Which businesses can benefit from a US LLC?
Find out whether your activity is compatible with a US LLC structure and avoid trouble with your home-country tax authority.
Do you meet the requirements?
All three are mandatory. No exceptions.
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Your business is 100% digital
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No payroll employees
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You work remotely, no physical office
Companies selling physical products without holding a warehouse in their home country and with customers spread across the globe can run smoothly through an LLC.
An online store selling apparel and shipping to customers in Europe, the Americas, and Asia, without holding stock in your home country, can run smoothly through an LLC.
A chain of brick-and-mortar stores selling locally and operating from a permanent establishment in its home country.
Self-employed freelancers who deliver services remotely to clients, without offices or facilities.
A freelance graphic designer working from home and collaborating with clients in different parts of the world.
A lawyer with a physical office where clients are seen in person, with no remote work component.
Marketers and consultants who deliver their services globally, without needing a physical headquarters in any specific location, can operate without restrictions. An LLC is usually a perfect fit for this kind of professional.
A team of marketers and consultants working remotely with clients across different industries, delivering digital marketing and strategic consulting services.
A consultant who operates exclusively from a single physical location and serves only local clients, with no remote or digital component.
Coaches, mentors, and therapists who deliver their services remotely, without needing a specific physical location, can serve clients in different parts of the world. An LLC is the perfect tax vehicle for them.
A career-development mentor delivering virtual sessions to clients worldwide, adapting services flexibly and without needing a physical location.
A therapist who only delivers in-person services from a local practice and does not leverage online platforms to reach clients.
Digital service providers, such as SaaS (Software as a Service) platforms, can deliver software solutions remotely without a specific physical location. An LLC is the perfect tax vehicle for them.
An online graphic-design platform that lets users worldwide request logos, marketing assets, and other visual deliverables remotely.
A graphic-design consultancy that only operates in person from a local studio and offers no online services.
Special Cases: Personal Consultation Required
Physical businesses with a digital component
Hybrid physical-digital businesses, such as restaurants that integrate digital strategies into their operations, combine a physical presence with a strong online presence. In this case, the LLC must be paired with a local home-country entity in a hybrid structure.
A high-end restaurant that uses digital platforms to promote its menu online, accept orders through an app, and keep an active social-media presence. (Requires a hybrid LLC + local entity structure.)
A neighborhood tapas bar with minimal online presence, no advertising spend, and no use of digital media to promote its menu.
Every LLC document is sealed on Bitcoin
Every document we generate is hashed with SHA-256 and anchored to the Bitcoin blockchain via OpenTimestamps. Cryptographic, immutable proof.
LLC Compatibility Detector
Search your activity to find out whether you can operate without a Permanent Establishment in your home country.
| Activity | Verdict | Quick Analysis |
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What if your activity is flagged as not viable?
An LLC on its own is not your final answer, but you can deploy combined strategies:
- Use a local entity or sole-proprietor status for the physical or in-person side of the business in your home country.
- Pair it with an LLC for the digital, marketing, and international-expansion side of the business.
*This way you separate risk, optimize the tax treatment of the digital side, and remain compliant with local rules.
Related-Party Transactions: Transparency and Compliance
When two related companies (for example, with the same owner) transact with each other, those transactions are treated as related-party transactions. They must be run with full transparency and full legal compliance.
- Real services: Invoices must correspond to services actually delivered or goods actually shipped.
- Fair valuation: Agreed prices must be consistent with what unrelated companies would charge each other (arm's-length principle).
- Thorough documentation: Detailed contracts, valuation reports, and proof of actual delivery are critical.
Manipulating prices or staging fake related-party transactions can be treated as tax fraud. That means heavy fines, sanctions, and, if the amounts are large enough, prison time. Tax authorities scrutinize these transactions closely.
Your Side of the Deal: The Approval Checklist
So your LLC is operational, passes bank KYC, and is legally efficient.
Physical Identity
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Valid Passport
Mandatory. Forget national ID cards — in the US they don't know what those are.
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Utility Bill
Electricity or water bill in your name with your real address. Without this, the bank will NOT open the account.
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Company Name
Must be unique. Come up with something original.
Digital Coherence
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Active Website
The bank will review your domain. "Coming Soon" is not enough — it has to explain what you do.
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Corporate Email
Use [email protected]. @gmail addresses raise risk flags during KYC.
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Active Social Media
LinkedIn or Instagram active and consistent with your business.
Red Lines (Off Limits)
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No US Residency
No Green Card, no US work or residency visa.
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Zero Employees
Do not put anyone on payroll in your home country under the LLC.
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No Office, No Warehouse
CRITICAL: Renting space or holding stock in your home country creates a Permanent Establishment.
IMPORTANT
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If you plan to operate the LLC physically (with offices or staff) inside the US, you will need an ITIN to be able to file US taxes.
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You do not need a SSN (Social Security Number) unless you physically reside in the US.
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For your LLC to stay outside US taxation, you must neither reside in nor physically operate within the United States.
That's it. Easy, right?