MCA for foreign-owned US businesses — what funds, what doesn't, who declines.

The 60-second answer

A foreign-owned US business — meaning a US LLC, C-corp, or partnership whose 50%+ owner is a non-US-citizen non-resident — can absolutely qualify for US MCA capital. The product itself doesn't care about immigration status. What it cares about is whether the funder can (a) pull daily ACH from a real US business bank account, (b) credit-score the signer through Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion US, and (c) enforce the contract under US commercial law if you default.

The qualification gauntlet is harder than for a US-owner business — typically a 0.05-0.15 factor-rate premium, more documentation requested upfront, and a narrower list of funders willing to underwrite the file. But it works, and we see foreign owners fund $25K-$500K MCAs every month.

What counts as “foreign-owned” for an MCA funder

MCA funders use a simple test: who signs the personal guarantee? If the 50%+ owner is a non-US citizen who is also a non-US resident (i.e., lives outside the US most of the year), the file is treated as foreign-owned. A US-citizen owner who happens to live abroad is not foreign-owned. A green-card holder living in the US is not foreign-owned. An H-1B or E-2 visa holder living in the US is borderline — some funders treat them as US, others as foreign.

The categories funders distinguish in 2026:

• US citizen or LPR (green card), US resident — standard qualification, no premium.
• Visa holder (E-2, L-1, H-1B, O-1), US resident — most funders treat as standard if SSN exists. A few add a small premium.
• ITIN signer, US resident — see our ITIN-only guide. Narrower funder list, modest premium.
• Foreign citizen, non-US resident, owns US LLC — this article. Narrowest funder list, largest premium.
• Foreign citizen, non-US resident, owns foreign entity — see our international business funding guide. US MCA generally not available.

What a foreign-owned US business file actually needs

Funders that work with foreign-owned US LLCs require more documentation upfront than for a US-owner deal. Plan to have all of this ready before applying:

Business documentation

• US LLC or C-corp formation docs — Articles of Organization or Articles of Incorporation, plus current Certificate of Good Standing from the state of formation (Delaware, Wyoming, and Florida are most common).
• EIN letter from IRS (CP-575 or replacement letter 147C) — funders want the original IRS-issued letter, not just the number.
• Operating agreement (LLC) or bylaws (corp) — funders read these to confirm who has signing authority.
• US business address that is not a registered-agent box — a virtual mailbox (iPostal1, Earth Class Mail) works for many funders; a pure registered-agent address (a CT Corporation or Northwest box) increasingly doesn't. Some funders explicitly require a physical operating address.
• Most recent US tax return — Form 1120 for C-corps; Form 1065 + K-1 for multi-member LLCs; Form 5472 + 1120 for foreign-owned single-member LLCs. Required for advances $100K+.

Signer documentation

• SSN or ITIN — non-negotiable. Without one, no credit pull is possible, and the file is auto-declined.
• Government-issued photo ID — foreign passport is fine. Many funders also want a secondary ID (driver's license from home country, or US state ID if held).
• US tax filings personally — Form 1040-NR for non-resident owners, Form 1040 if you have a US tax home. Several larger funders ask for the most recent personal return.
• Proof of US business address (utility bill, lease, etc.) — funders want to see the business actually operating somewhere.

Banking documentation

• 3-6 months of US business bank statements — must show consistent US-source deposits (merchant-processor batches, ACH from US customers, etc.) and no large irregular foreign wires. Round-number wires from offshore entities are a red flag.
• Voided check or ACH authorization form — for the daily-pull setup.
• Bank reference letter (sometimes) — for larger advances, some funders ask the bank to confirm account ownership and average balance directly.

Which US funders actually work with foreign-owned LLCs

Funders that explicitly underwrite foreign-owned US LLCs

• Greenbox Capital — most flexible on foreign ownership in the industry. Underwrites foreign-owned LLCs with ITIN signers as a standard file type. Factor rates 1.32-1.55. Funds $5K-$500K.
• Forward Financing — works with foreign-owned LLCs when the signer holds an SSN or ITIN. Factor rates 1.28-1.45 typical. Tighter on industry (avoids high-risk verticals).
• Mantis Funding — accepts foreign-owned LLCs, slightly higher factor rates (1.35-1.50) but flexible on credit and industry.
• Yellowstone Capital — long history with foreign-owned and immigrant-owned businesses. Pricier than tier-1 but reliable for files other funders decline.
• Reliant Funding — works with foreign-owned US LLCs, factor rates 1.30-1.45.

Funders that generally decline foreign-owned files

• Credibly — requires US-citizen or LPR signer for most products. Will fund a foreign-owned C-corp if a US executive signs.
• CFG Merchant Solutions — same. SSN-only on signers for standard files.
• Rapid Finance — declines most ITIN-only and foreign-resident signers.
• Bluevine, OnDeck, Funding Circle, Headway Capital — these are term-loan products, not MCAs, and they require US citizen or LPR signers.

The rate premium and why it exists

A US-owner restaurant doing $30K/month in revenue might see a 1.30 factor on a $50K advance. The same restaurant, foreign-owned with an ITIN signer, will typically see 1.35-1.42. That's a $2,500-$6,000 absolute-dollar premium on the same $50K advance.

Why? Three reasons funders cite:

• Collection risk if the signer leaves the country during default. Domestic collections is hard; cross-border collections is nearly impossible. Funders price this risk into the factor.
• Thinner credit file. ITIN-based credit files are typically shorter and have fewer tradelines than SSN-based files, which makes scoring less confident. Less confidence = more premium.
• Higher manual-review cost. Foreign-owned files take 2-3x longer to underwrite than standard US-owner files. The premium covers the extra underwriting cost.

How to minimize the premium

Three concrete things that move the rate down for a foreign-owned file:

• Build an ITIN credit file. An ITIN with 2-3 years of on-time credit history (secured cards, then unsecured, then small business cards) reads very similarly to an SSN file. The first MCA at 1.42 turns into the second one at 1.32 if you build between them.
• Operate a real physical location. A leased restaurant, retail storefront, or warehouse with a real address moves you out of the “shell LLC” risk bucket. Even a $500/month flex-space lease helps.
• File the US tax return on time. Funders see late returns and missing Form 5472 filings as collection-risk signals. Stay current and the file scores cleaner.

Red flags that auto-decline a foreign-owned file

• Bank statements showing primarily foreign wires rather than US-source deposits
• US business address that is a registered-agent box with no physical operations
• EIN obtained more than 12 months ago but bank account opened <3 months ago
• Personal guarantor with no US tax filings on record
• History of forming and dissolving multiple US LLCs in short succession
• OFAC matches or country-of-origin from sanctioned jurisdictions

What we tell foreign-owned merchants honestly

The US MCA market is genuinely open to foreign-owned US LLCs and C-corps — but it rewards files that look real and penalizes ones that look like paperwork-only structures. If you've done the work to actually operate a US business — real location, real US-source revenue, real US tax filings, real ITIN credit history — you'll fund at rates within striking distance of US-owner peers. If you're a paperwork-only LLC trying to access US MCA capital, the answer is near-universal decline. Build the operation first; the funding follows.