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How incorporate a small company in USA (or canada or uk) from abroad?

2 points by mamcx ↗ HN
I wonder how feasible is incorporate a small/single owner business from another country in USA (or UK or Canada) but virtual, so my startup can acces some services and capabilities that are only available there and requiere a legal presence. I have found some website that claim is possible and for some $$$ do it, but wonder how legitimate are they, and what kind of mess this could turn into. Exist any startup that operate this way? Any experience?

6 comments

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lifeguard
You can just get a rented mailbox and have an agent for legal service requirements.

Form an LLC in the state of Delaware. It can pass through profits to you, but not a job: A foreign citizen may be a corporate officer and/or director, but may not work in the United States or receive a salary or compensation for services provided in the United States unless the foreign citizen has a work permit (either a green card or a special visa) issued by the United States.

easy, but more expensive way: http://www.legalzoom.com/llc-state-requirements/delaware-llc...

manual way: http://corp.delaware.gov/faqs.shtml

mamcx
Apart of the incorporation fees, is necesary to pay taxes? If I open a bank in USA? But, if my bank is elsewhere?
lifeguard
Yes, there are taxes. One can not hide a registered corp. But with a DE corp, you can deduct some expenses from corp earnings lowering the taxes.
mamcx
Ok, my real question is if the taxes apply to the money stored in a US bank account, or for all the international bank accounts (ie: all the money in both my country & usa)
lifeguard
A US registered company, transacting business in US banks, will be subject to US tax code. Of course there are loopholes:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Irish_arrangement

mamcx
Wow! This remind me of "I have the problem of create a US company to use stripe. I know Double Irish arrangement. Now, I have two problems!".

This is a serious roadblock for me... anyway...