Shopify Payments for non-US resident, don't have SSN but have LLC

[kiraikra]

Hello to everyone! 

I am NOT a US resident, but I obtained LLC in Delaware and I have EIN as well. I enable Shopify Payments and the funds deposits to my US bank account successfully. But I don't have a SSN as I am non-resident of US. Shopify still asks me to provide one, I see the notification that I am not verified on my dashboard. What should I do then? I am afraid to be restricted from using the payment system some day and need to know now how to prevent it?

Hope to get any information!

[Trevor]

Hey, @kiraikra.

If you are operating out of the United States and wish to use Shopify Payments, then we would require an SSN to be added to the account to continue using our in house payment processor. The requirement for an SSN isn't something we are able to bypass and is outlined in our Shopify Payments Terms of Service Section B-3. In the event that you don't have an SSN, then it will require using an alternative payment processor for your store. Thankfully, the United States offers a wide variety of third-party payment providers that you can add to your store which are listed on our payment processor page.

[kiraikra]

Thank you,

But in B-3 section it says that "To verify your identity, we will require additional information including your business EIN OR Tax ID, social security number, and date of birth"

Does that mean either EIN OR something else? I have EIN.

[Trevor]

To clarify that section, you would need to supply either an EIN or a Tax ID alongside an SSN, and your date of birth. 

[kiraikra]

Oh, all right! Thank you,

Hope to find the solution for me!

[Libs20]

Hello Kiraikra
We are in the same situation as you and was wondering if you could tell me which third party payment provider you managed to use. Perhaps you could email me on sales.kphoto@gmail.com. Thank you so much!

[jrfcve]

Hey, @Trevor 

I'm working on a project for a client. This client is a U.S based corporation. The corporation is owned 100% by a non-us resident which has no SSN, neither ITIN. 

Nevertheless, the business operates from the U.S, all suppliers are from the U.S and all items are fulfilled by U.S warehouses and sent with USPS. 

In that case, would I be able to set up a Shopify Payments account for them? 

Thank you.

[Trevor]

Hey, @jrfcve!

If the account owner is residing in the United States then we will require an SSN as there is no way to bypass this requirement. In the event that the owner is based in a different country, but operating their business in the United States then we may be able to offer Shopify Payments, however, a variety of documents will be required to get this setup. 

Let me know if you have any questions.

[jrfcve]

Thank you for your answer, @Trevor 

Yes, the business is operated 100% from the United States, specifically from Miami, Florida. 

May I ask you which documents will be required to get the account settled up? 

[Trevor]

@jrfcve 

If the business owner is based outside of the United States, but their business is located in the United States then we may be able to provide Shopify Payments. To have this reviewed the account owner would need to provide all of the following documents: 

• Government-issued photo ID (driver's license, passport, etc. - non-US ID may be accepted)
• A Tax ID in the United States:
  1. EIN if the merchant is LLC/Corp
  2. SSN if the merchant is 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 they 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.

[Vaibhav_Mehta]

Hi,

Does a Mobile Bill or an Internet bill work as proof of address for the business? 

Also, do the utility bills need to be on the name of the LLC or it can be on the name of the director.

[Trevor]

Mobile/internet bills would not be eligible as they don't confirm an address and could be managed without a physical presence. The utility bills would also need to be in the name of the LLC and not the director. 

Let me know if you have any other questions! 

[philerup]

Peter,

I am a US citizen with a SSN but live overseas.

Shopify Payments requested the following but I can only provide Photo ID front and back. I use my permanent address in the US (my parents home) so I don't have a utility bill with my address and of course I don't have a business license or inventory. What should I do? My credit card and bank account for PayPal are linked to my US address.

[Trevor]

@philerup 

To clarify, have you been contacted via email to provide this information?

[philerup]

Peter, Yes they emailed me.

[Trevor]

@philerup 

In that case, it would be best to follow up on the email, outlining what you can provide. For the documents that you're not able to provide, you'll need to provide as much information as possible as to why you can't offer them. From there, our teams will be able to decide on whether we can provide Shopify Payments for your store. 

[Pabloinkosi]

Hi Peter,

I’m in this exact situation, based in Australia but have a US Corp, EIN, US bank account, state sales tax licenses, and shipping from the US though a fulfilment company etc. I received an email today about providing my SSN - but I’m yet to get this as waiting for my Visa to come through. How do I need to provide this? Do I just reply to the email asking for SSN explaining our setup and providing those documents, or is there another way to do it that is preferred?

thanks 

---

@Trevor wrote:

@jrfcve 

If the business owner is based outside of the United States, but their business is located in the United States then we may be able to provide Shopify Payments. To have this reviewed the account owner would need to provide all of the following documents: 

• Government-issued photo ID (driver's license, passport, etc. - non-US ID may be accepted)
• A Tax ID in the United States:
  1. EIN if the merchant is LLC/Corp
  2. SSN if the merchant is 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 they 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.

---

[Trevor]

@Pabloinkosi 

If you've received an email, then replying would be your best route as you'd be in direct contact with the team that can provide insight into what we can and can't accept for your specific case. 

[mattzima]

Hi everyone!

@Trevor, does Shopify accept ITIN instead of SSN? Assuming that:

- I do not live in the US and I operate from Europe

- I have a single-member LLC in the US and I'm considered as a disregarded entity

- I dropship items from China to customers in the US

[Trevor]

@mattzima 

Our teams may be able to accept an ITIN instead of an SSN, however; we would require that all other information be provided as well. I can't guarantee that we'll be able to make this exception as it will require further review. If you do have all other required documents, then let me know as I can reach out to you via email to get this escalated up. 

[Vaibhav_Mehta]

Hi Peter,

I had a conversation with someone from Shopify team here in India and he told that if we sign up as a C Corp, Shopify Payments wouldn't require an address verification ?

Can you please verify

[jagudelo]

Hi Peter @Trevor 

A few weeks ago we didn´t have a utility bill but now we have it. 

Can I contact you via email so we can provide the documentation and re-enable Shopify payments on our Shopify plus account?

This is our store: https://maaji-co.myshopify.com/ 

Thanks for your support.

Regards,

[Trevor]

@jagudelo 

Sure thing! Happy to take a look. I've sent you an email. 

[mattzima]

Hi, 

Thank you for clearing that up. I don’t have all the documents yet, I want to make sure I have everything sorted out before applying.

I will have an ITIN number and all the other documents I suppose but I’m still not sure how to deal with proving that the business is being operated from the U.S. since it’s not (as I mentioned in my previous reply, I operate from Europe and dropship from China to the U.S.). Does this make me not eligible or there’s some other way or documents to provide that can be sufficient in this matter?

Thank you for your support @Trevor!

[Trevor]

@mattzima 

My apologies for missing that in my previous reply. If you're operating from Europe, and not within the United States (i.e. you don't have the required documents), then you would be ineligible for Shopify Payments US. Shopify Payments is offered in other countries, so if you're operating from one of the eligible countries within Europe, then you could still utilize Shopify Payments for your store. A full list of supported countries can be seen here. 

If Shopify Payments is not available in your country, then it would require using a third-payment provider to accept payments. You'll still be able to sell in USD using a third-party payment gateway, however; your account will be subject to transactions fees vs credit card fees per order. 

[mattzima]

Thank you, this explains everything.

[aolg479]

Hello @Peter,

I am currently in the process of setting up my store and was about to register for the shopify payments services. Here I am asked for my EIN and SSN. I do not have an EIN because I will be a sole proprietor and it asked me for a SSN in this case I do not have one because I am not a US citizen however I do have an ITIN and was wondering if I can use this instead of SSN to register for shopify payments services? Hope I can get this question answered.

-Thankyou

[Trevor]

@aolg479 

If you're operating from within the United States, then an SSN would be required as an ITIN can not be accepted when registering as a sole proprietor. 

[talitamarinho]

I have a company in Delaware LLC with virtual business address. I do dropshipping in the US and have all the documentation I need to use Shopify payments. My question is whether as my store is dropshipping from US suppliers and I don't need to have a physical, just virtual address that is in my EIN contract, can it be accepted? the company account at the bank has this address as well, all company documentation is at this address.

I use the service of this company: https://www.postscanmail.com/services/virtual-business-address.html

Thanks.

[Victor]

Hi @talitamarinho,

Thank you for asking your question and outlining your situation. It is sometimes possible for merchants living outside of the United States to have a US Shopify Payments account, but it's generally a rare occurrence and there is specific criteria that will need to be met.

In terms of your business, have you registered it with the US government for tax purposes? Do you have a bank account that accept USD with a US banking institution? In terms of you personally, do you reside in another country that Shopify Payments is available in?

If you can answer the above I will be in a better position to let you know if you'll likely be eligible for Shopify Payments or not.

Kind regards,

Victor | Shopify Social Care

[IsaacT]

Hi Peter, Thank you for all the info. I have a doubt.

Is Transferwise in this category?

"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."

Best

Isaac

[DH_Master]

Hi Peter,

I have a US entity selling on US mostly through Amazon and operating the business form outside the country, I have all the required documentation to apply to Shopify Payments, please contact me.

[Trevor]

@IsaacT 

Is Transferwise in this category?

Based on the information on Transferwise, it would be an unsupported bank type for Shopify Payments. It would need to be a US-based bank with physical locations. 

________

@DH_Master 

I have sent you an email tilted "Shopify Forum Support." Please respond there with the requested information to continue the review process.

[eykash]

Hello, Peter.

I have foreign owned LLC with all documets  you mentioned necessary for using SHopify payments. Could you please send me email where I should send all these documents

[Trevor]

@eykash 

I have sent you an email titled "Shopify Forum Support." Please reply to the email with the requested information so I can escalate your request.