Run a real US Stripe account from India — with a company that already has its EIN

Stripe operates in India but with structural limits that hurt global SaaS founders. Per Stripe's country availability page, Stripe India settles in INR only — every dollar your US or EU customer pays gets converted to rupees at RBI-set rates before it reaches your bank (source: stripe.com/global, rbi.org.in). For a Bengaluru SaaS founder selling subscriptions to US agencies, that means absorbing 2–4% FX spread on every renewal, every month, forever.

The structural cause is RBI's foreign-exchange regime. The Reserve Bank of India regulates cross-border payments under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) 1999, the Master Direction on Liberalised Remittance Scheme, and a long list of A.P. (DIR Series) circulars (source: rbi.org.in). These rules require Authorised Dealer banks to convert inbound USD to INR within prescribed windows and report transactions over thresholds — which is why Stripe's acquirer settles you in rupees, not dollars.

Stripe Atlas exists for Indians, but it incorporates a Delaware C-Corporation costing $500+ one-time, then exposes you to US C-Corp double taxation: 21% federal corporate tax on profits, then dividend tax when you take money out. For a single-founder SaaS or two-person agency that wants pass-through tax treatment, it's the wrong structure.

Local rails don't fix the problem. Razorpay, PayU India, CCAvenue, Cashfree — all settle merchants in INR via RBI-authorised channels. PhonePe, Paytm, Google Pay India are UPI-based domestic wallets. Wise and Payoneer route Upwork/Fiverr earnings to Indian bank accounts (with INR conversion). None of these give you a real US Stripe account, USD settlement, or access to Stripe Billing's global subscription infrastructure.

The structural fix used by thousands of Indian SaaS founders, agency operators, and consultants: own a Wyoming LLC, get an EIN, open Mercury, register Stripe under the LLC. Pass-through tax, USD held in USD, India–US double-tax treaty applies.

You can register a brand-new Wyoming LLC and wait for the state and the IRS — that's our $549 package and it works well when the exact company name matters to you. But "register a new one" hides a queue: file Articles of Organization, wait for state approval, then apply to the IRS for an EIN. The realistic combined wait is two to four weeks. Until the EIN lands, no bank or Stripe will fully onboard you.

A ready-made LLC removes the queue. The company is already registered and in good standing, and — the part that unblocks Stripe — its EIN already exists. The moment the transfer completes, you can open Mercury or Wise Business and connect Stripe. Founders who need to take payments now buy the time back.

1. Step 1: Get a Wyoming LLC. Buy a ready-made Wyoming LLC that already has its EIN (transferred within 24 hours), or register a brand-new one for $549. Wyoming is the fastest, cheapest, most private state for non-resident LLCs — no state income tax, no franchise tax, $60/yr annual report, strong charging-order protection.
2. Step 2: Your EIN. A ready-made company already has its EIN issued. For a new registration, as a non-resident you can't use the IRS online portal (it requires an SSN/ITIN). We call the IRS International EIN line at 267-941-1099 as your Third Party Designee, using a completed Form SS-4 signed by you; the EIN is issued on the call and confirmed by fax.
3. Step 3: Open Mercury or Wise Business remotely. With your Certificate of Formation and EIN letter in hand, apply online to Mercury (preferred: free, FDIC insured via partner banks, native Stripe integration), Relay Financial, or Wise Business. Use a US virtual office address — not the registered-agent address (banks reject those). Approval: 3–10 business days.
4. Step 4: Connect Stripe with US LLC details. Sign up at stripe.com as a US business. Enter your Wyoming LLC name, EIN, Mercury routing and account numbers, and your passport for identity verification. Stripe activates the account, usually within 1–3 business days. You can now accept cards globally, use Stripe Billing for subscriptions, and settle USD straight into Mercury.

Four mainstream providers sell broadly the same outcome — a US LLC + EIN + bank + Stripe — at four very different price points. Here's a full comparison of registering new:

Competitor prices as listed on doola.com, firstbase.io and stripe.com/atlas, April 2026. Stripe Atlas is a Delaware C-Corp by default, not an LLC — a different tax profile for non-residents.

Payment methods that do NOT solve the global Stripe problem

• Razorpay, PayU India, CCAvenue, Cashfree — RBI-authorised domestic gateways that accept Indian and select international cards but settle merchants in INR. Excellent for selling to Indian customers. They do not give you a US Stripe account, USD settlement, or Stripe Billing's subscription infrastructure for global SaaS.
• UPI / PhonePe / Paytm / Google Pay India / BHIM — domestic INR mobile rails. Useful inside India, useless for global SaaS billing.
• Wise / Payoneer — handle Upwork, Fiverr, Amazon Mechanical Turk payouts to Indian bank accounts after INR conversion. Not merchant processors. They do not let you put a Stripe Checkout button on your own SaaS.
• Stripe India direct — limited categories admitted, INR settlement only, no Stripe Billing for subscription businesses, no Stripe Atlas-equivalent banking. Not a global SaaS solution.

India tax, RBI, and treaty considerations

The Income Tax Department (under CBDT) taxes Indian residents on worldwide income under the Income-Tax Act 1961. Income earned through your US LLC into a Mercury account is taxable in India regardless of whether you repatriate it. Practical points for Indian founders:

• Keep complete records — Stripe payouts, Mercury statements, LLC operating agreement, invoices and expenses. Required for ITR-2 / ITR-3 filing.
• Report foreign income on Schedule FA (Foreign Assets) of your annual income tax return — required for any Indian resident holding foreign assets including LLC membership interests.
• India–US double-tax treaty IS in force — Article 7 (Business Profits) and Article 14 (Independent Personal Services) provide foreign tax credit relief where US tax has been paid. A material advantage versus most non-treaty jurisdictions.
• RBI Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) sets a $250,000-per-financial-year limit on outbound USD from India — relevant if you ever fund the LLC from India. Inbound USD from the LLC is governed by FEMA inward-remittance rules and clears through Authorised Dealer banks.
• GST and digital services tax — services exported from India by a registered person are zero-rated under GST. If your customers are abroad and your LLC bills them, you may not need GST registration; consult a CA familiar with cross-border SaaS.
• Crypto founders — India's 30% flat tax on crypto income plus 1% TDS on every transaction makes domestic structures painful. A Wyoming LLC holding crypto under the state's DAO LLC statute gives you a legal US-domiciled vehicle.
• Consult a Chartered Accountant (CA) familiar with US LLC structures and India–US treaty relief.