US company registration from India
US company registration from India is straightforward on the American side and regulated on the Indian one. No US state asks whether you are Indian, and none requires a visit, a visa or a Social Security Number. What needs care is the other direction: India has its own rules about sending money abroad and owning a foreign company, and those are the ones that catch founders out.
Book a strategy call — we tell you what fits, what it costs and how long it takes before anything is filed. See what each package includes.
Why founders in India do this at all
Almost always one of three reasons, and it is worth knowing which is yours:
- Payments. Stripe, and the processors that follow it, serve a US entity with a US bank account in a way they do not serve every country.
- Customers. US and European buyers sign with a US company more readily, and enterprise procurement sometimes will not sign at all without one.
- Banking in dollars. Invoicing and holding USD without the spread and the delay of routing everything through an Indian account.
If none of those is true for you, the honest answer is that you may not need this yet, and we will say so on the call.
US company registration from India: what you register, and in what order
- The LLC with a Secretary of State — articles of organization, a registered agent in that state, and an operating agreement.
- The EIN on Form SS-4. Without a US taxpayer number you cannot use the IRS online application, so it goes by fax or post and takes weeks.
- The bank account, which waits on the EIN.
Plan the whole timeline around the EIN. Everything else is days; that one is weeks, and it is the step that decides when you can actually invoice.
The part that is Indian, not American
This is the half most pages written for this query leave out entirely.
Indian residents are subject to exchange control rules — FEMA, administered through the RBI — when they invest in or set up a company outside India. There are permitted routes, they carry reporting obligations, and the route that applies depends on what the foreign company does and how it is funded.
We do not advise on this and neither should a formation provider. It is the province of a chartered accountant in India, and it is worth one conversation with yours before the US company exists rather than after. What we will do is tell you what the US side will look like so you can put a concrete question to them.
Tax, in both places
A US LLC owned by a non-resident with no US trade or business commonly owes no US income tax — and still has to file. The return is Form 5472 with a pro-forma Form 1120, due every year even at zero revenue, with a $25,000 penalty for missing it.
On the Indian side, income is not invisible because a US company earned it. India and the United States have a double taxation treaty, and your Indian tax position is a question for your CA, not for us.
What nobody can promise you
- No one can guarantee a bank account or a Stripe account. Both decide after the company exists. Anyone promising approval is describing an application.
- A US company does not remove your Indian tax residency, and it does not put your income outside India's reach.
- It is not a visa. Owning a US company and being allowed to work in the US are separate questions with separate answers.
- It is not a way around FEMA. Anyone selling it as one is selling you a problem.
What it costs
Year one is the state filing fee, the registered agent and a US address; every year after is the annual report, the agent renewal and the federal filing. The state fees are public and modest. What varies is how much of the sequence you run yourself and what a late filing costs you when it happens.
Common questions
Can an Indian citizen own a US LLC outright?
Yes. There is no citizenship or residency requirement for LLC ownership in any state, and no minimum US ownership. Sole foreign ownership is the ordinary case.
Do I need to travel to the United States?
Not to register the company — every step is remote. A visit sometimes helps with a traditional bank later, and that is a banking question rather than a registration one.
How long does it take from India?
The company itself: days. The EIN without an SSN: weeks. The bank account follows the EIN. Work backwards from when you need to invoice.
Do I need an ITIN as well?
Not to form the company or to get the EIN — the two are routinely confused. An ITIN becomes relevant for a personal US filing obligation or a personal credit application. See how to get an ITIN.
Next step
Price on request. Book a strategy call — we confirm the state, the sequence and the cost before anything is filed, and tell you what to ask your CA. See what each package includes, or read US LLC registration for non-residents and the rest of the services.
Related
- US LLC registration for non residents — the US side, without the India specifics
- Best US bank account for non residents — which providers accept Indian founders
- US LLC for non resident cost — the three numbers
- LLC formation services in Pakistan — the same build from a neighbouring jurisdiction
Sources
Founders Credit is not a law firm, an accounting firm or a bank, and does not advise on Indian exchange control or Indian tax. State filings are lodged by licensed providers, US federal returns are prepared by licensed preparers, and bank decisions rest with the bank. We prepare the application; we do not promise the outcome.