How to register a company in USA

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Registering a US company, step by step

1. Choose the entity type and the state. Most operating businesses choose an LLC or a C corporation. The state of formation is a real decision but a smaller one than folklore suggests: form where you will actually operate, or in a widely used venue such as Delaware if investors expect it, and remember that operating in another state means registering there too as a foreign entity.
2. Appoint a registered agent and file the formation documents. Every state requires a registered agent with an in-state address to receive legal documents; commercial agents sell this for a modest annual fee. You then file the certificate of incorporation or articles of organization with the state's filing office, which is the act that creates the company.
3. Get the federal tax ID. The company needs an employer identification number from the IRS for tax filings, banking and payroll. US founders can obtain it online; foreign founders without a US taxpayer ID use the slower application routes, which is worth starting early because banks will not move without it.
4. Open banking and the state-level registrations. With the formation certificate and EIN, open the business bank account, then add the registrations your operations trigger: state tax accounts, sales tax where relevant, and payroll registrations in every state where you will employ people, since payroll obligations follow the employee's work state.
5. Stand up payroll and ongoing compliance. Hiring in the US means federal and state withholding, unemployment insurance registrations and workers' compensation coverage per state rules, plus annual reports and franchise taxes to keep the entity in good standing. Most companies run this through a payroll provider or a PEO rather than by hand.

Foreign founders: the honest friction points

The formation filing itself is easy from anywhere; no visit and no US citizenship is required to own a US company. The friction is everything around it. Getting the EIN without a US taxpayer identification number takes longer than the domestic online route. Banks apply their own identity and presence checks, and account opening is routinely the slowest step for non-resident owners. And the tax consequences of owning a US entity from abroad, or of the entity engaging its foreign parent, need advice on both sides of the border before you file, not after.

Budget for the recurring layer too: registered agent fees, annual reports, franchise taxes and a US accountant. A US entity is cheap to create and never free to keep.

If the real goal is hiring in the US

A large share of foreign companies registering a US entity are doing it for one reason: to put an American employee on a compliant payroll. An entity does that, but so does an employer of record, without the formation, the banking wait, the per-state payroll registrations or the annual compliance calendar. The EOR's US entity employs your hire, runs federal and state withholding and workers' compensation, and bills a monthly fee per employee; the index on this site shows those fees verified against each vendor's own pricing page.

The entity route wins when you need more than employment: US customers who want a domestic counterparty, investors, product liability separation, or a team large enough that per-employee fees overtake an entity's running costs. Plenty of companies sequence it: hire the first one or two Americans through an EOR, and register the company when the US operation has proven itself.

Common questions

Which state should I register in?

Form where you operate, unless you have a reason not to. Delaware is standard for venture-backed corporations because investors and lawyers know it; forming there while operating elsewhere means maintaining two state registrations, which is normal but not free.

Can a non-US citizen own a US LLC or corporation?

Yes, ownership is open to foreign individuals and companies for standard LLCs and C corporations. The practical hurdles are the EIN timeline and bank onboarding, and the tax treatment of foreign ownership needs professional advice.

How long does registration take?

The state filing is often processed in days, sometimes hours with expedite fees. The working timeline is set by the EIN and the bank account; for foreign founders those commonly stretch the process to weeks.

Do I need a US company to hire one US employee?

No. An employer of record can employ them through its own US entity, handling payroll taxes, unemployment insurance and workers' compensation, for the monthly fees verified in the comparison table. Register your own entity when the US operation justifies it.

Coverage by country

• Employer of record vendors covering Singapore
• Employer of record vendors covering Mexico
• Employer of record vendors covering Spain
• Employer of record vendors covering Colombia
• Employer of record vendors covering United Kingdom
• Employer of record vendors covering France
• Employer of record vendors covering Hungary
• Employer of record vendors covering New Zealand