Mercury alternatives for a non-resident-owned US LLC: Relay, Wise, Airwallex, Lili and nsave compared

The short answer

If Mercury declined your US LLC, or you want a second option lined up before you apply, the published alternatives for a non-resident owner are Relay, Wise Business, Airwallex, Lili, nsave's business account and, for companies formed through Stripe Atlas, Stripe Treasury. They do not share one rulebook. Relay wants a physical US address and a US operating presence, Lili accepts owners from twenty citizenships only, Wise verifies the company's real trading address, Airwallex wants a genuine US place of business with two exceptions, and nsave's business account is not tied to a US entity at all but is for payroll use only. Every one of them decides after its own review, and a rejection at one is not a verdict on the others.

Most "Mercury alternative" searches come from two situations: an application was declined, or the founder read Mercury's rules and could not meet one line of them. Which line it was matters more than the provider's name, because the same line often appears elsewhere.

What every provider checks, whatever its name

Three gates recur across every page we read for this article (checked on 24 September 2026 unless a later date is given).

Where the company is registered. Mercury, Relay, Lili, Airwallex's US entity and Wise's US business flow all start from a US-registered company. Forming the LLC and obtaining the EIN are the first two of four separate stages; the account review is the third and the payment-provider review is the fourth, and a different party decides each one. If the company does not exist yet, start with US company formation and getting an EIN without an SSN.

Where the business and its owners actually are. Every provider separates the registered-agent address from the place where the work happens. The real differences between them are about which addresses they accept for that second question. Registered agent, virtual address and operating address explains the three terms before you fill in a form.

Who owns and controls it. Beneficial owners at 25 % or more, one named control person, and a passport for anyone without a US identity number.

Stripe's own guidance for founders puts it plainly: "Requirements vary by provider, business structure, founder location, and other factors", and it tells you to review each provider's criteria before applying. That page also notes that the IRS may take 15 to 50 business days to issue an EIN when the applicant lacks a US address, phone number or SSN, so build that into your timing.

Mercury's own baseline

Mercury's eligibility page is the benchmark everything else gets compared to, so here it is in one place.

• Entity: formed and registered in the US or a US territory. Founders can be from anywhere; no US citizenship or residence is required. To apply, the company needs existing or planned US operations.
• Address: the principal place of business can be a US address or a verifiable international residential address, but not a registered-agent address, PO box, private mailbox, virtual office or UPS Store address (company address requirements).
• People: beneficial owners at 25 % or more and one control person, plus the source of funds, an industry description and formation documents.
• Industries not supported: money-service businesses and crypto exchanges, adult content, cannabis, internet gambling and trusts.
• Countries: the prohibited-countries list is by residence. Egypt is not on it as of 24 September 2026; Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Syria and Sudan are.
• Decision: eligibility is determined after a full review. Mercury is a fintech; banking services are provided through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A.
• Keeping the account: as read on 5 November 2026, Mercury says US operations are required to keep the account. A business with no US workplace, no owner living in the US and no owner with a US-issued ID may be asked for proof, during the application or by email after approval, and the proof must match deposit or payment activity in the account. Without qualifying proof, the account may be locked or eventually closed. A registered agent, virtual, PO box or mailbox address is not proof.

For the walk-through of a Mercury application from Egypt, read Mercury for a US LLC owned from Egypt. Everything below is measured against this list.

The alternatives, provider by provider

Relay

Relay's documents page accepts US-registered businesses owned by non-US citizens or residents "provided the business has an operating presence in the U.S." The business needs a physical US address and phone number, with no PO boxes. Each owner at 25 % or more, or with significant management responsibility, provides government photo ID (passport only for non-US citizens), an SSN or passport number, and a physical US address with no PO boxes or virtual mailboxes. Non-US residents also state the source of the income that started the business, whether it is new or established, their annual personal income and the countries where the business operates. An LLC submits its EIN, Articles of Organization or Certificate of Formation and an industry description; a multi-member LLC adds a signed operating agreement.

Who it suits: an LLC with a genuine US location and a US address for its owners.

Where it fails: a founder in Egypt who has no physical US address. A registered-agent address or a mail-forwarding address does not meet the published rule, and applying with one anyway is a misrepresentation, not a workaround.

Wise Business

Wise's US business verification page asks for the business name, company type and EIN, then two addresses: the registered address where the company was incorporated and a trading address, described as "the place where you work every day". PO boxes (other than military ones), registration agencies, mail-forwarding services and virtual addresses are not accepted as the trading address. You list everyone who owns 25 % or more or exercises control, name exactly one controller, give an SSN for US-resident or US-passport owners and a photo ID for non-US owners, and describe the products, website and expected monthly volumes.

Two more Wise pages matter for a non-resident owner. The hold-money list includes the United States (Nevada excluded) but not Egypt or the UAE, and USD account details depend on the address on the account being in a country where Wise lets you open a currency; the UAE and Türkiye are on the not-available list. Wise is not a bank.

Who it suits: a US LLC with a real trading address that can be evidenced, whose owner wants multi-currency details rather than a full US bank relationship.

Where it fails: when the only address you can truthfully give is the registered agent's. Wise Business from Egypt covers what changes with and without a US company.

Airwallex

Airwallex's eligibility page requires an officially registered, active business in good standing, registered in an eligible country, outside its unsupported industries, not on a sanctions list and not a shell bank or bearer-share entity. It adds that it cannot serve customers "outside of our risk appetite". On the eligible-countries page the US entity onboards businesses registered in the United States, Brazil and Mexico; Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are not registration countries anywhere in the table. For owners living outside the US, its US documents guide, read on 5 November 2026, adds the detail. An LLC needs an EIN but no SSN or ITIN, and a non-US owner verifies with a passport or other government photo ID. The company needs a genuine, physical US place of business: a registered agent's address counts only if the business sells goods online or was formed within the last year, and PO boxes and virtual mailboxes do not count. Airwallex looks at where each owner lives rather than their nationality and cannot onboard a business with an owner in a restricted country, but we could not find on its public pages how it treats an owner living in Egypt or the Gulf. A foreign-owned company may be asked during review for a US bank statement from a brick-and-mortar bank (Mercury statements are not accepted), contracts with US businesses, invoices from US-based customers, evidence of US employees or a coworking lease.

Who it suits: a US-registered company with a genuine US place of business, or a qualifying exception, that trades internationally and wants a multi-currency platform.

Where it fails: any business registered in Egypt or the Gulf without a US or other eligible entity, any activity Airwallex places outside its risk appetite, and a company whose only US address is a registered agent's when neither exception applies.

Lili

Lili's non-US citizens page welcomes non-US citizens who own a US-registered business only if they hold citizenship of one of twenty listed countries: Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the UAE, the UK and Uruguay. As of 24 September 2026 the UAE is on the list and Egypt is not. LLCs, C-corps, S-corps and partnerships qualify; sole proprietors do not. The operating location may be outside the US. Lili asks for the EIN letter, formation articles and address verification, ships its debit card to US addresses only, and provides banking services through Sunrise Banks, N.A., with wires through Column N.A.

Who it suits: an Emirati, British, Indian or other listed-citizenship owner of a US LLC, including one who operates from outside the US.

Where it fails: an Egyptian passport holder. The LLC does not change the citizenship test.

nsave business account

As checked on 5 November 2026, nsave's business account is for registered companies that pay a team through nsave: freelancers, contractors or remote employees. If your company does not pay a team, nsave's overview says the account is not the right fit. Its step-by-step guide says business accounts are for payroll use only, that general business accounts are paused until 30 January 2027, and that you need to run payroll every month to keep the account active. So for now it is not a general replacement for Mercury.

The account has USD, EUR and GBP balances. It is not tied to a US entity, and the business pages do not publish a citizenship or residence list; every business account is verified individually. The document list covers the certificate of incorporation, shareholder registry, articles, a company address document, government ID and proof of address for each owner and director, and proof of activity such as a website, invoice or contract; nsave may ask for more if its banking partners require it. The step-by-step guide adds proof that you pay a team, such as payroll records or employment contracts. It lists a one-time 200 USD application fee, which is not refundable if you do not meet the terms and is refunded once your payroll transfers through nsave pass 40,000 USD, and a review time of 30 business days.

Two more limits. nsave's partners page describes regulated institutions in the UK and Switzerland with accounts held at ClearBank, JP Morgan and others; nsave is not a bank. And as of 5 November 2026 its overview lists USD by ACH and wire, and its pricing page shows both sets of details as free. Whether a payment provider accepts those details for payouts is still that provider's decision. Shopify's US requirements, for instance, name a US USD checking account eligible for ACH.

Who it suits: a registered company that pays freelancers, contractors or remote employees through nsave every month, can prove it, and can wait for the review.

Where it fails: a company that only wants an account for client payments or for Stripe or Shopify payouts. nsave does not support general business banking on its own, and general business accounts are paused until 30 January 2027. nsave or a US business account goes deeper on the personal-versus-business question.

Stripe Treasury through Stripe Atlas

If the company was formed through Stripe Atlas, Stripe's Atlas banking page says to check whether Stripe Treasury is available for your Stripe account after incorporation and, if eligible, to apply from the Atlas dashboard; if it is not available, you apply to a third-party provider. Treasury is not an option for a company formed another way, and eligibility is Stripe's call. Stripe Atlas or a formation service sets out that trade-off.

Comparison table

Provider	US entity required?	Owner residence or citizenship rule	Address rule	ID and tax number	Notes
Mercury	Yes, US or US territory	Any country not on its residence-based prohibited list; Egypt not listed	US or international residential address; no registered agent, PO box or virtual office	Passport; owners 25 %+ and a control person	US operations to apply (existing or planned) and to keep the account; decision after full review
Relay	Yes	Non-US owners accepted if the business has a US operating presence	Physical US address for the business and every owner; no PO boxes or virtual mailboxes	Passport for non-US citizens; SSN or passport number	Non-US residents add source of income, annual income, countries of operation
Wise Business	Yes, for the US business flow	Owner address matters for holding money and USD details; Egypt and UAE not on the hold-money list	Registered address plus a physical trading address; no registration agencies or virtual addresses	EIN; photo ID for non-US owners; SSN for US persons	Electronic money provider, not a bank
Airwallex	Yes; US entity onboards US, Brazil, Mexico	Looks at where owners live, not nationality; we found no public list of restricted residences	Genuine US place of business; registered agent only for online sellers of goods or companies under a year old; no PO box or virtual mailbox	EIN; passport or government photo ID; no SSN or ITIN for a company	May decline outside its risk appetite
Lili	Yes; LLC, C-corp, S-corp or partnership	Citizenship of one of 20 countries; UAE yes, Egypt no	Operating location may be outside the US; card ships to US addresses only	EIN letter, articles, address verification	Sunrise Banks, N.A.; no sole proprietors
nsave business	No; registered companies that pay a team through nsave	Not published; verified per application	Company address document required	Incorporation documents, UBO ID and proof of address, proof of paying a team	Payroll use only; general accounts paused until 30 January 2027; 200 USD application fee; 30 business days review
Stripe Treasury	Yes, formed through Stripe Atlas	Stripe decides eligibility	Atlas company address	As collected by Atlas	Only for Atlas companies; otherwise third-party providers

When this is the wrong answer

If the line you failed at Mercury is one the others share. A registered-agent address as your only address fails Mercury, Relay and Wise for the same reason, and Airwallex too unless one of its two exceptions applies. An industry on Mercury's unsupported list will meet an equivalent list elsewhere. Moving providers does not move the fact.

If you do not have a US company and do not need one. Two steady clients who pay by transfer do not require an LLC, annual state fees and US information returns such as Form 5472, which a foreign-owned single-member LLC files even with no income. A personal nsave account or Payoneer may be the whole answer, and Foundlie's service would be unnecessary. A US company also does not cancel the Egyptian tax obligations of an Egypt tax resident.

If your honest address is in Egypt and the provider requires a US one. Relay is closed to you on its published rule, and Airwallex is too unless the business sells goods online or was formed within the last year. Do not borrow an address; the application asks you to certify it.

If your passport is not on Lili's list. No document from the company changes a citizenship test.

If you need the account by a date. Only nsave publishes a review period, and it is 30 business days, for payroll applications only for now. The others publish no timeline, and neither do we.

How to choose

1. Is the company already formed in the US with an EIN? If not, that comes first; none of Mercury, Relay, Lili, Airwallex US or Wise US business will look at an application without it.
2. Which address can you truthfully give as the place you work? A residential address in Egypt: Mercury and Wise publish rules that can accommodate it; Relay and Airwallex do not. At Mercury the address alone is not enough: with no US workplace, no owner living in the US and no owner with a US-issued ID, it may ask for proof of US operations, and it requires those operations to keep the account. A physical US location: all of them are open on that point.
3. Which passport do you hold? UAE, UK, India and the other seventeen: Lili is on the list. Egypt: cross Lili off.
4. What is the account for? Stripe or Shopify payouts: check the payment provider's stated rail before you choose. Client transfers in three currencies: Wise Business may be enough. Paying a team every month as well: nsave's business account becomes an option.
5. Was the company formed through Stripe Atlas? Check Stripe Treasury first, then the rest.
6. Was Mercury's decline about industry or residence country? Then read each alternative's equivalent list before spending time on documents.

If the answer to step 4 is Stripe, the accepting payments from abroad page explains what is prepared for you, what is only assisted, and which decisions stay with the providers.

Frequently asked questions

Can I open a Relay account from Egypt with a virtual US address?

No. Relay's published checklist requires a physical US business address and phone number, and a physical US address for each owner, with PO boxes and virtual mailboxes excluded, and it accepts non-US owners only when the business has an operating presence in the US. A registered-agent or mail-forwarding address does not meet that rule, and stating one as your physical address would be a false declaration on the application.

Is Lili available to an Egyptian who owns a US LLC?

Not as of 24 September 2026. Lili opens accounts for non-US citizens who hold citizenship of one of twenty listed countries, and Egypt is not among them, while the UAE is. The list is Lili's and can change, so re-check the page before you rule it out permanently.

Which alternative accepts a non-resident owner with no US address at all?

On their published pages, Mercury accepts a verifiable international residential address but separately requires US operations to keep the account, Wise accepts a real trading address that is not a registration agency or virtual address, Lili allows an operating location outside the US for listed citizenships, and nsave, whose business account takes payroll applications only for now, asks for a company address document without tying it to the US. Relay requires a physical US address. Airwallex requires a genuine US place of business, and accepts a registered agent's address only for online sellers of goods or companies formed within the last year. Acceptance of the address is still only one part of each provider's review.

If Mercury rejected my LLC, will the others reject it too?

Not necessarily; each provider reviews independently under its own policy. But if Mercury's reason was your industry, your residence country or an address it does not accept, expect the same reason to surface wherever an equivalent rule exists. Fix the underlying fact where it can honestly be fixed, and otherwise choose a provider whose published rules do not contain that line.

Do I need a US company to use any of these?

For Mercury, Relay, Lili, Airwallex's US entity and Wise's US business verification, yes. nsave's business account also takes companies registered outside the US, but only those that pay a team through it, and a personal nsave or Payoneer account needs no company at all. If you only receive transfers from a few clients, start there and revisit the company question when a payment provider requires an entity.

What comes next

• If the company is not formed yet, read US company formation, then getting an EIN without an SSN; the current cost by state is on the pricing page.
• Gather the documents each provider names: US LLC documents explained tells you which is which.
• Decide which address you can truthfully declare with registered agent, virtual address and operating address.
• Compare the three most common applications in detail: opening a US business account from Egypt, Mercury from Egypt and Wise Business from Egypt.
• If the account exists to get paid, accepting payments from abroad sets out the four stages and who decides each one.