Virtual office. For foreign founders.
Virtual office services for foreign founders span: registered agent (legally required), virtual business address (for banking and Stripe), and full virtual office (mail handling, meeting rooms). Most foreign founders only need the first two.
Start here.
Required by state. Receives legal process and state mail.
For banking, Stripe, vendor contracts. Optional but useful.
Mail handling, phone answering, meeting rooms. Premium service.
Registered Agent: $99-$300/yr. Virtual Address: $20-$100/mo. Full Virtual Office: $99-$500/mo.
Registered Agent + Virtual Business Address.
The full picture.
Registered Agent
Required in every state where your LLC is registered. Must have physical street address in that state. Cannot be a PO Box. Receives service of process (legal papers, lawsuits) and official state mail. File.Business provides RA service free in the first year, $99/year after.
Virtual Business Address
A US business address you can use on your bank account, Stripe profile, contracts, and website. Separate from your home address. Useful for: privacy (your foreign address stays private), professional appearance, US-based business presence. Cost: $20-$100/month depending on service.
Why you might want both
Registered Agent address is on public state record. Virtual Business Address is on banking, Stripe, contracts. Using different addresses provides better privacy (your home address never appears anywhere related to the business).
Full Virtual Office
Includes everything in Virtual Business Address plus: mail scanning and forwarding, phone answering, occasional meeting room access. Useful for serious operators who interact with US-based customers and vendors. Cost: $99-$500/month.
What you do NOT need (typically)
Full executive suite or coworking membership. Most foreign-founder LLCs operate remotely; physical presence not required.
How to choose
(1) Required: Registered Agent in formation state. (2) Recommended: Virtual Business Address. (3) Optional: Full Virtual Office (if interacting heavily with US customers).
Common provider stack
Many founders use: File.Business or similar for Registered Agent (free or $99/yr); Anytime Mailbox, Earth Class Mail, or iPostal1 for Virtual Business Address ($20-$50/mo); WeWork or Regus for occasional meeting rooms (pay-as-you-go).
Avoid these mistakes
(1) Using a residential address as business address (privacy and legitimacy issues). (2) Using a PO Box where a physical address is required. (3) Confusing Registered Agent with Virtual Business Address.
Common questions.
Do I need a virtual office?
What is the difference between RA and Virtual Address?
Can I use my home address?
How much does it cost?
What about PO Box?
Do I need different addresses for each state?
Can File.Business provide all of this?
What about for Stripe?
Form your US LLC.
From abroad. Wyoming or Delaware. EIN, US banking, Stripe, ongoing compliance handled.
This guide is educational. International tax and compliance require specialty CPA and attorney advice.
On the $129/yr Compliance Annual Filings plan, we cover state late fees.
When you autofile your annual report through the $129/yr plan and we miss the deadline, we pay the state's late fee. The guarantee applies to that specific plan and the filings it includes. Other File.Business services are billed at the prices on this page.