A US company owned from abroad has at least two addresses and is often asked for a third. Founders sometimes pay for that third one before finding out who actually wanted it. Here's who asks for what, so you buy only what you need and put the right address in the right box.
The addresses a company has
Who wants a US mailing address
- The state: no. It requires a registered agent, which is different.
- The IRS: no. Form SS-4 accepts a mailing address abroad.
- Mercury: no. It accepts a principal address abroad, but not a registered agent's address, a PO box or a UPS Store address.
- Stripe: a US address for the company, and your real home address for you as the representative.
- PayPal: yes, for a US business account, along with a US phone number.
- Relay: yes, along with an ITIN or SSN.
- Some US clients' supplier systems: sometimes, for a US address to send payments to.
A virtual mailbox
A commercial mail receiving agency gives the company a real street address, receives its post, scans it, and forwards or shreds letters when you ask, usually for $10 to $30 a month. You can use the address with PayPal, on invoices and on supplier forms. Opening one requires USPS Form 1583, which authorises the agency to receive mail for you, with two forms of identification and a signature that's notarised or verified. Most agencies arrange this online.
A US phone number
An internet phone number from a provider that issues US numbers to customers abroad costs a few dollars a month and rings on your phone wherever you are. PayPal, some platforms and some clients want one. Choose a provider whose numbers can receive verification texts, since not all can, and that doesn't require a US billing address.
What never to do
Don't give a virtual mailbox as your home address, and don't tell a bank, Stripe or PayPal that you live in the US. Their identity checks compare your address with your documents and with where you actually log in from, and that kind of mismatch is how accounts get closed. The company can have a US mailing address. You live where you live, and every honest form has a place to say so.