do it yourself, the services behind these guides are on the main site.

Start here

What are you trying to do?

Pick the outcome you are after. Each one opens the guides mapped in the order to read them, and ends at the call.

Get a US tax number (ITIN)You need an ITIN to file, to open accounts, or to run a US business as a non-resident.Build US credit as a non-residentYou want US credit cards and a US credit file without a Social Security Number.Set up a companyYou want limited liability, privacy, or a base to invoice and bank from.Open bank accountsYou want a US account behind your business, or a bank outside your home country.Lower my tax, legallyYou want a residency that changes where and how much you are taxed.Get a second passportYou want a second citizenship, through ancestry if your line allows, or through residency.

Tools

  1. Find Your RouteTell the tool what you are trying to do, a US tax number, credit, a company, banking or residency, and it maps the guides to read in order.
  2. ITIN Document Checklist: What the IRS Accepts for Form W-7The documents the IRS accepts for Form W-7, what each one proves, and the single document that replaces all the others. Two questions, your own list.
  3. What It Costs: Prices and Timelines by ServiceWhat each First Class Citizen service costs and how long it takes, from their own published pages. Pick your pieces and see the total before the call.
  4. The US Credit Calculator: What Your Spend ReturnsWhat US credit cards return on your spend at the rates their issuers publish today, and what that number is without a US credit file: zero.

ITIN Guides

  1. The Complete ITIN Guide for Non-US ResidentsWhat an ITIN is, what it unlocks, and how to get one without traveling to the US: requirements, timelines, and the team that has processed hundreds.
  2. Get an ITIN Without an SSNYou do not need a Social Security Number to get an ITIN; it exists for people not eligible for one. What you need, and how to apply from abroad.
  3. Best ITIN Services Compared: Done-For-You vs DIYDIY with the IRS, an acceptance agent, or done-for-you: an honest comparison of the three ITIN routes, and how to choose in five questions.
  4. How Long an ITIN Really TakesHonest ITIN timelines: 45 to 60 days done-for-you, the IRS's own 7 to 11 week clock for direct filers, and client results as fast as 37 days.
  5. ITIN for a US Bank AccountHow non-US residents use an ITIN for American banking: the in-person route at the major banks, the US LLC online route, and the credit that follows.
  6. ITIN Without Traveling to the USYou never need to enter the United States to get an ITIN: the official from-abroad routes, and what keeps your passport out of the mail.
  7. ITIN Rejected: How to Fix ItITIN rejected? What the CP567 and CP566 notices mean, why applications bounce, and how to make the second attempt the last one.
  8. ITIN for Your US LLCYour US LLC runs on an EIN; the foreign owner needs an ITIN for a personal return, treaty benefits, or personal banking and credit. Which does what.
  9. ITIN vs EIN vs SSNThree American tax numbers, three jobs: SSN for US persons, ITIN when you are not SSN-eligible, EIN for the business. Which you need, by situation.
  10. ITIN Renewal
  11. ITIN Form W-7: What It Is and What Goes With ItWhat the W-7 application actually is, the three things you hand over, the published 45 to 60 day clock, and four things applicants get wrong before they pay.
  12. What Banks Accept an ITIN?Which US banks work for a non-resident on an ITIN: the four named on First Class Citizen's own page, the four they work with, and how the account opens.

ITIN for a Specific Situation

  1. ITIN for Amazon SellersSelling on Amazon from abroad: which US tax number you need. W-8BEN and the foreign TIN, when the ITIN becomes yours, and where the EIN fits.
  2. ITIN for CanadiansHow Canadians get an ITIN: the cross-border cases that trigger it, the casino-withholding refund path, and the Canada-specific eases in the W-7.
  3. ITIN for Mexican CitizensHow Mexican citizens get an ITIN: the passport-scan route, the Mexico-specific eases in the IRS rules, and the Spanish-speaking team behind it.

US Credit

  1. US Credit From ScratchHow a non-US resident builds a US credit score from zero: how a file starts, which banks work with an ITIN, and the path to 720 in four to six months.
  2. US Credit Cards With an ITINReal US credit cards on an ITIN, no Social Security Number: which banks work, how the first card opens in person, and what the file does after.
  3. A US Credit Card Without an SSN or an ITINWhat is really available without either number, in an issuer's own published words, and the route the IRS built for people who cannot get an SSN.
  4. What a US Credit Score Is, and What Moves ItWhat a US credit score measures, what the published client evidence shows moved it, and why a non-resident starts from no file rather than from a low number.
  5. Secured Credit Cards With an ITIN NumberWhat a security deposit actually buys on a US card, what the issuers publish about it, and what has really opened on an ITIN file.
  6. Bank of America With an ITINWhat Bank of America publishes about its secured card, what it does not publish about an ITIN, and what the client record actually shows.
  7. Chase With an ITINThe one major issuer that publishes the ITIN answer in writing, what it does not publish, and what has actually opened at Chase on an ITIN file.
  8. How Fast US Credit Can Really Be BuiltHow fast a US credit score can honestly be built from zero: the part the bureaus fix, the part sequencing controls, and the four to six month reality.
  9. The Ways to Build US Credit, ComparedStarter products, a repair company, or a structured programme: an honest comparison for a non-US citizen building US credit from zero.
  10. From a First US Card to Travel PointsPremium US travel cards are what a real score unlocks, not the start: from a first card on an ITIN to the tier that earns, in the order that works.
  11. US Credit for US LLC Owners Living AbroadYour LLC has an EIN and its own file; your personal US score is separate, and issuers still check it. How a non-resident owner builds both in order.

Structures, Banking and Residency

  1. The US LLC, for Non-ResidentsHow a non-US resident forms and runs a US LLC: the 24 to 48 hour incorporation, the EIN that follows, Wyoming against Delaware, and the tax reality.
  2. The UK LLP, for Non-ResidentsHow a non-UK resident uses a UK LLP: a pass-through formed in 24 to 48 hours, the two partner rule, which banks work, and when no UK tax arises.
  3. A Panama Bank Account, Opened RemotelyA crypto-friendly Panama bank account opened remotely in three to five business days: who qualifies, the fifty dollar deposit, and where the limits are.
  4. Paraguay Tax ResidencyHow Paraguay tax residency works: zero on foreign income, a flat ten percent local, one to three days in Asunción, and no minimum stay to keep it.
  5. Mexican Residency, and the Passport Behind ItMexican residency for foreigners: the four year temporary route, permanent residency that never expires, and the passport two years after permanent.
  6. UAE Residency, Through a Dubai CompanyUAE residency through a Dubai free zone company: the company in three days, biometrics in ninety minutes, and the ninety day rule that decides the tax.
  1. What US Credit Approvals Actually Look LikeWhat US credit approvals actually look like: a realistic first card, secured turning unsecured, and one limit moved from 2,000 to 7,000 dollars by phone.
  2. Citizenship by Descent, and How Far Back Your Line ReachesCitizenship by descent through European ancestry: which countries open through parents or grandparents, real timelines and costs, and the free check.
  3. US LLC, ITIN and Paraguay Residency, in the Right OrderA US LLC, an ITIN and Paraguay residency are one structure, not three purchases: run in parallel it takes weeks, in series it takes months.
  4. What ITIN Approvals Actually Look LikeWhat ITIN approvals actually look like: a 37-day fastest case, the team's own 47-day average, the ten-week slow end, and the real IRS CP565 letter.
  5. What US LLC Formations Actually Look LikeWhat US LLC formations actually look like: Wyoming approved within days, EINs issued in 4 to 12 days in the record, and the IRS letters that arrive.
  6. What US Bank Account Openings Actually Look LikeReal US bank account openings: several in three days in Miami, six across Chase, Bank of America and Citibank in one week, and the deposit explained.
  7. Paraguay's Territorial Tax: What Changes, and What Does NotWhat Paraguay's territorial tax changes and what it does not: zero on foreign income once the RUC runs, ten percent local, and what stays behind.
  8. Keeping Your Paraguay Residency AliveKeeping Paraguay residency alive: no minimum stay, annual renewals to year three, permanent at two years, and the RUC filings an accountant handles.
  9. Banking a US LLC as a Non-ResidentHow a US LLC gets banked from abroad: the EIN gate, Mercury and Wise opening within days, Stripe for payments, and the in-person route for chartered banks.
  10. How US Credit Limits Actually MoveHow US credit limits move for non-residents: five of five app increases approved, a call that turned 2,000 dollars into 7,000, and the denials left in.
  11. What an ITIN Actually CostsWhat an ITIN costs in 2026: the IRS route with no filing fee, services from 160 to 497 dollars, and the 1,000 dollar done-for-you rate. What the gap buys.