How to pass PayPal verification with a Delaware LLC
What PayPal 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.
PayPal verifies business accounts under US financial regulations before allowing full payment capabilities. For a Delaware LLC, PayPal requires documentation confirming the business entity name and EIN, proof of business existence (your Certificate of Formation on file with Delaware, or a Certificate of Good Standing), identity verification for the business owner, and address proof. PayPal first checks national databases; documents are only requested when automatic verification fails.
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 PayPal review. Because Delaware keeps members and managers off routine public filings, PayPal has no public state record to match your owner name against, and relies entirely on the identification you upload.
What PayPal requires, and how a Delaware LLC meets each
| Requirement | How your Delaware LLC satisfies it |
|---|---|
| EIN / Tax Identification Number | 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. |
| Business name consistency | Use the exact LLC name as Delaware recorded it on your Certificate of Formation; it must match your bank account holder name. |
| Proof of business existence | Upload the Certificate of Formation Delaware returned to you, stamped and approved. |
| Owner identity document | 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. |
| Business address proof | 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 PayPal. 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 PayPal asks for "formation documents," upload your Certificate of Formation.
- Budget for Delaware's ongoing LLC costs before projecting your PayPal 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 PayPal. 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 PayPal
- EIN / Tax Identification Number. 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.
- Business name consistency. Use the exact LLC name as Delaware recorded it on your Certificate of Formation; it must match your bank account holder name.
- Proof of business existence. Upload the Certificate of Formation Delaware returned to you, stamped and approved.
- Owner identity document. 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.
- Business address proof. 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
Non-US founders can open a PayPal US business account for a Delaware LLC, but PayPal may ask for additional identity documentation beyond the Certificate of Formation. Pairing the Delaware registration with a US business address and an EIN is the standard path. A US bank account is still needed to withdraw funds to a US account.