US business credit access for your company

Why non-residents have no US credit history

In the US, lenders judge you on your credit report. For individuals, three nationwide bureaus keep these reports: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. They build them from the accounts that lenders report to them.

Your loans and cards back home don't show up there. Experian explains that credit data does not cross borders, because laws and systems differ from one country to another. So you start with no file at all, which the federal consumer protection agency (CFPB) calls being "credit invisible".

Personal credit vs business credit

There are two separate files. Yours, as an individual. And your LLC's, since it is a legal entity of its own.

The two stay linked. The SBA, the federal small business agency, notes that loan eligibility for a new business is typically based on the owner's personal credit score.

Getting a credit card with an ITIN

The IRS issues the ITIN for federal tax purposes only. Yet according to American Express, many card issuers accept it in place of an SSN, and Amex lists either one among the details you need to apply.

Capital One says several of its cards, including two secured cards, can be applied for with an ITIN. Its page is aimed at people who live in the US, though. Each issuer sets its own rules, sometimes card by card.

If you live outside the US, the ITIN matters most when the issuer assesses the person signing the application, as with standard business cards. We prepare the file through our ITIN service, and your passport never leaves your hands.

Amex Business, Ramp, Brex: public eligibility criteria

Here is what each issuer publishes on its own pages as of September 2026. Terms change, so check them when you apply.

Ramp and Brex set limits based on the company's cash and revenue, not your personal score. Ramp reports on-time payments to Dun & Bradstreet. Brex reports payment history to Experian, Dun & Bradstreet and Equifax.

Business credit bureaus: D-U-N-S, Experian, Equifax

Each of the three bureaus collects its own data and may see your company differently.

• Dun & Bradstreet: issues the D-U-N-S number, a free nine-digit identifier. Its PAYDEX score, from 1 to 100, is calculated from the payments your vendors report.
• Experian: keeps a business file separate from your personal one. Without at least one reported tradeline or one piece of business identification data, no score is generated.
• Equifax: ties credit to the company, not its owners, using trade references, banks and public records.

A D-U-N-S number alone does not create a score. Dun & Bradstreet is clear: a payment nobody reports cannot count.

How to build business credit for your LLC

1. An LLC and its EIN. No EIN, no file: see EIN Express.
2. A bank account in the company's exact legal name, active and funded. Ramp and Brex look at it too (see US bank account).
3. A D-U-N-S number, and a business phone line in the company's name, listed in directories, as Experian recommends.
4. Net-30 vendors, who give you 30 days to pay their invoices. Pick those that report to the bureaus: according to Experian, only about 10,000 of the more than 500,000 suppliers extending credit do.
5. A card that reports your payments: corporate on the business side, or secured on the personal side (you deposit, say, $500 and spend up to that amount).
6. On-time payments, every month. It is Dun & Bradstreet's first tip for improving a PAYDEX score.

Use the same name and address everywhere. Brex warns that otherwise the bureaus may not match its data to your file.

How long does it take?

There is no guaranteed timeline. Dun & Bradstreet says so itself: there is no standard amount of time for establishing a business credit file. Published benchmarks:

• D-U-N-S number: free, in most cases within 30 business days; within 8 business days with the paid expedited option;
• Brex reporting: each month's payments are reported at the start of the next month, and some bureaus need at least three months of history to factor them in;
• personal FICO score: you need at least one account open for six months or more, and one account reported in the past six months;
• ITIN: the IRS allows 7 weeks, and 9 to 11 weeks from abroad or during tax season.

So think in months. Larger lines come with account age and consistent payments.

Common mistakes that block an application

• using your registered agent's address or a mail-forwarding service: Ramp rejects PO boxes, virtual offices, registered agent and mail-forwarding addresses, and Brex requires a physical US address;
• applying with a near-empty account: limits depend on cash, and Ramp requires at least $25,000;
• applying with a personal email address: Ramp only accepts business email addresses;
• paying late: Brex can cut the limit to zero and reports late payments to all three bureaus;
• letting your ITIN expire: if it is not used on a federal return for three consecutive tax years, it expires.

Clean bookkeeping, with no personal expenses mixed into the LLC's, also helps when an issuer asks for your bank statements.

How it works with Altixia

1. Starting point: an LLC with an EIN. If you don't have one yet, we first form your LLC in 24 business hours, then get the EIN in 24 business hours with an ITIN or SSN, 48 to 72 hours without.
2. We check the company's bank account and, if the target issuer assesses the owner, prepare your ITIN file within 24 to 48 hours.
3. We set up the D-U-N-S number and the company credit file.
4. We open accounts with Net-30 vendors to build history.
5. We select and open the corporate cards suited to your activity.
6. We support you until you get your first card, with WhatsApp follow-up in English.

Read on: ITIN without traveling and creating a US LLC as a non-resident.