US Merchant Account from France: Selling to US Buyers in USD
Why a SAS, a SARL or a micro-entreprise does not open a US merchant account, what a US entity, US-resident director and US bank account change, and how the package coexists with the French company.
A merchant in France can hold a US merchant account, but not by applying with the SAS or the micro-entreprise. US acquirers underwrite a US entity with an EIN, a US-resident signer and guarantor, and a US business bank account where settlements land in dollars. The IBO package delivers all three the same day payment confirms, and the French company keeps running next to it. French tax, VAT and foreign-exchange questions belong to an accountant.
A merchant based in France can hold a US merchant account; applying with the SAS or the micro-entreprise is not how it is obtained. A US acquirer underwrites three things a French file cannot supply: a US entity with an EIN, a US-resident authorized signer who also signs the personal guarantee, and a US business bank account in the entity's name where settlements land in dollars. A SAS with a SIREN number, a president with a French ID and a euro account answers none of the three. The route that works is to have all three exist before the application, while the French company keeps serving its French customers. The regional guide for UK and EU merchants on this blog covers why a US MID is worth opening; this guide takes the French file specifically.
Who this guide is for: French merchants selling to the United States
- E-commerce. A French brand shipping to US buyers, or a dropshipping store run from France with US suppliers and customers, priced in dollars.
- Online courses and info-products. Programs sold one-time or in a fixed number of installments to a US audience.
- Coaching and consulting. High-ticket one-to-one or group coaching sold to US clients, billed per program or per project.
- SaaS and digital tools. Software sold per seat or per month to US customers, priced and settled in dollars.
Why a SAS, a SARL or a micro-entreprise does not open a US MID
Underwriting is a search for recourse: a legal person in the United States the acquirer can bill, a natural person there whose credit file it can pull and who signs the guarantee, and a settlement account that entity owns. A SAS or a SARL is a real company with a SIREN and a Kbis, but the president of the SAS or the manager of the SARL has a French ID and no US credit file, and the company's account carries a French IBAN in euros. A micro-entreprise (the auto-entrepreneur regime) has no legal personality separate from you: the file would be a French individual applying for a US high-risk MID. Charging US cards through a French account also costs: the sale is cross-border, typically with more declines and possible foreign transaction fees, and a French acquirer or aggregator typically settles in euros at its own rate, so dollar revenue is converted before you touch it.
| What the underwriter asks for | What the French file offers | What passes |
|---|---|---|
| A US entity with a tax ID | A SAS, SASU, SARL or EURL with a SIREN and a Kbis, or a micro-entreprise in your own name | A US LLC or C-Corp with an EIN, incorporated in the state where the director lives |
| A signer and guarantor | A president or manager with a French ID and no US credit file | A US resident with government ID, a US home address and a credit file the acquirer can pull |
| A settlement account | A euro account with a French IBAN | A US business bank account in the entity's name |
| Addresses that agree | A French address everywhere, or a rented US address on one document | The state of formation, the director's ID and the bank's address of record pointing to one place |
What a US entity, a US-resident director and a US bank account change
The package IBOCore sells answers every line of that table at once. The entity is a US LLC or C-Corp incorporated in the director's home state, with the EIN already issued, never a Wyoming shell. The director is an Independent Business Operator (IBO): a real, consenting, KYC-verified US resident with zero criminal record and a credit score of 650 or more, exclusive to one merchant and never used before. The business bank account is opened at Bluebanc or Relay in the company's name before delivery, with full operational access handed to you: inbound and outbound wires, a debit card, no minimum balance.
The same delivery carries the complete director and business documentation (government ID, proof of address, articles, operating agreement, EIN letter), a professional email on the company domain, a dedicated US residential proxy and 24/7 support in a private Telegram group with an account manager. What the documents show is the director on the state filing and on the EIN. On beneficial ownership reporting, at the time of writing, a US-formed LLC or corporation is a domestic reporting company and, under FinCEN's interim final rule of March 2025, domestic companies and US persons are exempt from BOI reporting, while companies formed under foreign law that register in a US state remain subject to it. Verify current FinCEN guidance; IBOCore gives no legal or tax advice, and how your own arrangement is documented is a question for a professional.
The US entity, director and bank account, before you apply
Browse the US IBO packages in stock today: one package, one price, delivered the same day the payment confirms.
USD settlement and the descriptor US cardholders will read
A US MID processes and settles in dollars. The settlement lands in the US account in dollars, less the acquirer's fees and any reserve. Your costs stay in euros, so the exchange rate risk moves from the customer to you: you convert when you wire from the US account to the French one, at a rate and a fee set by the two banks, on the rhythm you choose; the UK and EU guide details moving settlements home. US cardholders dispute charges they do not recognise, and a French brand name that means nothing to a US buyer invites a dispute. The descriptor carries the US entity's name or the DBA the underwriter approved, and the store must match it. Four things to check on the US-facing store before applying:
- Prices in dollars and copy in English. A French-language version can coexist; the site named on the application is the one reviewed.
- The US entity's legal name and a contact email on the company domain, so a cardholder can reach you before reaching the issuer.
- Terms, privacy, refund and cancellation policies, visible before checkout and identical to what the application declares.
- A delivery estimate you meet. Goods leaving France for US addresses should ship tracked; delivery proof is the evidence a representment needs.
How the US package coexists with the French company
The package is a standalone US company with its own director, bank account and documents. It is not a subsidiary of your SAS; you contract with that company and its director to open merchant accounts, and IBOCore invoices you as a service client. Run the two as two businesses: the French company keeps its European customers, euro account, processor and accounting; the US entity processes its own sales under its own descriptor, website and bank account, and IBOCore has no opinion on how you sell. The acquirer underwrites the traffic you declare, so a change of products or countries is told to the acquirer rather than discovered by it, and every flow between the two companies is documented from day one, because the accountant on the French side will ask for it. The local processor guide on this blog covers routing orders between two rails.
Plans, prices and the calendar from Telegram to the acquirer's decision
| Business run from France | Setup fee and ongoing |
|---|---|
| E-commerce, courses, coaching and consulting sold one-time, per project or in a fixed number of installments; SaaS and digital tools | $999 setup, then $2,999 per month from 30 days after delivery |
| Memberships, communities billed monthly, subscriptions, continuity or trial-to-recurring billing | $999 setup, then $2,999 per month from 30 days after delivery |
The line between the plans follows the billing model, not the product; the industries page maps every vertical to its plan and lists what IBOCore refuses. Ask on Telegram before paying if your billing is not obvious.
Contact the IBOCore team on Telegram with what you sell, how it is billed and the expected monthly volume; IBOCore reviews the business on proofs, never your passport or your Kbis, before granting dashboard access. You or your ISO then submit the MID application, the director signs and takes the verification call, and the acquirer typically answers in 3 to 10 business days; the decision is the acquirer's. Ongoing billing starts 30 days after delivery, and an idle package can be reclaimed after the same 30 days, setup fee not refunded. If an acquirer terminates the MID later, there are no clawbacks; the package stays yours and can be used with another acquirer.
French tax, VAT and foreign exchange: questions for an accountant
Not tax or legal advice
IBOCore delivers the package; it does not advise on how the US entity or its revenue is treated in France, how the arrangement is invoiced, or how dollars held in the United States are declared. Treat this section as questions for an accountant, not as answers.
Bring four questions to an accountant who works across both countries. Income: how the money that reaches you in France is treated, through your SAS or personally; the US entity's own US obligations are handled on the director's side, and you are invoiced as a service client. VAT: whether sales to French or European consumers stay within French VAT rules when processed through a US entity, and how US sales are treated. Documentation: which contracts should sit between the French company and the US entity, and how a service one renders to the other is invoiced. Foreign exchange and reporting: you hold dollars and convert on your own schedule; what must be declared in France about the arrangement, the entity or funds held abroad is the same accountant's job.
Add a US rail next to your French company
Describe what you sell, how it is billed and your share of US buyers on Telegram. The answer is a plan, or a no if the vertical is one IBOCore refuses.
Questions merchants ask
Can a US ISO get my SAS approved instead of a US entity?
An ISO submits your file to an acquirer; it does not change what the acquirer underwrites. Some acquirers board foreign entities for low-risk volume, but for card-not-present high-risk sales the file that clears is typically a US entity with a US-resident signer and a US settlement account. Bring the same ISO to the US entity instead: IBOCore is processor-agnostic, and the package is handed to the ISO or acquirer you already work with, or submitted directly.
Do I need to travel, send my passport or provide an apostilled Kbis?
None of the three. There is no KYC on you, no notary, no apostille, no travel, and no US address, visa or personal US bank account to provide. IBOCore does review the business before granting dashboard access, on proofs of what you run and the volume you process; that review is about the business, not your identity. The director is the person the bank and the acquirer verify.
My customers pay in euros with French cards today. Does a US MID change that?
Not for those customers. A US MID is built for US-issued cards and dollar settlement; a French cardholder paying in euros is served by the French rail you already have, and routing that traffic through the US entity is a change of declared traffic to raise with the acquirer first. The US MID is for the share of your customers who are in the United States. If that share is small today, the honest answer may be to wait; if it is growing, that is the reason to open one.
Formation is step one; processing is step two
A Wyoming LLC or Delaware INC gives you a legal shell. It does not give you a business bank account, EIN usable with processors, or a US signer for the guarantor line on the MID application. Formation agents sell the entity; IBOCore ships the operational package (signer, bank pack, processor-ready KYB folder) with instant delivery from inventory.
- Registered agent: statutory mail recipient; not a substitute for an IBO.
- Operating agreement: defines manager vs member; processors may request it.
- Articles of organization: proof of incorporation date and state.
- FinCEN BOI: names beneficial owners; penalties for false filings.
Formation-only packages that never reach processing
Stripe Atlas and DIY LLC shops stop at incorporation. Operators still need EIN, US bank, signer and processor pack. Buying formation twice because the first vendor could not board a nutra MID is common; start with an instant-delivery IBO inventory slot instead.
FAQ: quick answers
How fast can I get an IBO package on IBOCore?
Available inventory ships the same day after payment. You receive Articles, EIN letter, registered agent details, bank onboarding pack and signer contact through your merchant dashboard. Processor onboarding typically follows over the next one to two weeks.
Where can I look up payment-processing jargon?
Use the Resources glossary on IBOCore (/resources) for 580+ definitions: MID, chargeback ratio, MATCH, rolling reserve, MCC, RDR, KYB and high-risk vertical vocabulary.
Ready for instant delivery?
Browse live IBO inventory or ask about your vertical on Telegram.