Some links below are affiliate links — if you sign up through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and we only recommend services we've used or vetted. Full disclosure.
Forming a US LLC as a foreigner is cheaper than most people expect — the trap is the recurring costs nobody mentions. Done fully DIY, you can be formed for roughly the state fee (often $50–$300). Done-for-you with EIN and compliance included, budget a few hundred dollars up front and a modest annual amount. Here's the honest breakdown.
The one-time costs
- State filing fee — $50 (New Mexico) to ~$300, depending on the state. Unavoidable, same regardless of how you file.
- Formation service — $0 if you file directly; a service fee if you use one (this is what you're paying to skip the paperwork).
- EIN — free from the IRS if you file Form SS-4 yourself; bundled into a service if you don't.
The recurring costs (the part guides skip)
- Registered agent — required in your state; roughly $100–$200/year (often free the first year via a formation service).
- State annual report / franchise tax — varies widely: near zero in New Mexico, higher in Delaware.
- Form 5472 compliance — a foreign-owned single-member LLC must file this annually; DIY is possible but the $25,000 penalty for missing it is why many pay to have it handled.
DIY vs done-for-you — what you're really buying
The cheapest path is DIY: file with the state, get the EIN yourself, arrange your own agent and banking. Budget filers like Bizee or ZenBusiness sit in the middle — they file cheaply, you still handle EIN and banking. A specialist like doola or Firstbase costs more but removes the non-resident friction entirely and keeps you compliant.
Roughly what to budget
| Path | Up front | What you handle |
|---|---|---|
| Full DIY | ~ state fee only | Everything (EIN, agent, banking, 5472) |
| Budget filer (Bizee) | Low | EIN + banking yourself |
| Specialist (doola) | Higher | Almost nothing — it's bundled |
The honest recommendation
If money is tight and you have time, DIY is completely legitimate — a US LLC is not expensive to form. If your time is worth more than the fee, or the EIN and 5472 make you nervous, a bundled service like doola turns an unpredictable pile of steps into one price. Start with the full non-resident LLC playbook either way.