🇳🇬 For founders in Nigeria
Form a US company from Nigeria
For a Nigerian founder, incorporating in the United States is an efficient path to being paid like a global business. American and international clients are far more comfortable contracting with a Delaware LLC or C-Corp than with an individual invoicing from Lagos, and a US company unlocks access to American payment processors, a US business account through our licensed partner, and the ability to hold and settle in USD, none of which depend on the availability of dollars in the Nigerian banking system.
The structure also insulates your revenue from naira volatility. Earnings sit in a dollar-denominated account stateside, and you decide when and how much to bring home, rather than being forced to convert at whatever rate the market gives on the day a client pays. That optionality is a common reason founders here incorporate abroad even when all their work is delivered from Nigeria.
Nothing about forming the company requires you to move, hold a visa, or take on an American partner. A non-resident Nigerian can own 100% of a US LLC or C-Corp, obtain an EIN, and operate remotely. What matters most for you is the country-specific layer: the tax relationship between the two countries, how the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) treats inbound dollars, and how the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 taxes your worldwide income.
General information about forming a US company. Not legal, tax, or investment advice. Rules and figures cited are current as of July 2026 and change frequently. Consult qualified local and US advisers before acting.
The process, end to end
Form the entity
Pick a Wyoming LLC (solo/bootstrapped) or a Delaware C-Corp (VC-track) and file the formation remotely, with no US visit needed.
Read the guideGet an EIN
Apply for the company's federal tax ID. You can get an EIN without an SSN, and you need it to open a US business account.
Read the guideOpen a US business account
Open a US business account remotely with the EIN and formation documents. No US address or SSN required. Banking is provided through our licensed partner; StableCorp is not a bank.
Read the guideGet paid
Invoice US and global clients as a US entity and settle in USD, EUR, or INR, or in USDC on supported chains. Local-currency payout is available in select markets through StableCorp's licensed regional partners on compliant rails.
Read the guideNigeria-specific considerations
No tax treaty: mind US withholding and US filings
Because there is no US-Nigeria treaty, dividends from a US C-Corp to you as a Nigerian shareholder are hit with the default 30% US withholding, and no treaty rate is available to reduce it. Many founders prefer an LLC (disregarded for US federal tax, with no entity-level US tax if income is foreign-source and not effectively connected) precisely to avoid the double layer, but an LLC's foreign owner still has real US filing duties (Form 5472 + a pro-forma 1120 for a single-member foreign-owned LLC), and Nigeria may characterize the LLC differently than the US does. Choose the structure deliberately with cross-border advice.
You are taxed in Nigeria on worldwide income
If you are resident in Nigeria (domiciled, permanent home, strong economic/family ties, or 183+ days present), the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 taxes your global income (including what your US company earns and pays you) since 1 January 2026, remitted or not. The prior exemption for foreign income kept in a dom account is gone. Register with your State Internal Revenue Service, declare in naira at the CBN rate, and use the ₦800,000 tax-free band. Nigeria may allow a unilateral credit for US tax paid on the same income. Confirm the current FIRS position with a Nigerian tax advisor.
Use a domiciliary account and document every inflow
Receive USD from your US entity into a USD domiciliary account so you control conversion timing and avoid forced naira settlement. CBN operates a willing-buyer/willing-seller FX market and has eased personal dom-account curbs, but banks run strict KYC/AML: keep invoices, contracts, and a clear source-of-funds narrative for each transfer to prevent holds.
Crypto and stablecoins are regulated, not banned
Under ISA 2025 the SEC regulates digital assets as securities and licenses VASPs; the CBN lets banks service SEC-registered VASPs (Dec 2023 guidelines). Crypto/USDC is legal to hold and trade but is not legal tender. USDC-to-naira conversion inside Nigeria must run through a Nigerian SEC-licensed VASP; StableCorp does not itself hold a CBN licence or operate a naira on/off-ramp, and any off-ramp should be recorded for tax.
Getting your money home to Nigeria
Money earned by your US entity stays in the US until you choose to move it. When you bring it to Nigeria, it arrives as an inbound foreign-currency transfer and is best received into a domiciliary (dom) account: a bank account denominated in USD. Under the CBN's current 'willing-buyer, willing-seller' FX regime (operated through the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market), inflows into dom accounts from legitimate sources can be received, held in dollars, and either withdrawn or converted to naira at the prevailing market rate; the CBN has removed most pandemic-era restrictions on personal dom-account balances. Keep clean documentation for every inflow (invoices to your US entity, contracts, and a clear description such as personal remittance or payment for services), because banks apply KYC/AML checks and the source of funds must be demonstrable. Note that the strict 90/180-day repatriation deadlines the CBN enforces apply to physical-goods export proceeds; a services/software founder receiving distributions or salary from their own US company is in a different lane, but should still document each transfer.
Tax matters more than mechanics here. Under the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 (signed June 2025, effective 1 January 2026), a person resident in Nigeria is taxed on their WORLDWIDE income, so profits or salary you draw from your US company are taxable in Nigeria whether or not you remit them, and the old exemption for foreign-currency income repatriated to a dom account has been removed since 1 January 2026. Foreign income is converted to naira at the applicable CBN rate on the date received, and there is a general tax-free threshold on the first ₦800,000 of annual income. Nigeria may allow a unilateral foreign tax credit for US tax paid on the same income. Confirm the current FIRS position with a Nigerian tax advisor. Register with your State Internal Revenue Service and file. On the crypto/stablecoin route: the Investments and Securities Act 2025 brought virtual/digital assets under the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which now licenses Virtual Asset Service Providers; crypto is legal to hold and trade but is NOT legal tender. The CBN's December 2023 VASP guidelines let banks service SEC-registered VASPs, so a compliant on/off-ramp runs through a licensed provider. USDC-to-naira conversion inside Nigeria must run through a Nigerian SEC-licensed VASP. StableCorp settles USD/EUR/INR to your US entity's account; where it supports local naira payout it does so via licensed regional partners, and it does not itself hold a CBN licence or operate a naira on/off-ramp, so keep records for both CBN documentation and your Nigerian tax return.
Nigeria & US taxes
There is NO US-Nigeria income tax treaty. Nigeria does not appear on the IRS 'United States Income Tax Treaties A to Z' list (the only African countries with US treaties are Egypt, Morocco, South Africa and Tunisia). Practically, this means no treaty rate reductions and no treaty tie-breaker rules are available to you. The main consequence is US withholding tax: absent a treaty, US-source payments such as dividends from a US C-Corp to a Nigerian shareholder are subject to the default 30% withholding rate (there is no treaty to lower it). It also means there is no reduced rate or exemption on other US-source passive income. For a service business run through a US LLC or C-Corp whose work is performed in Nigeria, income is generally treated as foreign-source (not effectively connected to a US trade or business simply because the entity is American), so the more important issues are usually your US filing obligations (e.g. Form 5472 for a foreign-owned single-member LLC, or the C-Corp's own return) rather than treaty relief. Note that a US LLC is disregarded for US federal tax, but Nigerian authorities may treat it differently. US disregarded treatment does not automatically flow through to Nigeria. There is also no US-Nigeria totalization agreement, so social-security-type coverage is not coordinated. Even without a treaty, Nigeria may allow a unilateral foreign tax credit for US tax you pay on the same income. Confirm the current FIRS position with a Nigerian tax advisor. Get country-specific advice: the absence of a treaty makes correct entity choice and characterization of income more important, not less.
StableCorp helps founders in Nigeria form a US company, get an EIN and a US business account, and get paid on compliant rails, both sides.
Get startedFrequently asked questions
Is there a US-Nigeria tax treaty I can use to lower US tax?
No. Nigeria is not on the IRS treaty list, so there are no reduced treaty rates or tie-breaker rules. The default US withholding rate of 30% applies to US-source dividends paid to a Nigerian shareholder, and there is no totalization agreement for social security. This makes entity choice (LLC vs C-Corp) and correct sourcing of your income more important. Take cross-border tax advice.
Do I have to pay Nigerian tax on money my US company earns?
If you are tax-resident in Nigeria, yes. The Nigeria Tax Act 2025 (effective 1 January 2026) taxes residents on worldwide income, whether or not you remit it home, and the old exemption for foreign income kept in a domiciliary account has been removed since 1 January 2026. Register with your State Internal Revenue Service, convert to naira at the applicable CBN rate, and the first ₦800,000 of annual income is tax-free. Nigeria may allow a unilateral foreign tax credit for US tax you paid on the same income. Confirm the current FIRS position with a Nigerian tax advisor.
How do I actually receive the dollars in Nigeria?
Open a USD domiciliary (dom) account and have your US entity send distributions or salary there. Under the CBN's willing-buyer/willing-seller FX regime you can hold the balance in dollars and convert to naira at the market rate when you choose. Keep invoices, contracts and a clear source-of-funds description for every inflow, because banks apply KYC/AML checks.
Can I get paid in USDC/stablecoins and cash out in Nigeria?
Crypto is legal to hold and trade in Nigeria, though not legal tender. Under ISA 2025 the SEC licenses Virtual Asset Service Providers and, since the CBN's December 2023 guidelines, banks may service SEC-registered VASPs. USDC-to-naira conversion inside Nigeria must run through a Nigerian SEC-licensed VASP, not peer-to-peer. StableCorp settles USD/EUR/INR to your US entity's account; where it supports local naira payout it does so via licensed regional partners, and it does not itself hold a CBN licence or operate a naira on/off-ramp. Keep records of any conversion for your Nigerian tax return.