Getting paid from Turkey
Stripe does not list Turkey among the countries where it opens accounts. PayPal suspended its operations in Turkey in June 2016 after the banking regulator (BDDK) refused its license; its Turkish page still says Turkish sellers cannot accept payments from buyers in Turkey or abroad. Shopify Payments is not available in Turkey either. Local payment providers cover domestic cards, but selling internationally in dollars is harder.
A US LLC is a US business. With its EIN and a US business bank account you can apply for a US Stripe account and a US PayPal Business account. You verify with your passport; Stripe and PayPal review the business and decide themselves. Payouts arrive in dollars in the LLC's US account.
At home
Turkish tax and CFC rules
Turkey generally taxes its residents on their worldwide income. Turkey also has controlled foreign company rules that apply to individual and corporate shareholders: if Turkish residents control at least 50% of a foreign company, at least 25% of its gross revenue is passive income, and it pays an effective tax rate below 10%, a share of its profit can be taxed in Turkey even when nothing is paid out.
A US LLC that sells services or products is not automatically caught, but how Turkey treats it, and the money you take out, depends on the facts. That is a question for a mali müşavir.
Sending money to the US company
Under Decree No. 32 on the Protection of the Value of the Turkish Currency, residents may send cash capital abroad through a bank to set up a company. The bank reports the transfer, and the investor has separate information duties toward the Treasury and Finance Ministry and the Trade Ministry, including after the first capital export and yearly afterwards. Ask your bank and a mali müşavir which forms apply before you send the first transfer.
Bringing money home
Distributions from the LLC arrive as an inward transfer, and you can receive them in a foreign currency account at a Turkish bank. Keep the LLC's statements and label each transfer, so your bank and your tax return can explain where the money came from.
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 mali müşavir in Turkey before you form the LLC.
