How to ue shopify payments being a non US Resident

[NibrasSiddiqui]

Hi Everyone,

Need to ask 1 thing regarding Shopfiy Payments,

I've researched on Google and I found that it is very difficult to use Shopify Payments Being a Non US-Resident. I would be having LLC, EIN and every document that is required, But I cannot have SSN. So what should i do.

Please Guide me on this.

[Rick]

Hey @NibrasSiddiqui 

That is a good question!

What region will your store be based in? That is the main criteria for being able to use Shopify Payments. See this link here for a list of all countries where Shopify Payments is available. If your business operates out of a country where Shopify Payments is not supported, then you would need to use an alternative third party payment gateway. 

Are you hoping to be able to use a Shopify Payments US account, even though you are located outside of the US? If so, then you are correct in saying that there are specific criteria that would need to be met. The most important factors are whether you have a US tax ID and your business has physical operations on US soil. In addition to this, you will also require all of the following to be considered:

• Government issued photo ID (driver's licence, passport, etc. Non-US ID can sometimes be accepted).
• A Tax ID in the United States (EIN if you are an LLC/Corporation, SSN if you are a Sole Proprietor).
• Business registration document (Registered in the US with the government).
• Proof that your business is actually operating from the US. A bank statement or forwarding service is not a valid proof of address.
• A USD checking account - Virtual banks and currency services will not work for this, it has to be a real US bank.

If you are located in the USA then you would be required to provide all 9 digits of your SSN/ITIN as verification when setting up your account. This rule still applies even if you have an EIN for your business. There is no way for us to bypass this step on sign up.  If you wish to learn more about this you can refer to the US Shopify Payment Terms of Service: Section B-3.

[Pink-Camels]

Hi, Rick.

Your posting gives me some hope, and leads to a critical question:

-non-us-resident (Danish national)

-sole proprietor LLC

-US Bank account

-US office address

-got EIN

-Warehouse and distributin setup in the US

AND I have gone through all this only for my website to become eligible for US Shopify payments. 

From what I read re. meeting certain criteria, it gives me hope this is possible.

However, my company-agent says that for setups like mine(non-resident alien), I can get an ITIN instead of the SSN. 

As my setup seem to meet all your specified criteria, except from the SSN, I'd like your comment and advice on how to get accepted for the US Shopify payments?

Many thanks 

Mads

[Rick]

Hey @Pink-Camels 

Thanks for explaining your situation! It sounds like you have put a lot of thought and effort into this.

Based on the details you have provided it sounds like you may be eligible to use Shopify Payments US, however each case is reviewed by our internal teams. There are certain conditions that need to be met depending on your scenario, so I cannot say for sure here if you would be able to use Shopify Payments US.

It's important to note that having the above requested items does not always guarantee that you will be approved. We do not make any promises that Shopify Payments will be enabled for any region as ultimately each case is different and the final call regarding supportability is made after reviewing your specific situation.

If you have questions about your responsibility in relation to SSN/ITIN for local or foreign government tax purposes, then you would ideally need to consult with a tax professional.

I hope this helps - I wish I could give you a yes or no answer but as you have probably realized it can be more complex than that, and will require a closer look at your specifics before an answer can be given. Once you have added Shopify Payments to your store and begun the on-boarding process you can submit your documents for review.

Best of luck with the business! Please do let me know if you have any other questions about selling on Shopify and myself & others will do our best to help.