Can a non-US founder open a Mercury account with a Delaware LLC?

Yes. Mercury explicitly supports foreign founders with a US LLC. You need the Delaware formation document (the Certificate of Formation), the IRS EIN letter, a non-US passport for identity, and a US business address. No US SSN or residency is required.

Does forming in Delaware affect Mercury eligibility?

No. Mercury accepts LLCs from all US states and territories. The formation document name varies by state, and Delaware issues a Certificate of Formation; Mercury accepts it the same as any other state's.

I do not live in Delaware. Can I still use a Delaware LLC on Mercury?

Mercury does not check where you live, only that the Delaware entity is validly registered and that the details you enter match Delaware's record. The catch is not Mercury, 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 Delaware's $110. Forming in Delaware while working somewhere else usually means paying both states, not one.

Do I need a Delaware sales-tax permit before my first sale through Mercury?

No. Delaware levies no statewide sales tax, so there is no Delaware permit to hold before your first sale. Where it stops mattering is the state line: a buyer's state can still tax the order once you cross that state's economic-nexus threshold, and being a Delaware LLC does not exempt you from it.

Mercury asks for "Articles of Organization". Delaware gave me a Certificate of Formation. Which do I upload?

Upload the Certificate of Formation. Delaware does not issue a document called Articles of Organization; the Certificate of Formation is the same instrument under the name Delaware uses for it, and it is what Mercury means by a formation or business-registration document.

Marketplace Verification

How to pass Mercury verification with a Delaware LLC

What Mercury asks for at signup, and which Delaware 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 Delaware LLC is generally eligible for Mercury verification — you will need to provide your Certificate of Formation, EIN, beneficial-owner ID, and a valid US business address. Nothing about forming in Delaware blocks approval, and nothing about it guarantees approval either: the final call is Mercury's.

Mercury is a fintech banking platform whose deposits are held at FDIC-member partner banks (currently Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC), making it popular with startups and small businesses including those with non-US founders. To open a Mercury account for a Delaware LLC, you must provide the company's formation document (in Delaware, the Certificate of Formation), an IRS-issued EIN confirmation, a government ID for the beneficial owner(s), and a physical US address. Mercury supports all US-state LLC types and is commonly used by foreign founders who have formed a US LLC, since it does not require founders to be US citizens or residents.

In Delaware the entity behind that check is an LLC created by filing a Certificate of Formation, which costs $110. Delaware does not publish a processing time for LLC filings, so treat state approval as the open-ended step in your timeline rather than the Mercury review. Because Delaware keeps members and managers off routine public filings, Mercury has no public state record to match your owner name against, and relies entirely on the identification you upload.

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

What Mercury requires, and how a Delaware LLC meets each

Requirement	How your Delaware LLC satisfies it
LLC formation documents	Upload the Certificate of Formation Delaware returned to you, stamped and approved.
IRS EIN confirmation letter	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 Delaware.
Government-issued ID for owner(s)	Provide a government ID for each beneficial owner, even though Delaware names none of them publicly. Delaware publishes no member or manager, so the platform relies entirely on the ID you upload — names must match your operating agreement.
US business address	Use a US street address registered to the LLC in Delaware (your Delaware registered-agent or virtual business address), since a PO box is usually rejected.

Delaware-specific things to watch

Delaware keeps both members and managers off routine public filings, but you must still upload beneficial-owner identification directly to Mercury. State-level anonymity does not exempt you from the platform's KYC. (Delaware's Certificate of Formation requires no member or manager names, and LLCs file no annual report, so ownership never appears on a public filing.)
Delaware issues a Certificate of Formation rather than "Articles of Organization." When Mercury asks for "formation documents," upload your Certificate of Formation.
Budget for Delaware's ongoing LLC costs before projecting your Mercury margins: Delaware LLCs owe a flat $400 annual LLC tax (no report required).

Sales tax: none in Delaware

Delaware has no statewide sales tax, so there is no Delaware sales-tax registration to complete before you start taking payments through Mercury. That is a Delaware exemption and nothing more: once your sales into another state cross that state's economic-nexus threshold, you owe its tax on those orders no matter that your LLC is a Delaware one.

Delaware has no sales tax and no economic nexus law — you never owe Delaware sales tax regardless of how much you sell to Delaware customers. This is a major reason many businesses incorporate in Delaware. However, Delaware does levy a gross receipts tax on businesses operating in the state.

How to verify your Delaware LLC on Mercury

LLC formation documents. Upload the Certificate of Formation Delaware returned to you, stamped and approved.
IRS EIN confirmation letter. 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 Delaware.
Government-issued ID for owner(s). Provide a government ID for each beneficial owner, even though Delaware names none of them publicly. Delaware publishes no member or manager, so the platform relies entirely on the ID you upload — names must match your operating agreement.
US business address. Use a US street address registered to the LLC in Delaware (your Delaware registered-agent or virtual business address), since a PO box is usually rejected.

Non-US founders with Delaware LLCs

Mercury explicitly supports non-US founders who have formed a US LLC, Delaware included. A non-US passport is accepted for identity verification. The entity must be formed and registered in the United States, and a US business address is required, which a Delaware registered agent address satisfies. No US Social Security Number is needed from the founder.

Frequently Asked Questions

: Yes. Mercury explicitly supports foreign founders with a US LLC. You need the Delaware formation document (the Certificate of Formation), the IRS EIN letter, a non-US passport for identity, and a US business address. No US SSN or residency is required.
: No. Mercury accepts LLCs from all US states and territories. The formation document name varies by state, and Delaware issues a Certificate of Formation; Mercury accepts it the same as any other state's.
: Delaware charges $110 to file a Certificate of Formation, and that is the state's fee to create the LLC. Delaware does not publish a processing time for LLC filings, so treat state approval as the open-ended step in your timeline rather than the Mercury review. Mercury charges nothing for verification itself, so the $110 filing fee and Delaware's ongoing obligations are the real cost of getting verified as a Delaware entity.
: Mercury does not check where you live, only that the Delaware entity is validly registered and that the details you enter match Delaware's record. The catch is not Mercury, 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 Delaware's $110. Forming in Delaware while working somewhere else usually means paying both states, not one.
: No. Delaware levies no statewide sales tax, so there is no Delaware permit to hold before your first sale. Where it stops mattering is the state line: a buyer's state can still tax the order once you cross that state's economic-nexus threshold, and being a Delaware LLC does not exempt you from it.
: Upload the Certificate of Formation. Delaware does not issue a document called Articles of Organization; the Certificate of Formation is the same instrument under the name Delaware uses for it, and it is what Mercury means by a formation or business-registration document.