Getting paid from Colombia
Stripe's list of supported countries does not include Colombia, and Shopify Payments is not offered there. PayPal accounts in Colombia can withdraw to a local bank account, but only in Colombian pesos.
With a US LLC, its EIN and a US business bank account, you can apply for a US Stripe account and keep payouts in dollars. Stripe reviews every account and decides; no one can promise approval.
At home
Colombian tax
Colombia taxes residents on worldwide income. Under the controlled foreign entity regime (ECE) of the Estatuto Tributario, Colombian residents who control a foreign entity report their share of its passive income, such as interest, dividends and royalties, in the year it is earned, whether or not it is paid out.
Whether your LLC's income counts as passive or active depends on what the business does. How it goes on your return is a question for a contador.
Reporting to DIAN
If your assets abroad are worth more than 2,000 UVT on 1 January, you file the annual return of assets abroad (Form 160) with DIAN. Your interest in the LLC and accounts abroad in your own name count toward that amount.
Sending money and bringing it back
Putting money into a foreign company is a Colombian investment abroad under the exchange regime of the Banco de la República. When you send the money through a foreign exchange intermediary such as your bank, the exchange declaration you give the bank also registers the investment, and no further step with the Banco de la República is needed. An investment made without channeling currency is registered separately in its exchange information system.
Profit you bring back arrives through your bank as an exchange operation. Keep the exchange declarations and the LLC's records together for your contador.
The US side is the same for everyone
Where you live does not change the US part. It is done online, without travelling, without a US address and without an SSN.
- Choose a state: Wyoming or New Mexico for low running costs, Delaware if you plan to raise money from investors.
- The formation document is filed with a registered agent in that state, within 48 hours.
- The EIN is requested from the IRS as soon as the state approves. No SSN or ITIN is needed.
- You get the operating agreement that banks and payment providers ask for.
- With those documents you apply for a US business bank account, for example at Mercury.
- Every year: the registered agent, the state's annual report where there is one, and Form 5472 for a single-member LLC owned by a foreign person.
Which state?
With no people or premises in the US you can choose any state. Most founders abroad choose on yearly cost and speed.
Sources checked on November 2, 2026
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules and fees change; check your own situation with a contador in Colombia before you form the LLC.
