Incorporating in USA - Delaware?

[Fishface]

Has anyone incorporated in the US as a non-resident?

anything to be aware of or pitfalls?

there are plenty of 'agencies' advertising on google ... any recommendations on setting up?

[Platypus]

I'm no expert but I *thought* that you can't incorporate in the US without being resident or having a resident represent you. Ditto bank accounts.

Sorry this probably isn't very helpful

[MiamiOffshoreServices]

USA Delaware/Nevada

Has anyone incorporated in the US as a non-resident?

anything to be aware of or pitfalls?

there are plenty of 'agencies' advertising on google ... any recommendations on setting up?

Hi Fishface, there are several things you should consider when setting up your US incorporation or LLC.
As a non-U.S. resident you ARE able to incorporate in the U.S. without a problem. If you plan to have a bank account however you MUST have an EIN number or you will not be able to open up a corporate bank account.

if you plan to receive payments from U.S. companies be aware you may need to do a 1099 form for the IRS.

an LLC is one of the easiest forms to work with because they are the simplest for keeping you taxes minimal, even in Delaware and Nevada which are corporate tax friendly locations.

In addition, if you want the U.S. bank account, which is definitely beneficial to have, you need to find someone who can do it for you. Because of kyc (know your customer) laws that were passed after 9/11, it is very difficult to find a solution short of traveling to the U.S. yourself. We have a solution that actually works great for UK and some European residents through our banker at Citibank, but not all of our clients fit their parameters so we always look at all solutions based on the needs of the client.

When you are considering a service provider -
check to make sure there aren't any scam reviews about the provider
look for someone who can provide the full basket of services you need - company, bank account, EIN, mail forwarding etc, whatever you need *BUT NOT the things you don't need because many companies add a bunch of fluff that *looks good* but is merely to inflate the price
try to find a company that is not virtual.

I don't know if this helps at all but if you have other questions please post them and I'll work at answering them for you

Hope this helped

Laura

[sounds]

there are plenty of 'agencies' advertising on google ... any recommendations on setting up?

Valis International ... Very good service in my experience.

[deano]

Would this get around the requirement for a sponsoring company in order to get a working visa in the US. You set up your own company and that company employs you, therefore becoming the sponsoring company?

Or are they not that daft?

[MiamiOffshoreServices]

Valis no longer offers a bank account with their incorporation service. Now, do you need a bank account? it all depends upon what you plan to use your company for and oftentimes you might think up front "oh I don't need to think about that now, I can do it later", but it simply becomes much more difficult to do later. so this is another thing to bring into consideration when comparing service providers. Be sure you know what you do AND don't need up front and what is or isn't possible later.

On the visa front are you thinking about a H1B or an E2 investor visa? Theoretically your company is not supposed to sponsor you. It's very tricky to do this with your own corporation. And, if you do find a lawyer who will do it for you it's going to be expensive because it's sort of a borderline thing. An E2 visa is much more possible, still expensive, but not prohibitively so and isn't bending the rules like an H1B visa would. It's legal but you will need to work with a lawyer to create a business plan and work on the "investment" structure ie you'll need to show the possibility to invest $ into your business venture. Hope this helps