Should I register my Etsy shop as a 'business' or an 'individual' if I have a North Dakota LLC?

If you have an EIN and file taxes as a business entity (not a disregarded entity), register as a business. Etsy then verifies the entity name and EIN against IRS records, so the name has to match your North Dakota Articles of Organization. A single-member North Dakota LLC taxed as a disregarded entity can register as an individual and provide an SSN or ITIN.

What happens if I do not complete Etsy's seller verification?

Etsy withholds payouts until verification is complete, whichever state the shop's LLC comes from. If you miss the deadline shown in your Shop Manager dashboard, you have 90 days before the shop may be closed.

I do not live in North Dakota. Can I still use a North Dakota LLC on Etsy?

Etsy does not check where you live, only that the North Dakota entity is validly registered and that the details you enter match North Dakota's record. The catch is not Etsy, it is the state you actually operate from: states require an out-of-state LLC to register as a foreign LLC before it transacts business there, which is a second filing and a second fee on top of North Dakota's $135. Forming in North Dakota while working somewhere else usually means paying both states, not one.

Do I need a North Dakota sales-tax permit before my first sale through Etsy?

Not for your Etsy orders themselves. North Dakota charges a 5% state rate and, like every sales-tax state, has a marketplace-facilitator law that makes Etsy collect and remit it for you. You need your own North Dakota registration once you also sell off-marketplace and either have physical presence in North Dakota or cross its remote-seller threshold of $100,000 in sales in the previous or current calendar year (no transaction-count threshold).

Marketplace Verification

How to pass Etsy verification with a North Dakota LLC

What Etsy asks for at signup, and which North Dakota LLC documents satisfy each requirement.

By Edmond Hui · Last updated: August 4, 2026

Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC

Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.

A North Dakota LLC is generally eligible for Etsy verification — you will need to provide your Articles of Organization, EIN, beneficial-owner ID, and a valid US business address. Nothing about forming in North Dakota blocks approval, and nothing about it guarantees approval either: the final call is Etsy's.

Etsy requires sellers using Etsy Payments to complete identity and tax verification before receiving payouts. For a North Dakota LLC registered as a business (not a disregarded entity), Etsy collects the entity name as it appears on your Articles of Organization, the legal address, the EIN or other taxpayer number, and verifies this information against the IRS database. Etsy also requires a government photo ID and selfie via its identity-verification partner Persona, plus a bank account linked to receive Etsy Payments disbursements.

In North Dakota the entity behind that check is an LLC created by filing Articles of Organization, which costs $135. North Dakota does not publish a processing time for LLC filings, so treat state approval as the open-ended step in your timeline rather than the Etsy review. Because North Dakota names a member or manager on a routine public filing, the owner name Etsy asks you to confirm is already a matter of public record.

North Dakota has 5,048 solo retail trade businesses with no employees, averaging $53,378 in annual receipts (U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics (NES), 2023).

Not legal advice: Verification requirements change, and so do North Dakota's filing fees and forms. Confirm current platform rules with Etsy, and current filing rules with the North Dakota filing office, before you file. Etsy's requirements were last reviewed 2026-07-21, and North Dakota's figures on this page come from its own published schedule.

What Etsy requires, and how a North Dakota LLC meets each

Requirement	How your North Dakota LLC satisfies it
LLC entity name verified against IRS	Use the exact LLC name as North Dakota recorded it on your Articles of Organization; it must match your bank account holder name.
Employer Identification Number (EIN)	Provide your federal EIN (free from the IRS; non-US founders without an SSN must apply via Form SS-4 by fax or phone rather than the online tool) — independent of North Dakota.
Taxpayer information and IRS verification	Complete the tax interview. A North Dakota LLC owned by US persons typically submits a W-9 using its EIN; non-US owners of a disregarded-entity North Dakota LLC generally use a W-8 form instead.
Government photo ID and selfie (via Persona)	Provide a government ID for each beneficial owner named in your North Dakota filings. North Dakota names a member or manager on a routine public filing, so at least one name already matches state records.
Bank account for Etsy Payments disbursements	Link a US business bank account opened with your EIN and your North Dakota Articles of Organization.

North Dakota-specific things to watch

North Dakota names a member or manager on a routine public filing, so Etsy's beneficial-owner check will line up with public state records — you still upload a government ID for each owner. (North Dakota's annual report lists the LLC's managers or members.)

North Dakota sales tax & nexus rules for Etsy sellers

North Dakota charges a 5% state sales-tax rate, and like every state with a sales tax it has a marketplace-facilitator law — Etsy collects and remits North Dakota sales tax on your marketplace orders for you. You still need your own North Dakota registration if you also sell off-marketplace (your own site, invoices) and either have physical presence in North Dakota — an in-state location, inventory, or employees — or cross the state's remote-seller economic-nexus threshold of $100,000 in sales in the previous or current calendar year (no transaction-count threshold).

North Dakota is where the Streamlined Sales Tax project originated. The state is an SST full member, meaning remote sellers can register through the SST system. North Dakota does not impose sales tax on most services, but does tax digital goods and software. The state has various local sales taxes that must be reported on the state return. Note: North Dakota repealed its 200-transaction economic-nexus trigger (effective 2019); only the $100,000 sales threshold now applies.

How to verify your North Dakota LLC on Etsy

LLC entity name verified against IRS. Use the exact LLC name as North Dakota recorded it on your Articles of Organization; it must match your bank account holder name.
Employer Identification Number (EIN). Provide your federal EIN (free from the IRS; non-US founders without an SSN must apply via Form SS-4 by fax or phone rather than the online tool) — independent of North Dakota.
Taxpayer information and IRS verification. Complete the tax interview. A North Dakota LLC owned by US persons typically submits a W-9 using its EIN; non-US owners of a disregarded-entity North Dakota LLC generally use a W-8 form instead.
Government photo ID and selfie (via Persona). Provide a government ID for each beneficial owner named in your North Dakota filings. North Dakota names a member or manager on a routine public filing, so at least one name already matches state records.
Bank account for Etsy Payments disbursements. Link a US business bank account opened with your EIN and your North Dakota Articles of Organization.

Non-US founders with North Dakota LLCs

Non-US sellers can use Etsy Payments in supported countries, but a North Dakota LLC's seller account must be linked to a US bank account or an eligible payment method. Non-US beneficial owners of a North Dakota LLC must still complete identity verification via Persona with a valid government ID.

Frequently Asked Questions

: If you have an EIN and file taxes as a business entity (not a disregarded entity), register as a business. Etsy then verifies the entity name and EIN against IRS records, so the name has to match your North Dakota Articles of Organization. A single-member North Dakota LLC taxed as a disregarded entity can register as an individual and provide an SSN or ITIN.
: Etsy withholds payouts until verification is complete, whichever state the shop's LLC comes from. If you miss the deadline shown in your Shop Manager dashboard, you have 90 days before the shop may be closed.
: North Dakota charges $135 to file Articles of Organization, and that is the state's fee to create the LLC. North Dakota does not publish a processing time for LLC filings, so treat state approval as the open-ended step in your timeline rather than the Etsy review. Etsy charges nothing for verification itself, so the $135 filing fee and North Dakota's ongoing obligations are the real cost of getting verified as a North Dakota entity.
: Etsy does not check where you live, only that the North Dakota entity is validly registered and that the details you enter match North Dakota's record. The catch is not Etsy, it is the state you actually operate from: states require an out-of-state LLC to register as a foreign LLC before it transacts business there, which is a second filing and a second fee on top of North Dakota's $135. Forming in North Dakota while working somewhere else usually means paying both states, not one.
: Not for your Etsy orders themselves. North Dakota charges a 5% state rate and, like every sales-tax state, has a marketplace-facilitator law that makes Etsy collect and remit it for you. You need your own North Dakota registration once you also sell off-marketplace and either have physical presence in North Dakota or cross its remote-seller threshold of $100,000 in sales in the previous or current calendar year (no transaction-count threshold).