Guides

The US system, explained for founders who aren't American.

Guides in five clusters, written from what our clients asked before they started and what they said afterwards. Facts checked against the IRS and the banks' own pages; results from recorded interviews.

The ITIN

Layer one: the number, the form, the timing, and what goes wrong.

Start here · 7 min

ITIN for non-US business owners: what it is, who needs it, how to get it

What an ITIN is, who needs one, how a non-US business owner gets it, what the IRS accepts, how long it takes and what it does not do.

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ITIN guide · 9 min

ITIN rejected? What the CP567 notice means and how to get it right the second time

The IRS rejected your ITIN. What the CP567 notice says, why applications fail, how your documents come back, and how to file again so it is accepted.

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US banking

Real banks, in person, and what to do when a fintech shuts the door.

Start here · 8 min

How non-US residents open a real US bank account

Why a fintech account is not a bank account, what a US relationship banker needs from a non-US resident, and how the in-person banking day works.

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Banking guide · 10 min

What actually happens when a non-US resident opens a US bank account in person

Opening a US bank account at a branch as a non-resident: the appointment, the questions, the documents, the deposit, and what turns a no into a yes.

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Banking guide · 9 min

Mercury closed your US LLC account. What to do in the next 72 hours, and how to stop depending on one fintech

Mercury closed or restricted your US LLC account. How to get your money back, protect your payouts, and open an account at a real US bank instead.

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Banking guide · 9 min

Real bank or fintech for a foreign-owned LLC: how to decide, and what each one can and cannot do for you

A fintech opens in days from anywhere; a chartered bank opens in a branch. What each does for a non-US owner of a US LLC, where each fails, how to choose.

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US credit

The cards, the sequence, and what an issuer actually underwrites.

Start here · 8 min

How non-US citizens get US credit cards: the sequence banks underwrite

No SSN required. How a non-US citizen builds the profile a US bank will underwrite, why order matters, and what a card-approval guarantee means.

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Credit guide · 10 min

How a non-US resident living abroad gets real US credit cards: the sequence a bank will underwrite

No SSN, no US credit history, living abroad. How our clients were approved for cards at Chase, Amex and Capital One, in the order a bank underwrites.

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The company

LLC, EIN and the order a banker can work with.

Start here · 7 min

LLC, EIN, ITIN: the order that works for non-US founders

Which US number identifies what, why the ITIN comes before the company, what an LLC mill leaves out, and why a filed company is not a credit profile.

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The Miami banking day

One trip, planned to the hour.

Start here · 6 min

The Miami banking trip, explained

Why non-US founders open their US bank accounts in person, what happens on each day in Miami, what is prepared before the flight and what comes after.

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Free community

6,000+ founders in the free American Leverage community.

Free training and the questions non-US founders ask before they build their US base. Ask what you just read to founders who did it. On Skool, free to join.

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