Does the pack form the entity or apply for the EIN for me?

No. It walks through the publicly documented steps and organizes your information for the applications. Formation and the EIN application are yours or your attorney's.

Do I need to be in the US to do this?

The walkthrough covers the publicly documented steps available to a founder applying from outside the US; it is a walkthrough, not representation, and does not form the entity, sign returns or open accounts.

Do I need a US entity at all?

I can explain what the pack covers and where to find it, but I cannot tell you how a rule applies to your situation; a licensed tax practitioner in Nigeria can.

This page belongs to

US market-access pack

Verification pending

Reviewer of record: US attorney, review pending

ng.weldune.com / Learn / US market-access pack

A US entity and an EIN for a Nigerian founder.

Selling to US customers usually starts with a US entity and an EIN, in that order. This page walks through what each step involves and what the pack organizes around them. Formation stays yours or your attorney's; the pack turns your information into the applications and the paperwork that follow.

Why a US entity comes first

A US customer's finance team, a US bank and the IRS all expect a US entity before they will deal with the business directly. The pack's walkthrough follows the publicly documented steps to a Delaware entity, in the order a founder outside the US actually needs them.

The EIN, and why it comes right after

The EIN is what the entity uses on tax filings, bank applications and vendor forms. The walkthrough covers the publicly documented steps to apply for one from Nigeria; it does not submit the application on your behalf.

What follows the entity and EIN

Once the entity and EIN exist, a US bank-application package, a Form 5472 and Form 1120 compliance calendar, a sales-tax nexus check and a US vendor onboarding kit (W-9 or W-8, certificate of insurance, net terms) are the pieces a US customer's onboarding usually asks for next.

What the pack produces for this

A Delaware entity and EIN walkthrough, organized as a sequence of steps, alongside the bank-application package and the vendor onboarding kit that follow once the entity and EIN exist; documents and web pages as the template specification names them.

Questions

Does the pack form the entity or apply for the EIN for me?: No. It walks through the publicly documented steps and organizes your information for the applications. Formation and the EIN application are yours or your attorney's.
Do I need to be in the US to do this?: The walkthrough covers the publicly documented steps available to a founder applying from outside the US; it is a walkthrough, not representation, and does not form the entity, sign returns or open accounts.
Do I need a US entity at all?: I can explain what the pack covers and where to find it, but I cannot tell you how a rule applies to your situation; a licensed tax practitioner in Nigeria can.

Confirm with your accountant if unsure.