Getting paid from Nepal
Nepali businesses cannot sign up for Stripe or Shopify Payments, and PayPal does not let Nepali accounts receive and withdraw business payments. Freelancers usually depend on marketplace payouts, bank wires and services such as Payoneer.
A US LLC can apply for US Stripe, US PayPal Business and Shopify Payments with its EIN and a US business bank account. The providers check the business and the owner, and they decide. Approval is never guaranteed.
At home
The Act Restricting Investment Abroad
The Act Restricting Investment Abroad, 2021 (1964) bars Nepalis from investing abroad: buying foreign securities, partnering with a foreign firm, holding foreign bank accounts or property, and other investment abroad, unless the government allows it by notice in the Nepal Gazette. The penalty can be a fine equal to the amount involved, up to six months in prison, or both.
Owning a US LLC and its US bank account is investment abroad in this sense. For a resident individual there is, as of this writing, no general permission that covers it.
What has opened up
- Non-resident Nepalis: the Non-Resident Nepali Act allows investment abroad from money earned abroad. If you live and work outside Nepal, this is the route to check.
- Nepali companies: a 2025 amendment to the Foreign Exchange (Regulation) Act permits outward investment by Nepali companies. Nepal Rastra Bank amended its bylaws on 30 December 2025; law firms report that any Nepali company may now invest up to USD 20,000 abroad without prior approval, with larger amounts needing approval.
- A government commission has recommended replacing the 1964 Act. Until that happens, the Act stays in force.
These rules are changing. Check the current position with Nepal Rastra Bank, your bank and a chartered accountant before you form anything.
Nepali tax
Nepal taxes resident persons on worldwide income under the Income Tax Act, 2058 (2002), with a credit for foreign tax paid. There is no income tax treaty between the US and Nepal.
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 chartered accountant in Nepal before you form the LLC.
