Northwest review for non-residents

Northwest Registered Agent files your LLC, acts as its registered agent and, by default, puts its own address on your public filings instead of yours. It fits founders abroad who value privacy, plan to keep the LLC for years and can sort out the bank account themselves. Packages, recurring charges and yearly costs in Wyoming, Delaware and New Mexico are in the tables on this page.

For founders outside the US

Who can sign up. Northwest says you don’t need US citizenship to own an LLC, or to set foot in the US to start one, though owning one doesn’t let you work there. For most services it asks only for contact, payment and business details, and it asks for a Social Security number only for services that need one, such as its EIN service.

EIN without an SSN. The EIN isn’t in the formation package. Northwest sells “EIN Without SSN” separately, priced above the version for owners with an SSN (the tables show the no-SSN price). Its staff submit the application to the IRS and deal with any problems. The IRS itself charges nothing, and without an SSN or ITIN you can file Form SS-4 yourself by fax, mail or phone: see how to get an EIN without an SSN. Northwest doesn’t say how long its service takes.

Bank account. Northwest can’t open one for you. Its non-citizen guide lists what banks usually want: your passport, an ID from your country, the articles of organization, the operating agreement, the EIN and proof of the LLC’s US address. By Northwest’s estimate, having documents physically mailed abroad usually costs $50 to $200.

Address and mail. Northwest’s address goes on your public filings, and state and legal mail is scanned into your account at no extra cost. Other mail gets 5 free scans a year, then a fee per item. For an address you can print on your website or business cards, it sells monthly Mail Forwarding and Virtual Office plans in some states, including Wyoming, Delaware and New Mexico.

Privacy by Default. It’s automatic and free. Northwest uses its address instead of yours wherever the state allows, leaves optional name and address fields blank and pays state fees itself, so the state doesn’t see your card. In Wyoming it also signs the articles as organizer. The formation document is still public, and what it shows depends on the state: see Wyoming, Delaware and New Mexico.

What happens after year 1

Registered agent. From year 2 it renews every year, at the price in the tables. Northwest’s billing terms say some services are charged automatically unless you turn auto-pay off in your account, and that you must cancel online at least one business day before the next charge. Cancelling is free, but the terms warn that ending one service can leave others billed at their regular, non-discounted price.

Annual report. Buying the registered agent also enrolls you in Northwest’s annual report service: $100 plus the state fee on October 10, 2026, charged about 90 days before the deadline. Enrollment doesn’t guarantee the filing; you still have to log in and provide the information. If you file yourself, cancel it in your account before that charge; the registered agent includes deadline reminders. New Mexico has no annual report. Delaware LLCs file none either, but pay a yearly tax by June 1, and Northwest’s terms say the service also covers franchise tax reports and other recurring state filings.

If you leave. Cancelling in your account doesn’t update the state’s records. Northwest’s terms say it stops forwarding documents, isn’t committing to file anything to remove itself and may resign, which can cost the LLC its good standing. Appoint a new registered agent with the state first; Wyoming lists that filing in its fee schedule.

Refunds

Northwest’s billing terms (updated April 2026) say “all purchase are final and non-refundable after 90 days”. Within those 90 days, refunds are at Northwest’s discretion unless the law requires otherwise. State filing fees are never refunded. Hosting plans can be refunded in full within 24 hours if unused; Corporate Guide Service fees can’t. A refund credited to your Northwest account, rather than your card, stays there as credit with no cash value.

Inconsistencies we found

Checked on October 10, 2026. For each one, we say which version we use.

• Wyoming’s yearly fee. Northwest’s “How to do business in the USA” page says $50. Its Wyoming page and the Wyoming Secretary of State say a $60 minimum. We use $60.
• BOI report. The same page calls it a requirement for nearly all US businesses. FinCEN exempts US companies under its August 2026 final rule. We follow FinCEN.
• SSN or ITIN for the EIN. Northwest’s EIN page sells a service for owners without an SSN, yet its own FAQ says you need an SSN or ITIN, its Privacy by Default page says it needs your SSN, and a 2022 post says that without an SSN you can get an ITIN and then file Form SS-4. The IRS Form SS-4 instructions say to write “foreign” or N/A on line 7b if you don’t have, and can’t get, either. We treat the no-SSN service as current.
• Taxes. “How to do business in the USA” says non-residents pay corporate rates because they can’t pay personal income tax; the IRS treats a single-member LLC as disregarded unless it elects otherwise. Northwest’s EIN page says such an LLC usually needs no EIN without employees, but the IRS requires a foreign-owned one to use an EIN to file Form 5472 for foreign-owned LLCs. We follow the IRS.
• Bank account. “How to do business in the USA” says you will need to visit the US in person to open the account. The non-citizen guide says most banks want you there in person, but a few let foreigners open an account online, and a 2022 post says many banks require you to be in the US. We don’t say a visit is required: only that Northwest doesn’t open the account and that each bank sets its own rules.
• Mail. The non-citizen guide promises free, limited forwarding of regular mail. The registered agent and Mail Forwarding pages describe 5 free scans a year, with physical forwarding only in paid plans. We use the latter.
• Annual report guarantee. The annual report page advertises guaranteed on-time filing; the billing terms say enrollment doesn’t guarantee the filing. We repeat the billing terms.

Sources

Northwest pages are the primary sources; all were read on October 10, 2026.

• Northwest, “Start Your LLC Right” (/llc), primary
• Northwest, “LLCs for Non-US Citizens” (/llc/non-citizen), primary
• Northwest, “Can a Non-US Resident Own an LLC?” (/llc/non-us-resident-owner, posted March 17, 2022), primary
• Northwest, “How to Do Business in the U.S.A.” (/start-a-business/do-business-in-usa), primary
• Northwest, “Get Your Federal Employer Identification Number” (/start-a-business/ein-tax-id), primary
• Northwest, “Registered Agent Service” (/registered-agent), primary
• Northwest, “Business Formation Services” (/incorporation-service), primary
• Northwest, “Privacy by Default” (/privacy-by-default), primary
• Northwest, “Get a Business Address” (/business-address), primary
• Northwest, “Mail Forwarding Service” (/business-address/mail-forwarding), primary
• Northwest, “Annual Report Filing” (/annual-report), primary
• Northwest, “Start a Wyoming LLC” (/llc/wyoming) and “Form an LLC in New Mexico” (/llc/new-mexico), primary
• Northwest, “Auto-Pay Billing and Credit Wallet Terms and Conditions” (/terms-policy/auto-pay, updated April 2026), primary
• Northwest, “Termination of Services” (/terms-policy/termination-of-services, updated November 2025), primary
• Northwest, hosting terms (/terms-policy/hosting) and Corporate Guide Service terms (/terms-policy/corporate-guide-service), primary
• IRS: Instructions for Form SS-4
• IRS: Get an employer identification number
• IRS: Limited liability company (LLC)
• FinCEN: Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting
• Wyoming Secretary of State: filing fee schedule, effective July 1, 2026