Can I open a Mercury account from India?

Yes. India is not on Mercury's prohibited-country list, so an India-resident owner of a US LLC with an EIN can apply. Mercury does require a real US business address (not a registered-agent or PO box).

Which US business account accepts the most countries?

Payoneer has the widest reach — available in 190+ countries minus US/OFAC-sanctioned jurisdictions. It is a payments platform with US receiving details, not a bank, and availability is confirmed at signup rather than from a public country list.

Does Wise Business work for non-residents everywhere?

No. Wise is residency-gated: you must live in a country where Wise lets you hold a business balance. Founders across much of South Asia, Africa, and MENA (for example India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Egypt, and the UAE) generally cannot open a Wise business account, even though they are not sanctioned.

Are these FDIC-insured bank accounts?

It varies. Wise and Payoneer are e-money / payment institutions (EMIs), not banks. Mercury, Relay, and Bluevine are fintechs operating on FDIC-insured partner banks — your funds sit at the partner bank, not the fintech.

US Business Account Acceptance by Country (Non-Resident Founders)

Last verified: June 16, 2026 · 35 high-traffic founder countries · 5 providers · keyed to the owner's country of residence, assuming a US LLC/Corp + EIN.

“Can I open [Mercury / Wise / Relay / Payoneer / Bluevine] from [my country]?” is the question most non-resident founders get wrong — because each provider gates differently. Mercury bans ~50 countries; Wise is residency-gated (not just sanctions); Relay needs an ITIN + US address everywhere; Payoneer is the widest net; Bluevine serves only a 22-country allow-list. The matrix below is keyed to where you live.

How each provider gates

Mercury

Fintech (partner banks: Choice, Column — FDIC)

Visit

Prohibited-country list (~50). Requires a real US operating address — rejects registered-agent/PO/UPS addresses.

No SSN neededUS address required

Official source ↗

Wise Business

EMI / money platform (not a bank)

Visit

Residency-gated: you must reside in a country where Wise lets you hold a business balance. Many non-sanctioned countries are simply not supported. No US presence needed.

No SSN neededNo US address needed

Official source ↗

Relay

Fintech (partner bank: Thread — FDIC)

Visit

31-country prohibited list AND requires a US Tax ID (SSN or ITIN) + US address. So non-prohibited countries are still conditional on having an ITIN.

US tax ID requiredUS address required

Official source ↗

Payoneer

EMI / payments platform (not a bank; US receiving details)

Visit

Available in 190+ countries; excludes US/OFAC-sanctioned jurisdictions. No public country list — availability confirmed at signup.

No SSN neededNo US address needed

Official source ↗

Bluevine

Fintech (partner bank: Coastal — FDIC)

Visit

Allow-list of exactly 22 supported countries; passport instead of SSN; on-camera identity verification required.

No SSN neededNo US address needed

Official source ↗

Acceptance by country

Region35 of 35 countries

Country	Region	Mercury	Wise Business	Relay	Payoneer	Bluevine
India	South Asia	Yes	No¹	Cond²	Yes	Yes
Pakistan	South Asia	No³	No⁴	No⁵	Yes	No⁶
Bangladesh	South Asia	No⁷	No⁴	Cond⁸	Yes	No
Nepal	South Asia	No⁷	No	Cond⁸	Yes	No
Sri Lanka	South Asia	Yes	No	Cond⁸	Yes	No
Indonesia	Southeast Asia	No⁷	No	Cond⁸	Yes	No
Vietnam	Southeast Asia	No⁷	No	Cond⁸	Yes	No
Philippines	Southeast Asia	No⁹	Yes	Cond⁸	Yes	No
Thailand	Southeast Asia	Yes	Cond¹⁰	Cond⁸	Yes	No
Singapore	Southeast Asia	Yes	Yes	Cond⁸	Yes	No
China	East Asia	Yes	Yes	Cond⁸	Yes	No
Nigeria	Africa	No⁷	No	No⁵	Yes	No
Kenya	Africa	Yes	No	Cond⁸	Yes	No
South Africa	Africa	Yes	Yes	Cond⁸	Yes	No
Morocco	Africa	Yes	No	Cond⁸	Yes	No
Egypt	MENA	Yes	No	Cond⁸	Yes	No
Turkey	MENA	Yes	No	Cond⁸	Yes	No
United Arab Emirates	MENA	Yes	No	Cond⁸	Yes	No
Saudi Arabia	MENA	Yes	Yes	Cond⁸	Yes	No
Israel	MENA	Yes	No¹¹	Cond⁸	Yes	Yes
Brazil	Latin America	Yes	Cond¹²	Cond⁸	Yes	No
Argentina	Latin America	Yes	Yes	Cond⁸	Yes	No
Mexico	Latin America	Yes	No	Cond⁸	Yes	No
Colombia	Latin America	Yes	Yes	Cond⁸	Yes	No
Germany	Europe	Yes	Yes	Cond⁸	Yes	Yes
Netherlands	Europe	Yes	Yes	Cond⁸	Yes	Yes
United Kingdom	Europe	Yes	Yes	Cond⁸	Yes	Yes
France	Europe	Yes	Yes	Cond⁸	Yes	No⁶
Spain	Europe	Yes	Yes	Cond⁸	Yes	Yes
Italy	Europe	Yes	Yes	Cond⁸	Yes	Yes
Poland	Europe	Yes	Yes	Cond⁸	Yes	Yes
Ukraine	Europe	No¹³	No¹⁴	No⁵	No¹⁵	No
Russia	Europe	No¹⁴	No¹⁴	No⁷	No¹⁶	No
Canada	North America	Yes	Yes	Cond⁸	Yes	Yes
Australia	Oceania	Yes	Yes	Cond⁸	Yes	Yes

Yes = accepted · No = not accepted · Cond = conditional. Superscript numbers reference the notes below. Always confirm at signup; providers change rules often.

1. Wise doesn't offer accounts to India residents
2. Needs US Tax ID (SSN/ITIN) + US address
3. On Mercury's prohibited list
4. Not supported for residents
5. On Relay's prohibited list
6. Not in Bluevine's 22
7. Prohibited
8. Needs ITIN + US address
9. Prohibited (added by 2026)
10. Account details temporarily paused
11. Wise: Israel residents = personal accounts only (no business)
12. USD business account available; BRL only if resident
13. Prohibited / sanctioned regions
14. Sanctioned
15. Restricted; occupied regions blocked
16. Sanctioned / blocked

Reading it: Payoneer is the broadest net (works almost everywhere non-sanctioned). Mercury is the best true account but bans ~50 countries. Wise quietly excludes much of South Asia, Africa, and MENA. Relay needs an ITIN everywhere. Bluevine serves only its 22 (mostly EU plus India, Israel, Canada, Australia). For a plain-English breakdown of how each provider gates — EMI vs FDIC partner bank, ITIN rules, US-address requirements — see Mercury vs Wise vs Relay vs Payoneer vs Bluevine. For the full ranked comparison with scores, see the best business banks for a non-resident LLC →

Full reference lists

The exact official lists each cell is derived from. Rules change often — these reflect the provider pages as of June 16, 2026.

Mercury — sanctioned jurisdictions (4)

Cuba
Iran
North Korea
Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine (Crimea, Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia)

Mercury — full prohibited-country list (~50) (48)

Afghanistan
Albania
Angola
Bangladesh
Belarus
Bhutan
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Congo (DRC)
Congo
Croatia
Eritrea
Gambia
Haiti
Indonesia
Iraq
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Maldives
Mali
Mozambique
Myanmar (Burma)
Nepal
Nicaragua
Nigeria
Pakistan
Palestine
Philippines
Russia
Somalia
South Sudan
Sudan
Syria
Ukraine
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Bluevine — the 22 supported countries (allow-list) (22)

Australia
Belgium
Canada
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
Germany
Hungary
India
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Luxembourg
Netherlands
New Zealand
Poland
Portugal
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
United Kingdom

Relay — prohibited-country list (31) (31)

Afghanistan
Belarus
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Burkina Faso
Burma (Myanmar)
Burundi
Cambodia
Central African Republic
Congo (DRC)
Cuba
Ethiopia
Guinea-Bissau
Haiti
Iran
Iraq
Lebanon
Libya
Mali
Nicaragua
Nigeria
North Korea
Pakistan
Russia
Somalia
South Sudan
Sudan
Syria
Ukraine
Venezuela
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Payoneer — excluded / sanctioned (6)

Cuba
Iran
North Korea
Syria
Russia
Russian-occupied Ukraine regions (Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk)

Wise Business — country carve-outs (6)

Israel = personal accounts only (no business)
Bahrain = personal only
Malaysia = personal only
Hong Kong = business accounts only
Thailand = account details temporarily paused
Brazil = USD business OK; BRL only if resident

Don't have the US LLC yet?

A US business account needs a US LLC/Corp + EIN first. These services file the LLC, act as registered agent, and get your EIN — the steps non-residents find hardest from abroad.

Visit doola Visit Firstbase Visit Northwest

We may earn a commission if you sign up through these links, at no extra cost to you.

Caveats

Providers change country rules frequently — always confirm at signup. This matrix reflects official pages as of 2026-06-16.
Payoneer has no public country-by-country list; 'yes' = available subject to signup screening.
Relay's ITIN + US-address requirement is well-reported and corroborated; its required-documents page didn't render on fetch, but its prohibited-country list is confirmed from Relay's official article.
Wise/Payoneer are EMIs, not banks; Mercury/Relay/Bluevine are fintechs on FDIC-insured partner banks.

Sources

Every cell is derived from the providers' own official pages, fetched on the dates below.

Mercury: https://support.mercury.com/hc/en-us/articles/28771710754580-Prohibited-countries (fetched 2026-06-16)
Bluevine: https://www.bluevine.com/us-business-banking-for-international-owners (fetched 2026-06-16)
Wise: https://wise.com/help/articles/2813542/where-do-i-need-to-live-to-hold-money-with-wise (fetched 2026-06-16)
Wise (sanctions): https://wise.com/uk/help/articles/2978049/where-can-i-use-wise (fetched 2026-06-16)
Relay: https://support.relayfi.com/hc/en-us/articles/10239600121748-Prohibited-Countries (fetched 2026-06-16)
Payoneer: https://www.payoneer.com/resources/business/guide-to-global-sanctions-lists/ (fetched 2026-06-16)

Note: Providers change country rules frequently — always confirm at signup. If you spot an error, let us know.

US Business Account Acceptance by Country (Non-Resident Founders) — 2026

Which US business accounts accept non-residents from your country? Mercury, Wise, Relay, Payoneer, and Bluevine acceptance by country of residence — verified, sourced, updated.

How each provider gates

Mercury

Wise Business

Relay

Payoneer

Bluevine

Acceptance by country

Full reference lists

Don't have the US LLC yet?

Caveats

Sources