Accept card payments from anywhere while you live in Egypt
A US LLC with a Stripe account on it — the route Egyptian freelancers and store owners use to get paid by card.
The short answer
If your customers are outside Egypt and you have no way to take card payments from them, the problem is not you. Stripe is not available in Egypt, and Egyptian gateways ask for a registered commercial entity. A common route for Egyptian freelancers and store owners: a US LLC with a Stripe account on it. We handle the formation and the EIN. Stripe and a bank account have been opened for every customer who asked us for both.
The problem you are hitting
If any of these has happened to you, you are in the right place.
Stripe is not available in Egypt
Egypt is not a country where Stripe accepts account sign-ups, so there is no way to open one as an Egypt-resident individual, however solid your business is.
The local gateway asked for paperwork you do not have
You applied to an Egyptian gateway and were turned down, or asked for a registered commercial entity. Requirements differ by provider and change over time, and each provider publishes its own on its site.
Shopify Payments is not supported in your country
Your Shopify store runs fine, but the moment you try to enable Shopify Payments you are told your country is not supported.
PayPal is holding your money or closed your account
A personal PayPal account receiving regular business income is exposed to review and freezes, and the money stops while you work out what to do.
Your client abroad wants to pay by card
You lose the work at the payment step, not the pitch. The client is ready to pay, but will not send an international wire for a small invoice.
These are all one problem — you have no commercial entity that the global payment gateways recognise.
The fix
A US LLC gives you the three things global gateways look for.
A registered entity
An LLC with a name, a registration number and an address in a US state, that contracts and invoices in its own name.
An EIN
The company's tax number from the IRS. Gateways and banks ask for it on the application.
A US business bank account
The account the gateway settles your money into in dollars before it reaches Egypt.
No travel, no US visa and no American partner required.
Exactly what you get
Formation is what we guarantee. Stripe and the bank account are our record with the customers who asked.
Guaranteed with us
- LLC formation in the state you choose
- Official formation documents in your company's name
- An EIN obtained from the IRS
- A registered agent in the state for year one
- A US address for the company
- A document vault you can download your paperwork from at any time
Stripe and a bank account have been opened for every customer who asked us for both.
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Opening a US bank account
We prepare the application and the documents with you, and we follow the file through with the bank.
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Activating a Stripe account
We prepare the application file and the business details, and we follow the file through with Stripe.
The company and the EIN come first. We prepare the Stripe and bank applications with you after that.
The steps
Qualifying call
We hear your business, your customers and your situation, and tell you plainly if this is the wrong fit before you pay anything.
Company formation
We file the formation paperwork in the state you chose. Turnaround: 3–12 business days depending on the state.
EIN
We apply for the company's tax number once formation completes. Turnaround: 3–5 business days, once the required information is complete.
Bank and Stripe
We prepare your applications and documents. The review happens at the provider and has no fixed timeline we can guarantee.
The cost
Year one — all-in, starting from
$225
Annual renewal after that — registered agent
$100
Plus the state's own annual government fee, starting at $0 in New Mexico and varying by state.
We state the renewal before you pay, not after the service. The full cost for every state is set out in detail on the pricing page.
Who this is for
Freelancers with clients abroad
You work with companies or individuals in the US, Europe or the Gulf, and you want to be paid by card and issue a proper invoice.
SaaS and subscriptions
You need recurring monthly billing, which is close to impossible without a global payment gateway.
Shopify stores and dropshipping
Your store sells to customers outside Egypt and you need card payments enabled inside the store.
Course and digital-product sellers
Course and digital-content platforms need a gateway that accepts international payments.
Agencies contracting with companies abroad
A corporate client contracts with an entity, not a person, and needs tax forms on file before it can pay.
Consultancies
You advise clients abroad by the hour or on a monthly retainer, and you need to collect fees by card and invoice in an entity's name rather than your own.
Tourism and travel agencies
You collect from travellers abroad and pay suppliers and hotels abroad, and the booking never completes on your site without an international gateway.
Your store is in Egypt, your buyers are in the Gulf
You sell to customers in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the rest of the Gulf, and you need a gateway that accepts cards from outside Egypt and settles to you in dollars.
Who this is wrong for
We say these upfront so you do not pay for something that will not work for you.
Your business is one Stripe rejects
Crypto, game boosting and high-risk categories. The company will form without trouble, but Stripe's review happens after sign-up rather than before it, and the account can be closed and funds held after you have started. Read Stripe's restricted-businesses list before you begin.
All your customers are in Egypt and pay in EGP
You do not need this. A local gateway is cheaper, simpler and faster in that case, and a US company adds cost and annual obligations for no real return.
You are looking for a way to avoid tax
A US company does not cancel your Egyptian tax obligations if you are resident there, and it adds annual US filings even when the company earns nothing.
Common questions about accepting payments from Egypt
Is this legal while I live in Egypt?
Yes. US law lets non-residents form and wholly own an LLC. No US citizenship, residency or travel is required. The company is a registered US entity, and you own it from Egypt.
Is Stripe available in Egypt?
No. Egypt is not a country where Stripe accepts account sign-ups, so you cannot open one as an Egypt-resident individual. The account is opened in the US company's name rather than yours, and Stripe reviews the company, the business type and the site before activating it.
Can I move the money to Egypt afterwards?
Yes, from the US business account to your Egyptian account. The method and cost depend on the sending bank and the receiving bank, so check the transfer fees with the bank itself before you work out what actually lands.
How long does it take?
Formation takes 3–12 business days depending on the state, and the EIN takes 3–5 business days once formation completes and the required information is in. The bank and Stripe run their own reviews, with no fixed timeline we can guarantee.
Are there annual obligations?
Yes. The company and the registered agent renew every year, and there are annual IRS filings such as Form 5472 even when the company earns nothing. Your Egyptian tax obligations stay exactly as they were if you are tax-resident there.
Have the Stripe and bank accounts been opened for customers who asked?
Stripe and a bank account have been opened for every customer who asked us for both. The company and the EIN remain yours.
Foundlie is an independent company-formation service — not a government body, not affiliated with any US or UK government agency, and not affiliated with Stripe or with any bank or payment provider.
Read before you start
US company formation service
Documents, steps, registered agent and EIN, with no travel required.
Formation cost by state
Year-one price and the annual obligation after it, state by state.
Applying to Stripe
What Stripe reviews, and how to tell whether your business is ready to apply.
Is Stripe available in Egypt, Saudi Arabia or the UAE?
What the supported-countries list means, and the route that applies where you live.
PayPal in Egypt
How withdrawals work, what they cost, and when PayPal is not enough.
Mercury from Egypt
What Mercury requires from a US LLC owned from Egypt, and what it does not promise.
Every way to accept payments without a commercial register
Local gateways, PayPal, Payoneer, marketplaces and a US LLC compared — and when each one is the wrong choice.
Shopify Payments is not available in Egypt
Third-party providers, PayPal, manual payments or a US LLC for a Shopify store run from Egypt, and what each one requires.
Payoneer or a US business bank account?
Receiving accounts, payment requests and Payoneer Checkout, and when Payoneer is enough without a company.
Ready to form your international company?
Start now and get your registered company within days. We stay with you through every step.