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

Yes. Mercury explicitly supports foreign founders with a US LLC. You need the Maine 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 Maine affect Mercury eligibility?

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

What does the Maine LLC itself cost before I can start taking payments through Mercury?

Maine charges $175 to file a Certificate of Formation, and that is the state's fee to create the LLC. Maine publishes a turnaround of 40-55 business days. Mercury charges nothing for verification itself, so the $175 filing fee and Maine's ongoing obligations are the real cost of getting verified as a Maine entity.

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

Mercury does not check where you live, only that the Maine entity is validly registered and that the details you enter match Maine'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 Maine's $175. Forming in Maine while working somewhere else usually means paying both states, not one.

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

Probably yes. Maine charges a 5.5% state rate, and payments taken through Mercury are not covered by marketplace-facilitator laws, so you collect and remit yourself. Register before your first taxable sale if you have physical presence in Maine, or once you cross its remote-seller threshold of $100,000 in sales in the previous or current calendar year (no transaction-count threshold).

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

Upload the Certificate of Formation. Maine does not issue a document called Articles of Organization; the Certificate of Formation is the same instrument under the name Maine 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 Maine LLC

What Mercury asks for at signup, and which Maine 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 Maine 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 Maine 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 Maine LLC, you must provide the company's formation document (in Maine, 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 Maine the entity behind that check is an LLC created by filing a Certificate of Formation, which costs $175. Maine publishes a turnaround of 40-55 business days. Because Maine names a member or manager on a routine public filing, the owner name Mercury asks you to confirm is already a matter of public record.

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

What Mercury requires, and how a Maine LLC meets each

Requirement	How your Maine LLC satisfies it
LLC formation documents	Upload the Certificate of Formation Maine 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 Maine.
Government-issued ID for owner(s)	Provide a government ID for each beneficial owner named in your Maine filings. Maine names a member or manager on a routine public filing, so at least one name already matches state records.
US business address	Use a US street address registered to the LLC in Maine (your Maine registered-agent or virtual business address), since a PO box is usually rejected.

Maine-specific things to watch

Maine names a member or manager on a routine public filing, so Mercury's beneficial-owner check will line up with public state records — you still upload a government ID for each owner. (Maine is not a privacy state; formation and annual-report information is public.)
Maine issues a Certificate of Formation rather than "Articles of Organization." When Mercury asks for "formation documents," upload your Certificate of Formation.

Maine sales tax & nexus rules for Mercury sellers

Maine charges a 5.5% state sales-tax rate. Payments through Mercury are not covered by marketplace-facilitator laws — you collect and remit yourself. Registration is required before your first taxable sale if you have physical presence in Maine (an in-state location, inventory, or employees), or once you cross Maine's remote-seller economic-nexus threshold of $100,000 in sales in the previous or current calendar year (no transaction-count threshold).

Maine was one of the earliest states to enact economic nexus rules, doing so in January 2018. Maine has no local sales taxes — only the 5.5% statewide rate applies. The state taxes prepared food at a higher 8% rate and lodging at 9%. Registration is through the Maine Revenue Services portal. Note: Maine repealed its 200-transaction economic-nexus trigger (effective 2022); only the $100,000 sales threshold now applies.

How to verify your Maine LLC on Mercury

LLC formation documents. Upload the Certificate of Formation Maine 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 Maine.
Government-issued ID for owner(s). Provide a government ID for each beneficial owner named in your Maine filings. Maine names a member or manager on a routine public filing, so at least one name already matches state records.
US business address. Use a US street address registered to the LLC in Maine (your Maine registered-agent or virtual business address), since a PO box is usually rejected.

Non-US founders with Maine LLCs

Mercury explicitly supports non-US founders who have formed a US LLC, Maine 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 Maine 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 Maine 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 Maine issues a Certificate of Formation; Mercury accepts it the same as any other state's.
: Maine charges $175 to file a Certificate of Formation, and that is the state's fee to create the LLC. Maine publishes a turnaround of 40-55 business days. Mercury charges nothing for verification itself, so the $175 filing fee and Maine's ongoing obligations are the real cost of getting verified as a Maine entity.
: Mercury does not check where you live, only that the Maine entity is validly registered and that the details you enter match Maine'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 Maine's $175. Forming in Maine while working somewhere else usually means paying both states, not one.
: Probably yes. Maine charges a 5.5% state rate, and payments taken through Mercury are not covered by marketplace-facilitator laws, so you collect and remit yourself. Register before your first taxable sale if you have physical presence in Maine, or once you cross its remote-seller threshold of $100,000 in sales in the previous or current calendar year (no transaction-count threshold).
: Upload the Certificate of Formation. Maine does not issue a document called Articles of Organization; the Certificate of Formation is the same instrument under the name Maine uses for it, and it is what Mercury means by a formation or business-registration document.