A US merchant account for international merchants starts with the underwriting file.
A US acquirer underwrites a US entity, a US-resident signer with a credit file and a US bank account before it issues a MID. From abroad, at least one of the three is missing. The IBOCore package delivers all three the same day; the acquirer then runs its own onboarding, 3 to 10 business days.
What a US acquirer needs before it issues a MID
A merchant account is a contract with an acquiring bank. The bank underwrites a file, not a store.
A US merchant account is a contract between a US entity and an acquiring bank. The acquirer opens a MID, routes the entity's card transactions and settles the funds, minus its fees and any reserve it holds, to the bank account of record. Before it signs, it underwrites: KYB on the entity, KYC and a credit pull on the person who signs, a review of the website and of the account that will receive settlements.
The file has six lines that have to agree with each other: a US entity with its EIN, a US-resident authorized signer, a personal guarantor with a US credit file (usually the same person), a US business bank account in the entity's name, documents that all show the same name and address, and a website that matches the declared business. A processing history, when there is one, is read on top. An international merchant applying alone is missing the person and the bank, and often the entity too.
This page covers the requirements and what the package puts on each line. The application itself is on IBO for merchant account, high-risk specifics on high-risk merchant account, and why applications from abroad are declined in the first place on merchant account for non-residents.
Each requirement, why it blocks a non-resident, what the package answers
The underwriting file line by line. The right column is what arrives in the package; the decision stays the acquirer's.
Acquirer checks are general mechanics; each acquirer sets its own list.
Who does what while the acquirer underwrites
Four parties touch the file. Only one of them decides.
You
You run the store, pick the ISO or the acquirer, submit the application with the entity, the director as signer and the settlement account, and brief the director on products, volumes and refund policy before the call. No KYC, notary or travel on you.
The director
The Independent Business Operator is the signer of record: ID, proof of address and credit file go to the acquirer, the bank's and the acquirer's verification calls reach that person, and the signatures underwriting asks for are given. Exclusive to your package, never used for another merchant.
IBOCore
Delivers the package the same day the payment confirms, keeps the director available for calls and signatures for the life of the package, and answers in a private Telegram group with an account manager, 24/7.
The acquirer
Reads the file, decides, and sets its own fees and reserve. Its onboarding takes 3 to 10 business days, reached through your own ISO or directly. No provider sits in on that decision.
From payment to USD settlements
Two clocks. IBOCore's is the same day. The acquirer's is 3 to 10 business days, and it is not a promise of approval.
- 01
Step 01
Same day: the package arrives
Payment in USDT or USDC (ERC20 or TRC20) confirms; the entity documents, the director's contact, the bank access, the email and the proxy arrive on Telegram. Nothing is formed after you pay.
- 02
Step 02
You submit the application
Through the ISO you already trust or directly with an acquirer, carrying the entity, the director as signer, the settlement account and your website. IBOCore does not lock you to an in-house agent; see IBO for merchant account.
- 03
Step 03
3 to 10 business days: the acquirer underwrites
KYB, KYC, credit pull, website review, bank verification, and the call the director takes. The timeline is the acquirer's and varies by processor and vertical.
- 04
Step 04
The MID goes live, settlements land
If the acquirer approves the file, card volume settles in USD to the account at Bluebanc or Relay, minus fees and any reserve it holds. You move the funds. Package billing starts 30 days after delivery, not at sign-up.
What the MID brings, and what stays yours
A MID issued to the entity is a dedicated processing account, not a sub-account under someone else's master merchant. Settlements are made in USD to the bank account of record, in the entity's name: the account you were handed with full operational access, so the funds are yours to wire out or spend on the debit card. The path from capture to the account is in how acquirer settlements reach your US bank account.
Each package is designed to open one MID at a time, so the underwriting file stays clean; for parallel MIDs on different processors, merchants buy several packages. IBOCore has no say in your products, funnels, pricing or ads, and applies no clawback if an acquirer later terminates the MID: the package stays yours and can be presented to another acquirer.
Two conditions keep the file honest: activate the package within 30 days or it can be reclaimed, setup fee not refunded, and classify the business truthfully at purchase, since subscription and continuity billing belongs on Grey Hat and a misclassified package is suspended. Verticals served, and the ones never onboarded, are on industries.
Packages are permanently in stock and delivered the same day the payment confirms. Company names are masked until you sign in.
Offers to avoid when you need a US merchant account from abroad
Shortcuts sold to non-residents, and what underwriting does with them.
- Processing under someone else's MID. Routing your sales through a borrowed or rented merchant account is transaction laundering under card scheme rules. When detected, the MID is terminated and the merchant can be listed on MATCH.
- An aggregator account sold as a merchant account. A sub-account under a payment facilitator is not a dedicated MID: it closes under the facilitator's terms, often with funds held, and gives you no underwriting file of your own.
- An offshore or mail-drop entity labelled US. A company in a state where nobody involved lives, with a virtual address and a foreign signer, is read as a shell before underwriting starts.
- Approval promises. A provider promising the acquirer's yes, or quoting a success percentage, is selling a decision it does not own. IBOCore delivers the file and the director; the acquirer decides.
- A bank relationship sold as the approval. A file is underwritten on its merits; an introduction to an ISO or an acquirer does not replace the entity, the signer and the settlement account. Bring your own ISO or apply directly.
Homepage pricing applies. White Hat: $1,999 setup, then $4,499 per month, for standard high-risk e-commerce, dropshipping, info-products, coaching, compliant health and wellness and SaaS. Grey Hat: $2,499 setup, then 9% of deposit volume, for subscription and continuity billing. Billing starts 30 days after delivery. Payment in USDT or USDC on ERC20 or TRC20.
US merchant accounts for international merchants, frequently asked
The follow-ups merchants send on Telegram after reading the requirements.
Does the package include the merchant account itself?
No. The package delivers what the acquirer underwrites: the US entity with its EIN, the US-resident director as signer, the bank account for settlements and the documents. The MID is issued by the acquirer after its own review of 3 to 10 business days. IBOCore does not promise approval; no provider controls that decision.
Who signs the merchant application and the personal guarantee?
The director, a US-resident Independent Business Operator with a clean record and a credit score of 650 or more, is the signer of record. Where the application carries a personal guarantee section, that is the person whose credit file the acquirer pulls and whom it calls. You sign nothing for the acquirer, pass no KYC and do not travel; IBOCore reviews you on business proofs before dashboard access.
Where do the settlements go, and can I move the money?
To the business bank account opened in the company's name at Bluebanc or Relay, the account the acquirer verifies during underwriting. You receive full operational access: inbound and outbound wires, a debit card, no minimum balance. The director does not touch the balance or the business.
Is a dedicated US merchant account different from an aggregator account?
Yes. An aggregator account is a sub-account under a payment facilitator's master merchant: quick to open, closable under the facilitator's terms, not an underwriting file of your own. A dedicated MID is a contract between your US entity and an acquirer, settled to your own bank account. A closed aggregator account is a common reason to apply for a dedicated MID.
Which plan do I need for a US merchant account?
The billing model decides, not the merchant account. One-time sales (dropshipping, courses, coaching, compliant wellness, steady SaaS) fit White Hat, $1,999 setup then $4,499 per month. Subscription and continuity billing fits Grey Hat, $2,499 setup then 9% of deposit volume. A misclassified package is suspended; the industries page maps each vertical.
Related reading
IBO for merchant account
The application flow step by step, with your own ISO or directly with an acquirer.
Read moreHigh-risk merchant account
What high-risk underwriting adds to the standard file, and the plan by billing model.
Read moreMerchant account for non-residents
Why applications from abroad are declined, and the routes that do not hold.
Read moreLive inventory
The packages available right now, delivered the same day.
Read moreIndustries
Verticals served on each plan, and the verticals refused.
Read moreYou want to open MIDs? You need an IBO.
Why every US acquirer asks for a US-resident person behind the entity.
Read moreGet the file a US acquirer can underwrite.
Pick a package in the inventory, receive it today and start the acquirer onboarding with your own ISO or directly.
No KYC on you, no notary, no travel.