Customer story · Private Egypt tour operator
How Egypt For Travel formed a New Mexico LLC and took its first card bookings in 30 days
Egypt For Travel sells private tours to travellers abroad, but had no way to charge their cards, so bookings could not be completed online. Foundlie formed a New Mexico LLC, supported the business bank application, set up Stripe and explained how the steps fit together. The first two international bookings were paid 30 days after the order started.
Published September 19, 2026
- Country
- Egypt
- US state
- New Mexico
- Services
- LLC formation EIN Registered agent and US address Bank application support Stripe account support
- Days to fully operational
- 30
Background
Egypt For Travel sells Egypt to people who do not live in it: tours booked from abroad, by travellers planning a trip months ahead. That audience decides and books online, often in one sitting, and expects to pay by card at the moment they decide.
The company had the tours, the itineraries and the customers. What it did not have was the last step.
The challenge
There was no way to charge an international traveller's card. A visitor could read everything, choose a tour and then reach a point where the booking simply could not be completed, which is the worst possible place to lose someone who had already decided.
Everything fell back to bank transfers and messaging instead: slower, harder to trust for a first-time customer abroad, and a reason to book with somebody else. For a business whose customers are all overseas, that was not a missing feature but a ceiling on the whole operation.
Behind the practical problem was an unfamiliar one. The founder knew what was needed — card payments from anywhere — but not how a US company, a tax number, a bank account and a payment provider relate to each other, or in what order they have to happen.
What Foundlie did
Foundlie ran the setup as one sequence and explained it as it went:
- Prepared and completed the US LLC formation with a registered-agent arrangement.
- Followed the EIN process through and organized the IRS confirmation with the company records.
- Prepared and supported the business bank application, using one consistent description of the tour business and how its bookings are paid.
- Set up Stripe against the new company and account so the site could take card payments directly.
- Went through each stage with the founder in plain terms, so the order of the steps and the reason for each one were clear rather than taken on trust.
The bank and Stripe assessed the business independently and made their own approval decisions. Foundlie prepared and supported the applications but did not guarantee either outcome.
Timeline
- Order started and formation prepared Day 0 · August 11 Prepared
Foundlie mapped the formation, EIN, banking and Stripe steps as one sequence, and explained to the founder what each one was for before any of it started.
- New Mexico LLC approved Day 4 · August 15 Approved
Egypt For Travel LLC completed formation in New Mexico with its registered-agent arrangement in place.
- EIN confirmation received Day 14 · August 25 Approved
The IRS-issued EIN documentation was received and added to the company records, which both the bank and Stripe needed.
- Business banking and Stripe operational Day 28 · September 8 Approved
The bank and Stripe completed their independent reviews, making the business account and card-payment setup operational.
- First two international bookings paid Day 30 · September 10 Operational
Two international customers paid their bookings by card through the new Stripe setup.
The result
Stripe went live against the US company and its bank account. Two days later, the first two international bookings were paid by card.
Egypt For Travel now completes a booking in the same session a traveller decides to make it, collects in the currency the customer pays in, and settles into its own US business account. The tours did not change; the last step stopped being a dead end.
The customer’s review
«I would definitely recommend Foundlie. They made the process of establishing my U.S. company and getting the necessary banking and payment solutions much easier. The team, especially Mr. Omar, was very supportive, responsive, and guided me through every step.»
My company was formed · I’m ready to receive client payments
Frequently asked questions
- Why does an Egyptian tour operator need a US company to take card payments?
- The obstacle was not selling abroad but collecting abroad. Charging an international traveller's card needs a payment account that will accept the business, and that account needs a company and a bank account behind it. A US LLC with an EIN and a US business bank account is the combination Stripe can be set up against.
- How quickly can you charge customers once Stripe is live?
- Immediately — Stripe going live is the point at which a booking can be paid. In this case the first two international bookings were paid two days later. That depends on the business having customers ready to book; Foundlie sets up the account, not the demand.
- Do you have to travel to the US to do this?
- No. The formation, the EIN, the bank application and the Stripe setup were all completed remotely from Egypt. The bank and Stripe still review the business on their own terms and make their own decisions.
- What if you do not know how any of this fits together?
- That is the normal starting point. The steps depend on each other — the company comes before the EIN, the EIN before the bank account, the bank account before Stripe — so Foundlie runs them as one sequence and explains what each step is for rather than handing over a checklist.
- What ongoing obligations does the company have?
- It keeps its registered agent active, maintains accurate business records, completes the applicable US tax and information filings, and reviews current New Mexico requirements each year. Foundlie's [US LLC tax guide](/us-tax) explains the general filing framework.
These are individual experiences. Check your selected package for its scope; bank and payment providers make their own approval decisions.
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