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

Yes. Mercury explicitly supports foreign founders with a US LLC. You need the Montana formation document (the Articles of Organization), 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 Montana affect Mercury eligibility?

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

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

Mercury does not check where you live, only that the Montana entity is validly registered and that the details you enter match Montana'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 Montana's $35. Forming in Montana while working somewhere else usually means paying both states, not one.

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

No. Montana levies no statewide sales tax, so there is no Montana 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 Montana LLC does not exempt you from it.

Marketplace Verification

How to pass Mercury verification with a Montana LLC

What Mercury asks for at signup, and which Montana 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 Montana LLC is generally eligible for Mercury verification — you will need to provide your Articles of Organization, EIN, beneficial-owner ID, and a valid US business address. Nothing about forming in Montana 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 Montana LLC, you must provide the company's formation document (in Montana, the Articles of Organization), 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 Montana the entity behind that check is an LLC created by filing Articles of Organization, which costs $35. Montana 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 Montana 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 Montana's filing fees and forms. Confirm current platform rules with Mercury, and current filing rules with the Montana filing office, before you file. Mercury's requirements were last reviewed 2026-07-21, and Montana's figures on this page come from its own published schedule.

What Mercury requires, and how a Montana LLC meets each

Requirement	How your Montana LLC satisfies it
LLC formation documents	Upload the Articles of Organization Montana 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 Montana.
Government-issued ID for owner(s)	Provide a government ID for each beneficial owner named in your Montana filings. Montana 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 Montana (your Montana registered-agent or virtual business address), since a PO box is usually rejected.

Montana-specific things to watch

Montana 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. (MCA 35-8-208 requires the LLC's annual report to state the names and business mailing addresses of the managers (if manager-managed) or of the members (if member-managed), and these reports are public.)
Budget for Montana's ongoing LLC costs before projecting your Mercury margins: No franchise or privilege tax on LLCs; the Secretary of State currently waives the annual report fee for reports filed by April 15 ($35 if filed late).

Sales tax: none in Montana

Montana has no statewide sales tax, so there is no Montana sales-tax registration to complete before you start taking payments through Mercury. That is a Montana 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 Montana one.

Montana is one of five states with no sales tax and no economic nexus law. You never owe Montana sales tax regardless of sales volume. Montana's lack of sales tax makes it a popular state for vehicle and aircraft titling LLCs — buyers can register their purchase under a Montana LLC and avoid sales tax in their home state at the time of purchase.

How to verify your Montana LLC on Mercury

LLC formation documents. Upload the Articles of Organization Montana 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 Montana.
Government-issued ID for owner(s). Provide a government ID for each beneficial owner named in your Montana filings. Montana 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 Montana (your Montana registered-agent or virtual business address), since a PO box is usually rejected.

Non-US founders with Montana LLCs

Mercury explicitly supports non-US founders who have formed a US LLC, Montana 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 Montana 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 Montana formation document (the Articles of Organization), 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 Montana issues Articles of Organization; Mercury accepts it the same as any other state's.
: Montana charges $35 to file Articles of Organization, and that is the state's fee to create the LLC. Montana 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 $35 filing fee and Montana's ongoing obligations are the real cost of getting verified as a Montana entity.
: Mercury does not check where you live, only that the Montana entity is validly registered and that the details you enter match Montana'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 Montana's $35. Forming in Montana while working somewhere else usually means paying both states, not one.
: No. Montana levies no statewide sales tax, so there is no Montana 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 Montana LLC does not exempt you from it.