Mercury: fees, currencies and how to apply.
US banking for startups and non-resident founders
- 1-2 weeks in our cases
- Time to open
- 4.9
- Advisor score
- No monthly fee
- Monthly cost
- Time to open
- Typically 1-2 weeks in our cases
- Currencies
- USD account; outbound payments in 40+ currencies
- To open
- No published minimum
Advertising disclosure. Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you open an account we may be paid a fee, at no extra cost to you. Order is set by our published criteria and cannot be bought.
What Mercury actually is
Mercury is a US financial technology company, not a bank. Accounts and deposits are held at its partner banks Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., both members of the FDIC, so cover reaches you on a pass-through basis rather than from Mercury itself.
It is the fastest route we see to a working USD account for a newly formed US company, including one owned entirely by non-residents. Domestic ACH and USD wires are free, the dashboard is genuinely good, and there is an API for teams that automate payouts.
Fees and pricing
Checked against the provider's published pricing in September 2026. Figures vary by country and plan.
- Monthly fee
- No fee on the standard account
- Minimum to open
- No published minimum
- Domestic ACH and USD wires
- Free
- International wires in USD
- Free from Mercury; recipient bank charges may apply
- Payments in another currency
- About 1% on the converted amount
- Debit and virtual cards
- Included
Where it works well
- No monthly fee and free USD payments in and out
- Remote onboarding with no US visit and no US personal credit history needed
- Treasury option once balances grow, plus a clean API
Watch out for
- A US entity is required; there is no path for a foreign company
- FDIC cover is pass-through via partner banks, not Mercury itself
- Several industries are declined outright, including most crypto and money services
Who can open it
- A company registered in the United States with an EIN
- A US registered agent address (a virtual mailbox is accepted)
- Owners and directors can live anywhere, with a small list of restricted countries
Documents to prepare
- Certificate of incorporation and company registry extract
- Passport and proof of address for every director and owner above 25%
- Description of the business, customers and expected monthly volumes
- EIN confirmation letter from the IRS
- Company website or product description
Ready to apply to Mercury?
Have the documents above ready and the application usually takes under 20 minutes.
Affiliate link. We may be paid a fee; it does not change this ranking.