If you’re a UK Ltd, Australian Pty Ltd, German GmbH, Singapore Pte Ltd, or South African (Pty) Ltd selling into the United States — yes, you almost certainly have to register for US sales tax, in multiple states, even though you have no US office, no US employees, and no US tax residency. The good news: the registration process is doable without an SSN, without an ITIN, and in most states without a US bank account. The bad news: it’s 45 separate state portals, each with its own quirks, language, and questions about your “responsible party” that assume you’re an American.
This guide walks you through the current registration path for foreign sellers — what triggers the obligation, what documents you actually need, which states will fight you on the paperwork, and what it really costs to do it yourself versus handing it off.
Don’t want to read 4,000 words and then log into 45 state portals? Sales Tax Compliance USA handles registration in every state you need, files every return, and remits every payment — for a single flat fee. Book a free consultation or learn more about our done-for-you service.
Who Counts as a “Foreign Seller” for US Sales Tax Purposes
A “foreign seller” in US sales tax terms is anyone whose business is incorporated or resident outside the United States and who sells goods or (sometimes) services to US-based customers. That includes:
- A UK Ltd company shipping to US buyers via Amazon FBA
- An Australian Pty Ltd running a Shopify store with US customers
- A German GmbH selling SaaS to US enterprise clients
- A Singapore Pte Ltd selling on Etsy or eBay into the US
- A South African (Pty) Ltd or sole proprietor selling consumer products
Foreign entity vs foreign individual
The distinction matters at registration time. A foreign entity (Ltd, GmbH, Pty Ltd, Pte Ltd, SARL, etc.) registers using the entity’s name, foreign incorporation details, and an EIN. A foreign individual sole proprietor registers in their own name and may need an ITIN or use the EIN issued to them as a sole proprietor.
The state portals don’t always know how to handle either one cleanly. Most are built for Delaware LLCs and California corporations, and you’ll find drop-downs for “state of incorporation” that don’t include “United Kingdom” or “South Africa.” Workarounds exist for every state — but you need to know them before you start typing.
Why US tax residency is irrelevant to sales tax obligations
Sales tax is not income tax. The US has income tax treaties with most major economies — the US-UK treaty, US-Canada treaty, US-South Africa treaty, US-Australia treaty, etc. — and those treaties may reduce or eliminate your federal income tax obligation in the United States.
None of those treaties touch sales tax. Sales tax is a state-level tax administered by 45 separate state revenue departments plus the District of Columbia. It’s a transaction tax imposed on the buyer and collected by the seller. Treaties between national governments don’t bind individual US states on tax matters that are within state sovereignty.
You can be a UK resident, paying UK corporation tax, with zero US federal income tax liability under the US-UK treaty — and still owe sales tax registrations and filings in 30+ US states.
The Wayfair decision and why your country of incorporation doesn’t shield you
In 2018 the US Supreme Court decided South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc. and overturned the physical-presence rule that had previously governed state sales tax nexus. Before Wayfair, a state could only require a seller to collect sales tax if that seller had a physical presence in the state. After Wayfair, economic activity alone — sales into the state above a threshold — is enough to require registration.
The Wayfair decision applies equally to foreign and domestic remote sellers. Some states’ economic nexus rules apply to remote sellers regardless of whether they are foreign or domestic, but the exact statutory language and any exemptions vary by state. The South Dakota statute upheld in Wayfair asks whether the seller’s gross sales into the state exceed the threshold, but other states’ statutes modeled on it may differ in what they count and how they treat foreign sellers.
When You’re Required to Register: Economic Nexus and Physical Nexus for Foreign Sellers in 2026
Bold takeaway: You must register when you cross an economic nexus threshold OR when you have physical presence — and FBA inventory is physical presence in every state where Amazon stores it.
Economic nexus thresholds by state (2026)
Every state with a sales tax has an economic nexus statute. The thresholds vary:
| State | Threshold | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| California | $500,000 in sales delivered into CA, no transaction count | Single-prong test; calendar-year measurement |
| New York | New York requires more than $500,000 in gross receipts from sales delivered into New York AND more than 100 such sales — a conjunctive test, so both must be met. | Measured over preceding 4 quarterly periods |
| Florida | $100,000 in retail sales delivered into FL, no transaction count | Previous calendar year |
| Colorado | Colorado’s economic nexus standard is based on a gross sales threshold measured over a recent period, with no separate transaction count, but the exact figure and measurement window should be confirmed against current Colorado DOR guidance. If you are approaching CO nexus, contact us for a current review. | Home-rule cities add separate registration burden |
For a complete state-by-state breakdown, see our economic nexus thresholds by state guide.
Many states use $100,000 in sales as the dollar threshold, though others set it higher, pair it with a transaction alternative, or have no statewide sales tax at all. California and Texas both use $500,000. Some states still include a transaction-count prong, commonly set at 200 transactions, while a growing number have repealed theirs, so the count has to be checked state by state rather than assumed. New York is one of the few that still requires you to cross both the dollar threshold AND the transaction threshold (the conjunctive test).
Physical nexus triggers: Amazon FBA, 3PL warehouses, sales reps
Economic nexus is the threshold most foreign sellers think about. But physical nexus is the trap that catches FBA sellers before they ever come close to the dollar threshold.
Physical nexus triggers in nearly every state include:
- Inventory stored in the state — including FBA inventory at Amazon fulfilment centres
- A 3PL warehouse holding your goods for fulfilment
- An employee, contractor, or sales representative in the state
- Office, retail, or warehouse space leased in the state
- Attendance at trade shows above a de minimis number of days
The critical point for foreign FBA sellers: the moment Amazon stores even one unit of your inventory in a state’s fulfilment centre, that inventory can give you a physical presence in the state without any dollar threshold at all. What follows from it — whether you actually have to register, and who collects the tax — then depends on that state’s own rules and on how its marketplace facilitator law treats your sales. California is a good illustration. CDTFA Publication 109 explains that a marketplace seller with inventory stored in California is generally engaged in business in the state, but that where 100% of its California sales are facilitated by a marketplace facilitator registered with CDTFA, the seller is not required to obtain its own seller’s permit or Certificate of Registration–Use Tax (see CDTFA Pub. 109).
This is the FBA inventory trap, and it’s particularly cruel to foreign sellers because Amazon doesn’t tell you proactively which states your inventory is in. You have to pull the inventory event detail report from Seller Central and reconcile it yourself. See our deep-dive on Amazon FBA sales tax for foreign sellers.
The marketplace facilitator carveout — and its limits
Every US state with sales tax now has a marketplace facilitator law. Under these laws, the marketplace (Amazon, Etsy, eBay, Walmart) collects and remits the sales tax on facilitated sales instead of the individual seller. California’s Marketplace Facilitator Act became operative for marketplace facilitator collection on October 1, 2019, and the economic nexus sales threshold was effective April 1, 2019. Florida’s marketplace provider law became effective July 1, 2021. New York’s marketplace provider collection obligation applies to sales made on or after June 1, 2019 (see the Tax Department’s technical memorandum TSB-M-19(2.1)S).
This is real relief. But it has two enormous limits for foreign sellers:
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Marketplace coverage does not exempt your direct sales. If you sell on Amazon AND on your own Shopify store, the marketplace law covers Amazon but not Shopify. You still need to register and collect on your direct channels above nexus.
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Several states still require registration when you have physical nexus — even if 100% of your sales are facilitated. New York, California, Washington, and Pennsylvania (among others) take this position. The marketplace collects on your behalf, but you must still file zero-or-fully-reported returns showing those marketplace-facilitated sales.
See marketplace facilitator laws by state for the full breakdown.
The Pre-Registration Checklist: What Foreign Sellers Need Before Filing Form 1
Before you log into any state portal, get these in order.
EIN — when you truly need one and how to get it as a non-US person
You will need an EIN (Employer Identification Number) in almost every state. It’s the US federal tax identification number that state portals use to identify your business. State portals ask for it in the first three fields.
Foreign applicants without an SSN or ITIN cannot apply for an EIN online. The IRS requires you to apply by fax or mail using On Form SS-4, Line 7b requires the responsible party’s SSN, ITIN, or EIN; if the responsible party is foreign and cannot obtain an SSN or ITIN, enter “foreign” or “N/A” — not a foreign tax identification number (IRS SS-4 instructions). Fax is faster than mail. Processing time fluctuates — historically 4-8 weeks for international applicants, occasionally longer when the IRS international unit is backed up.
For the full path, see EIN for foreign sellers — the sales tax registration guide.
The “Applied For” workaround: Many state portals will accept an EIN status of “Applied For” with your SS-4 confirmation showing the application was submitted. This lets you start the state registration while the EIN is being processed. Not every state allows it; check before relying on it.
Why ITIN is usually NOT required for sales tax registration
A common misconception: “I need an ITIN to register for sales tax.” Almost never true.
An ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) is an IRS number for individuals who need to file US federal income tax returns but aren’t eligible for an SSN. For sales tax registration, the entity’s EIN is what state portals primarily want. Some state portals do ask for the “responsible party’s” SSN or ITIN, and that’s where foreign sellers hit friction. The workarounds for the responsible party field are state-specific (see Section 5 below) — but the answer is rarely “go get an ITIN first.”
US business address vs registered agent vs your foreign address
States vary on whether they accept a foreign mailing address:
- Foreign address accepted directly: most states accept a foreign business address on the registration form, even if the portal’s address fields don’t have a great UX for non-US countries.
- US mailing address preferred or required for notices: a smaller number of states want a US address where they can mail paper notices and audit letters. A registered-agent service or a virtual mailbox solves this.
- Registered agent for the entity itself: if you’ve formed a US LLC or corporation, you already have a registered agent. That address is fine for state sales tax registrations.
Documenting the responsible party when no one has an SSN
This is the single most painful field on most state sales tax registration forms. The “responsible party” or “principal officer” section typically asks for:
- Full legal name
- Title
- SSN (or sometimes ITIN)
- Home address
- Date of birth
For a foreign-owned business with no US-resident officer, the SSN field is the problem. Workarounds vary by state:
- Some states accept blank or “N/A — foreign national, no SSN”
- Some accept the responsible party’s foreign tax ID number (NI number, ABN, IRD number, ID number)
- Some require you to upload a copy of the responsible party’s passport
- A few will reject the application until you provide a US SSN/ITIN — and then the workaround is to designate a US-resident tax representative under power of attorney
We handle this for every client — see our done-for-you service page.
Step-by-Step: How to Register for Sales Tax as a Foreign Seller (2026)
Step 1: Confirm nexus in each state
Run a nexus analysis. For economic nexus, you need 12 months of US sales data broken out by ship-to state. For physical nexus, you need:
- Amazon inventory event detail report (where FBA stores your goods)
- 3PL warehouse locations
- Any contractor/employee/sales-rep state locations
- Trade show attendance history
This is the foundation. Registering before you have nexus creates ongoing filing obligations you didn’t need. Registering after you’ve had nexus for a year can trigger back-tax exposure — in which case, a voluntary disclosure agreement is often the right path before registration.
Step 2: Obtain EIN (or document why you can’t yet)
File Form SS-4 by fax. Expect a 4-8 week wait. If you absolutely cannot wait, identify which states accept “Applied For” status and start with those.
Step 3: Choose between Streamlined Sales Tax (SSTRS) and direct state registration
The Streamlined Sales Tax Registration System (SSTRS) lets you register in all Streamlined Sales Tax member states through a single online application. For the states it covers, this is a huge time-saver.
But the Streamlined Sales Tax states do NOT include California, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Colorado, Virginia, Massachusetts, Arizona, or most of the other big-revenue states. So even with SSTRS, you’ll still register directly with most of your highest-priority states. See our Streamlined Sales Tax registration guide.
Step 4: Complete the state application
For each state, you’ll typically need:
- Legal entity name and trade name (DBA)
- Country and date of incorporation
- EIN
- Business activity / NAICS code
- Projected monthly or annual sales
- Date sales activity in the state began
- Responsible party / officer information
- Products sold (for taxability classification)
- Bank account details (for some states)
Each state’s portal has its own UX, its own quirks, and its own jargon. California calls the permit a “Seller’s Permit.” New York calls it a “Certificate of Authority.” Florida calls it a “Sales Tax Number” and issues you both a Certificate of Registration (DR-11) and an Annual Resale Certificate (DR-13). Colorado adds a layer because home-rule cities (Denver, Boulder, Aurora, Colorado Springs) administer their own sales tax and require separate registration.
Not sure how this applies to your business? We handle US sales tax registration, filing and remittance for ecommerce sellers as a fully managed service, for one fee. Book a free consultation and we will review your own position with you.
Step 5: Set up filing frequency, banking, and POA
States assign your filing frequency (monthly, quarterly, annual) based on projected or actual tax liability. Foreign sellers typically start on quarterly and may be moved to monthly as volume grows.
If you’ll have a US tax practitioner (such as Sales Tax Compliance USA) file on your behalf, you’ll need to file a power of attorney with each state. The form varies by state — California uses CDTFA-392; Texas uses Form 86-113; New York has its own POA form.
For payment: most state DORs prefer ACH debit pulled from a US bank account. A Wise Business USD account often works for ACH because it provides a US routing number and account number. Mercury and Relay accounts also work. Foreign IBANs do not.
For the full banking setup for foreign sellers, see how to open a US business bank account as a non-resident.
Step 6: Configure your e-commerce platform’s tax collection
Once registered, you need to start collecting tax on the date the state’s permit becomes effective. Configure Shopify, WooCommerce, or your custom checkout to apply each state’s destination-based rate. Amazon handles this automatically for marketplace sales — but only after you’ve notified Amazon of your registration status in Seller Central.
State-by-State Friction Points for Foreign Sellers
Some states are smooth. Some states are not. Here are the ones to brace for.
California — CDTFA
California is the largest US state economy and the most operationally complex for foreign FBA sellers. California’s economic nexus threshold is $500,000 in total combined sales of tangible personal property delivered into CA, with no transaction-count prong. Whether a foreign seller with only Amazon FBA inventory in California and 100% marketplace-facilitated sales must obtain its own California Seller’s Permit is not explicitly resolved in CDTFA’s published marketplace guidance, and the answer turns on the seller’s specific facts. If you are a foreign FBA seller with CA inventory, contact us for a current review.
The CDTFA registration portal accepts foreign applicants but requires alternative ID for the responsible party if no SSN is available (passport, matricula consular, or non-US passport). CDTFA may require a security deposit at the time of seller’s permit registration, with the determination depending on the registrant’s facts and circumstances. If you expect to register in California and want to understand likely deposit exposure, contact us for a current review. — foreign applicants with no US credit history are sometimes asked for a bond.
Sourcing in California is uniquely complex. State and mandatory local rates can be origin-based for in-state sellers; district taxes (up to ~2%) are destination-based. The combined rate at any California address can range from California combined state and local sales tax rates vary by jurisdiction, with the statewide base rate plus district taxes producing meaningfully higher rates in many localities. If you need to confirm the rate for a specific California ship-to address, contact us for a current review. See our California sales tax registration for foreign sellers deep-dive.
Texas
Texas’s economic nexus threshold is $500,000 in total Texas revenue. Texas registration uses Form AP-201 (now mostly online). The Comptroller’s online portal is workable for foreign sellers, and Texas is one of the more foreign-friendly state experiences. See our Texas sales tax registration for foreign sellers guide.
Florida
Florida is generally one of the easier states. Florida’s economic nexus threshold is $100,000 in retail sales delivered into FL. Florida offers a vendor compensation (collection allowance) of 2.5% on the first $1,200 of tax due, capped at $30 per month, for timely filers. Form DR-1 is the registration application.
New York
New York requires a Certificate of Authority and has a conjunctive economic-nexus test: $500,000 in cumulative receipts AND 100 transactions over the preceding four quarterly periods. New York is unusual in requiring marketplace sellers to register even when 100% of sales are facilitated — NYDTF’s own FAQ explicitly addresses this scenario and confirms registration is required.
Quarterly periods in New York are also unusual: they run March-May, June-August, September-November, December-February — not the calendar quarters most states use.
Colorado
Colorado is the home-rule trap. State-level registration covers the state portion plus state-collected local taxes. But A significant number of Colorado home-rule cities — including Denver, Boulder, Aurora, Colorado Springs, and Fort Collins — administer their own sales tax independently of the state and generally require separate registration and filing with each city. If you have Colorado sales into home-rule jurisdictions, contact us for a current review. Colorado’s SUTS portal helps consolidate filings for some home-rule cities but does not unify all of them.
States that require bonds or security deposits
A handful of states will request a surety bond or cash deposit from registrants with no US credit history — California and Texas, at their discretion; a few others occasionally. Amounts vary, typically $500-$5,000. We negotiate these on behalf of clients where possible.
States that block registration without a US bank account
Most state portals will let you register without immediately providing a US bank account — you can add ACH details later. But you cannot pay without one. Wise Business USD accounts, Mercury, and Relay all generally work for state ACH. Payoneer is hit-or-miss depending on the state’s ACH validation rules.
After Registration: Filing, Remitting, and Staying Compliant from Abroad
Bold takeaway: Registration is the start, not the finish. The recurring work — filing returns on time in every state, even zero returns — is where most foreign sellers get caught.
Filing frequencies and how states assign them
States assign your filing frequency based on tax liability:
- Monthly: typically required when tax liability exceeds ~$1,000-$1,200 per month
- Quarterly: default for most small and mid-volume foreign sellers
- Annual: very low-volume sellers (some states have an annual option below ~$500-$3,000 per year)
California assigns monthly filing for sellers with average tax liability over $1,200/month. Florida uses similar thresholds. New York’s quarterly filing default applies up to $300,000 in annual liability, then PrompTax monthly kicks in.
Time zone and currency issues
State portal deadlines are in US time zones. Most returns are due on the 20th of the month following the period (some states use the last day of the month). If you’re in Sydney, the 20th in California is the morning of the 21st for you — and the portal counts the US timestamp, not yours.
All payments are in US dollars and pulled by ACH from a US bank account. Your domestic bank’s FX rates and SWIFT costs make per-month manual transfers expensive and slow. Holding a USD balance in Wise or Mercury is the standard workaround.
Notices in English by US mail
Many states still send audit letters, frequency-change notices, and penalty assessments by US Mail to the address on file. Foreign address delivery is slow (3-6 weeks) and unreliable. By the time the notice reaches your office in Cape Town or Manchester, the response deadline has often passed.
Workaround: register with a US-based mailing address (a registered agent or virtual mailbox) and have all notices forwarded or scanned. Better workaround: have a US-based tax representative on file with each state via power of attorney, so notices go to them and they handle response.
Penalties for missed filings (zero-return obligations)
Almost every state requires you to file a return even in months with zero sales. Missing a zero return triggers the same late-filing penalty structure as missing a return with tax due.
Typical late-filing penalty structures:
– Florida: 10% of tax due, $50 minimum
– California: For CDTFA-administered California sales and use tax, a late-filed return and a late payment each carry a 10% penalty, but when both the return and payment are late the combined penalty is capped at 10% of the tax due — not 20% (CDTFA).
– New York: 10% of tax due for the first month plus 1% for each additional month, minimum $50
On a zero return, the $50 minimum still applies in many states. Miss six monthly zero returns in one state, that’s $300 in penalties for selling nothing. Multiply across 25 states.
The Real Cost: DIY 45-State Registration vs Done-for-You Service
DIY cost stack: registration fees, time, error risk
The pure registration fees are small. Most states charge nothing or a nominal fee ($10-$100). Total registration fees across 30-45 states typically run $200-$1,500.
But the time is the killer. For a typical foreign seller registering across 25-35 states:
- Nexus analysis: 4-8 hours
- EIN application + wait: 1 hour of work, 4-8 weeks of calendar time
- SSTRS application: 3-5 hours for the Streamlined states
- Direct state registration (non-SST states): 2-4 hours per state × ~25 states = 50-100 hours
- Setup of each portal’s banking, POA, filing schedule: 1-2 hours per state
- Configuration of Shopify/Amazon/WooCommerce tax collection: 4-8 hours
- Error remediation when state portals reject the application: 5-20 hours
Total: 60-150 hours, spread over 3-6 months calendar time, and that’s before you’ve filed a single return. For a non-US founder whose time is worth $150-$300/hour in their actual business, the opportunity cost alone is $10,000-$45,000.
Software-only providers: what they don’t do for you
The major automated sales-tax software platforms — the SaaS calculation engines you’ve seen advertised — primarily calculate the right tax rate at checkout and produce filing-ready reports. They do not, in most cases:
- Register you in each state (you do it yourself)
- File the returns (you log into each portal and file)
- Remit the payments (you initiate each ACH yourself)
- Respond to state notices (you handle each one)
- Defend you in an audit
- Pass US KYC easily for foreign founders (most of these platforms were built for US-domestic SMBs)
You’re paying SaaS subscription fees and still doing 80% of the work yourself.
Done-for-you full-service: what’s included
Sales Tax Compliance USA is a service, not a tool. For a single flat fee, we:
- Run your nexus analysis and tell you which states you actually need to be in
- Apply for your EIN if you don’t have one
- Register you in every state you need, including the home-rule city layer in Colorado
- Handle the responsible-party field and any bond requirements
- File every return, every period, including zero returns
- Remit every payment from a US bank we help you set up
- Receive and respond to every state notice
- Defend you if a state opens an audit
- Close registrations cleanly when you exit a state
No portals for you to log into. No software for you to learn. One fee, end-to-end. Book a free consultation or see exactly what’s included.
Common Mistakes Foreign Sellers Make (and How to Avoid Them)
1. Assuming marketplace facilitator coverage = no registration needed
This is the most common and most expensive misconception. Marketplace coverage relieves you of collecting and remitting on facilitated sales. It does not always relieve you of the registration and filing obligation when you have physical nexus.
States that require marketplace sellers with FBA inventory to register and file (even when 100% of sales are facilitated) include California, New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania, among others. If you’re a foreign Amazon FBA seller, this is almost certainly your situation.
2. Ignoring FBA inventory locations
Amazon does not proactively tell you which states your FBA inventory is in. You must pull the Inventory Event Detail Report from Seller Central, which lists every state-level inventory movement. We’ve seen UK and Australian FBA clients who discover their inventory has been in 31 states for two years — and they had no idea.
3. Registering too early in too many states
The opposite mistake: registering in 45 states “to be safe” before you have nexus anywhere. Every registration creates a recurring filing obligation. If you register in Wyoming with no nexus, you now have to file zero returns in Wyoming forever (or close the registration cleanly). Multiplied across 45 states, it’s an admin nightmare you imposed on yourself.
4. Wrong filing frequency selection
Some state applications ask you to project your monthly tax liability. Lowballing this gets you assigned to annual filing — fine in year one, but the state will reassess and move you to quarterly or monthly once they see actual data, often retroactively. Project realistically.
5. Not closing accounts when nexus ends
If you stop selling into a state, or if your FBA inventory clears out and you fall back below economic nexus, you can close the registration. If you don’t, the state expects ongoing zero returns and will issue penalty notices when they don’t arrive. Close cleanly when nexus ends.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do foreign sellers really have to register for US sales tax?
Yes. Sales tax is a state-level transaction tax that applies based on where the customer is and where the seller’s inventory or activity touches the state. Country of incorporation is irrelevant. Income tax treaties do not exempt foreign sellers from state sales tax. If you cross economic nexus or have physical nexus (including FBA inventory) in a state, you must register.
Can I register for US sales tax without an EIN?
Some states accept “Applied For” status while your EIN is being processed by the IRS. Most states ultimately require an EIN before issuing a permanent permit. A few states will let you register using an alternative tax ID temporarily. The practical path: file Form SS-4 by fax as your first step, get the EIN within 4-8 weeks, then register.
Do I need an ITIN to register for sales tax in the US?
Usually no. The entity’s EIN is the primary identifier state portals require. ITIN questions only come up in the responsible-party section of some state forms, and even then there are workarounds. Don’t go through the ITIN application just for sales tax registration.
Does Amazon collect sales tax for me as a foreign FBA seller?
Amazon collects and remits sales tax on Amazon-facilitated sales in every US state with a marketplace facilitator law. But Amazon’s collection does not exempt you from registering when you have FBA inventory physically located in a state. Several states explicitly require marketplace sellers with in-state inventory to register and file returns reporting those facilitated sales as nontaxable on the seller’s account.
Which states are hardest for foreign sellers to register in?
California (responsible party ID workarounds, security deposits at CDTFA’s discretion, district tax complexity), Colorado (70+ home-rule cities require separate registration), New York (Certificate of Authority process, unusual quarterly periods), and Washington (B&O tax layered on top of sales tax) are the most operationally painful for foreign sellers.
Can I use a Wise or Mercury account for state sales tax payments?
Wise Business USD accounts and Mercury accounts both generally work for state ACH debits — they provide a US routing number and account number that state DOR ACH systems recognise. Payoneer is more variable. Foreign IBANs do not work. See our full guide to opening a US business bank account as a non-resident.
How long does sales tax registration take for a foreign seller?
EIN: 4-8 weeks by fax. After EIN, most state registrations issue a permit within 1-3 weeks. Streamlined Sales Tax states are typically faster. California can take longer if a security deposit is requested. Colorado is slower because of the home-rule city layer. Realistic end-to-end timeline for a 25-state registration project: 2-4 months.
What happens if I sell into the US for years without registering?
If trigger nexus and you didn’t register, the state can assess back taxes, penalties, and interest for the full lookback period (typically 3-8 years depending on whether you filed any return at all). The right path before voluntary registration is usually a Voluntary Disclosure Agreement (VDA), which caps the lookback and waives most penalties. See voluntary disclosure for foreign sellers.
Do US tax treaties exempt me from state sales tax?
No. US income tax treaties (with the UK, Australia, South Africa, Canada, Germany, Singapore, and others) reduce or eliminate federal income tax obligations. They do not touch state sales tax, which is administered by individual states under their own sovereign authority.
Can Sales Tax Compliance USA register me in all 50 states without me logging into any portals?
Yes. That’s exactly what we do. You sign a power of attorney once, give us your nexus data, and we handle the full registration, filing, remittance, and notice-response workflow for every state. No portals. No software. One flat fee. Book a free consultation or see what’s included.
Tired of figuring out 45 state portals from your office in London, Sydney, Auckland, Cape Town, or Singapore? Sales Tax Compliance USA handles your entire US sales tax compliance — registration through filing — for a single fee. Book a free consultation or learn more about our service.
Last verified: 30 June 2026.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute tax advice. Consult a licensed tax professional before acting on any of this content.
