Relay Account Requirements for Non-US Founders

Who can apply, which documents each owner provides and which addresses Relay accepts, quoted from Relay's own help center. Where two Relay pages say different things, we show both. Relay and its bank partner make the decision.

Read Relay's requirements See the address rules

This is our summary, not Relay's. Its rules can change, so its own pages are the final word.

source cross-checkRelay's own words

How to open a Relay accountEvery beneficial owner must have a valid SSN.
Required documents by entity typeSocial Security Number (SSN) or passport number
Prohibited countriesRelay permits U.S. entities with non-U.S. citizen owners …

The pages differ. Ask Relay about your case before you apply.

Quoted from Relay's help center, checked September 2026Address documents

What goes into a Relay application

Relay accepts U.S.-registered businesses owned by non-U.S. citizens or residents, provided the business has an operating presence in the U.S. Here is what it asks for, in its own terms.

By entity type

LLCEIN · Articles of Organization or Certificate of Formation · signed Operating Agreement if multi-member
C Corp or S CorpEIN · Articles or Certificate of Incorporation · Bylaws if available
General partnershipSigned Partnership Agreement · EIN · formation document
Sole proprietorshipNot supported without a valid SSN or a physical U.S. address

Company documents

Relay lists LLCs, corporations, general partnerships and sole proprietorships, each with its own papers. It accepts the EIN confirmation letter as a CP-575 or 147c, in PNG, JPG or PDF. Documents by entity type

Beneficial owner25% or more

Legal name: Owner's legal name
Ownership: 40%
Photo ID: Passport (non-U.S. citizen)
SSN or passport no.: Passport number
Mobile for 2FA: Mobile number

Every beneficial owner

Anyone with 25% or more, directly or indirectly, or with significant management responsibility. Each must be over 18 and invited during sign-up, so have their emails ready. Non-U.S. citizens use a passport as photo ID.

Identity verificationName must match

1 SelfieWell lit, plain background, no hat or sunglasses
2 Photo of your passportThe physical ID, all four corners, no scans
3 Liveness checkTurn your head or follow the on-screen prompts

A live identity check

Every owner on the application takes a selfie, photographs an unexpired ID and completes a liveness check. Scans, temporary and expired IDs are rejected. Verifying your identity

Business profileNon-U.S. owners: more

Countries of operation: US, UK
U.S. nexus: U.S. customers
Source of funds: Founder savings
Monthly volume: Expected monthly volume
Account purpose: Operating account

What the business does

Every application asks for entity type, source of funds, countries of operation, U.S. nexus, monthly volume, purpose, industry and regulated status. Non-U.S. owners also give their annual personal income and how the business was funded. Cannabis, crypto, gambling and some other industries aren't supported.

Three addresses, three separate rules

Relay says one address can't do every job: a registered agent address can't double as the operating or personal address.

Legal business address

The address the company is registered at.

A registered agent address may be used here, including by non-U.S. residents.

Registered agent address
Your own physical U.S. business address
PO Box

Operating address

Where the business actually operates day to day.

Needed as a second address whenever the legal address is a registered agent.

Home address, domestic or international
A physical office or workspace where the business is run
Registered agent address
PO Box
Virtual mailbox or mailbox rental service

Personal address

Every owner's residential address, used to verify identity.

A real residential address where you live.

Your home address
Registered agent address
PO Box
Virtual mailbox or mailbox rental service

Documents Relay accepts for an address

When Relay asks to verify an owner's home or the operating address, each document must be dated within the last six months, sent as a PDF, written in English and show the full name of the owner and business.

Utility bill, including a mobile phone or internet bill
Bank statement from a regulated issuer
Lease agreement that is still active
Pay stub
Insurance bill or statement (auto or medical)
U.S. driver's license, unexpired (personal addresses only)

Not accepted as statements: payment-app screenshots, remittance receipts such as Wise or Western Union, and lending-app statements. Accepted address verification documents

What to check in your own papers

The name on each document matches the name you typed into the application.
The address is a physical street address, not a PO Box or a mailbox service.
Bills and statements are dated within the last six months.
If your operating address isn't your home, you have a lease, utility bill or bank statement in the business's name for it.

* Relay's registered agent article accepts an international home as the operating address, while its documents by entity type article lists a “Physical U.S. address” for every beneficial owner. If you live outside the US, ask Relay which one applies to you before you apply.

Where Registate helps, and where it doesn't

We can prepare the company-side documents. We can't apply for you or influence Relay's decision, and no address product can promise approval.

Formation document

Company formation

We form LLCs and C-Corps for non-US founders, online and without an SSN. You get the state-filed document Relay asks for. Forming from abroad

CP-575 or 147c

EIN support

The IRS issues the EIN for free. Our paid help prepares the SS-4, and the IRS sends the confirmation letter Relay accepts. EIN service

Legal address only

Registered agent

Relay says a registered agent address can be the legal address, but not the operating or personal one. You'll still need a second, real operating address. Registered agent

Doesn't ensure approval

Business address

Our lease-backed street address comes with a lease and utility bill in the company's name. It doesn't ensure Relay approval, and Relay decides how it classifies any address. Relay doesn't accept virtual mailboxes or mailbox rental services, and it wants the operating address to be where the business really runs. Proof of address

Before you start the application

A short order of work, built from Relay's own pages. It doesn't replace them.

1
Check every owner against Relay's prohibited countries list. It covers citizenship or residency, and it can change without notice.
2
Ask Relay's Customer Experience team about the SSN question if no owner has one. Its pages don't say the same thing, and Relay suggests contacting the team before applying when you're unsure.
3
Collect the EIN letter, the formation document, an operating agreement if you have several members, a passport for each owner and a U.S. business phone number.
4
Decide your three addresses and make names and addresses match across every document. Why applications get declined
5
Relay says most applications are reviewed within 1–2 business days, and it emails if it needs more. Review times vary; Relay sets them.

After you open

Team members need a home address too

Anyone you later give permission to send payments, approve bills or use transaction features must add a personal home address for compliance screening by Thread Bank. Relay doesn't accept these for it:

P.O. boxes
Virtual addresses
Mail forwarding addresses
Registered agent addresses
Coworking or shared office addresses

Relay says the address isn't shown on the business account. Why Relay needs a personal address

Relay FAQs

Eligibility, the SSN question, addresses and what Registate can and can't do for your application.

Relay says it accepts U.S.-registered businesses owned by non-U.S. citizens or residents, provided the business has an operating presence in the U.S. No owner can hold citizenship or residency in a country on Relay's prohibited list. Relay and its bank partner, Thread Bank, review each application and decide.

Relay's pages differ. Its "How to open" article says every beneficial owner must have a valid SSN, while its documents-by-entity-type article asks for an SSN or passport number and says non-U.S. citizens use a passport. Sole proprietors always need an SSN. If no owner has an SSN, ask Relay's Customer Experience team before you apply.

As the legal business address, yes, including for non-U.S. residents, according to Relay. You must then add a separate operating address where the business actually runs, and every owner gives a real residential address. A registered agent address can't be used for either of those.

Not for address verification. Relay says only physical street addresses are accepted and lists PO Boxes, virtual mailboxes and mailbox rental services among those that can't be used.

No. Our lease-backed address gives you address documents in the company's name, but it doesn't ensure approval. Relay decides how it classifies any address, and it asks for the operating address to be where the business really operates day to day.

In its own words: Relay is a financial technology company and is not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services are provided by Thread Bank, Member FDIC.

Sources, checked September 2026: Relay Help Center. Accepted address verification documents · Required documents by entity type · Registered agent and operating address · How to open a Relay account · Prohibited countries · Verifying your identity · Personal address for team members

In Relay's words: “Relay is a financial technology company and is not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Thread Bank, Member FDIC.” Registate isn't a bank and doesn't make account decisions. Compare other options on Banking or read the Mercury requirements.

Check Relay's current requirements.

Relay's own pages are the final word, and Relay makes the decision.

Read Relay's requirements Proof of business address

Registate's address product doesn't ensure Relay approval.