Suspicious.

Verdict path · AI summary

Post body — by u/Neither-List-1005

I’m an Algerian software engineer. I formed my US LLC got the LLC formation documents, operating agreement and EIN. I thought I was done. I went to open my Mercury bank account, submitted my official, state-issued, English-translated Algerian proof of address... and Mercury flat-out denied me. Many formation platforms get you the LLC, but they abandon you when you hit banking compliance. I realized that to actually accept global payments, I didn't just need an LLC. I needed a 4-Part Infrastructure Stack to bypass US risk algorithms. Here is what I had to build to finally get live: - The IRS Fax Protocol: You can't get an EIN online without an SSN. You have to manually fax Form SS-4 to the IRS. If you mess up the 'Reason for Applying' code or the fax cover sheet, you sit in a 45-day queue. I had to learn the exact IRS fax protocol to get my EIN without getting stuck. - The 'Global Address Bridge': US bank bots don't trust local MENA/Africa/LATAM utility bills. I had to bypass this by opening a Tier-1 European digital bank account that accepted my local docs. Once approved, I used that bank's official statement as my 'Proof of Address' for Mercury. The US bank bot accepted it instantly. (I don't post the exact bank and KYC script here because their compliance questions change monthly, but this mechanism is mandatory if you live outside the US/EU). - The Stripe Anti-Ban Audit: Getting the bank account is only half the battle. When you apply for Stripe, their bots scrape your website. If you are missing 3 specific compliance clauses that non-US founders usually forget, Stripe will ban your account 48 hours after your first sale. I had to rewrite my Terms of Service to pass the bot. - The Tax Compliance Trap: A single-member foreign-owned LLC is a 'disregarded entity' for tax purposes, but you MUST file Form 5472 and 1120 every year. The penalty for missing this is $25,000. I had to set up a white-label CPA workflow to handle this so I don't accidentally commit tax fraud. The Result: I now have a fully functioning US LLC, Mercury account, and Stripe, with my tax compliance handled. I mapped this entire 4-Part Stack into a visual flowchart and checklist so other non-US founders don't hit the same brick walls I did. If you're interested let me know and I'll send it to you.