Shopify payment without SSN

[Favke]

I'm really confused, on this thread that have less than 2 months old since the last update: https://community.shopify.com/c/Accounting-Taxes/Shopify-Payments-for-non-US-resident-don-t-have-SSN...

To apply for Shopify Payments US when you are not based in the United States, but your company is operating out of the United States, then you will need all of the required documents below:

Government-issued photo ID (driver's license, passport, etc. - non-US ID may be accepted)
A Tax ID in the United States:
EIN if you are LLC/Corp
SSN if you are Sole Proprietor
Business registration document (Registered in the US with the government)
Proof that the business is operating from the US. This can include tracking showing you are shipping from the US or proof of a physical US address (not a forwarding address).
A USD checking account opened with a real US banking institution, located on US soil. Virtual banks and currency services will not work for this; it has to be a real US bank.

So, I started using Shopify Payments, today I got an email saying that I can't keep using it since I don't have SSN (foreing owned company, with office in delaware (provided utility bill), with EIN and bank account of Bank of America. I provided with the Business registration documents too.
This is really annoying, since I based myself on applying for Shopify Payment based on this post where I met all the requirements, now you have over $2k on-hold and you tell me I can't use shopify payment anymore. You should give more reliable information on this forum, especially a Guru in which many take as a valid answer to proceed.

[BobsMojo]

Recommend you consult with a tax attorney / CPA to help with your situation.

That said, you can register for a T.I.N. with the IRS in place of a SSN. 

Anything financial, I would never recommend going off of information from a forum without consulting a professional. A professional could have told you that anytime you register with a payment processor in the U.S. you will need a SSN or TIN unless the business is a corporation. (LLC's are not recognized by the IRS unless registered to be taxed as a corporation - otherwise they are considered the same as sole proprietors or partnerships.)

Payment processors have to submit official IRS documents for customers to report payments accepted and ensure taxes are properly collected.

[Favke]

I'm applying for ITIN already, however, on some other posts on this forum I read that ITIN is not a replacement for the SSN, but  EIN were a valid for LLC/Corporations. 

[Milamour]

I think I'm on the same boat as you trying to enable Shopify Payments for my store, and I'm stuck at the SSN requirement.

I'm a non-US resident but I do have the following:

- EIN

- ITIN

- LLC COMPANY ARTİCLE 

- US Bank Account

[Favke]

Finally, my account was re-enabled after providing a utility bill (I think).

[Milamour]

How long did that take? Cause if you're dropshipping, the hold could SERIOUSLY hurt you and your business.

[Milamour]

Favke, could you help me out on how to get this setup and fixed on my end? I'm in the same situation as you

[Hamebhi]

Hey Favke, You said you have a bank account with bank of America, Can you please tell me how did you actually got that. Did you walk in to the bank or online.... as you are non resident? Can you please tell me how and what account did you go for?

[Favke]

Open the account at Bank of America by traveling to the U.S.

[ryh]

Just wondering. 

I chatted with the support team in Nov 2020, and they told that I need the following information to finish Shopify Payment Set-up:

1. Passport
2. IRS EIN document
3. Business registration document in the USA
4. Articles of Organization( can prove the physical address of the office)
5. Tax License License in the USA
6. Bank of America's account

And I have all the documentation that I can prove as we even have a fulfillment center in the U.S as well. 

So, I've submitted the documents as instructed - without #4 & #6 since they didn't provide the slot to submit the documents and today I've received an email from their Risk Management team saying that 

I understand that you are wantinng to use Shopify Payments US. Regrettably there is no way to bypass the need for a SSN.

My suggestion would be to submit as much information you can via the red banner in your admin - this will send the information to our banking partners for verification.

In the meantime, I recommend seeking out a third party payment gateway from this list - I recommend Authorize.net or E-Merchant Broker

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I'm not sure if we have even reviewed the docs correctly as we have already submitted the docs already. 

Any suggestion?

Thanks.