{
 "generated": "2026-07-01",
 "note": "Primary-sourced platform×country availability for non-resident founders. Each row has a source_url. Verify freshness before publishing; re-run the fetchers monthly.",
 "countries": {
  "PK": "Pakistan",
  "NG": "Nigeria",
  "IN": "India",
  "BD": "Bangladesh",
  "TR": "Turkey",
  "EG": "Egypt",
  "VN": "Vietnam",
  "ID": "Indonesia",
  "BR": "Brazil",
  "NP": "Nepal",
  "SA": "Saudi Arabia",
  "AE": "United Arab Emirates",
  "MA": "Morocco"
 },
 "platforms": [
  {
   "slug": "stripe",
   "name": "stripe",
   "capability": "merchant account signup (opening a Stripe account to charge customers)",
   "us_llc_unlock": "A US LLC + EIN + non-virtual US bank account satisfies every requirement on Stripe's 'open an account in another country' help page: US-registered legal entity, tax ID (EIN), US physical mailing address (not a P.O. box), phone number, working website, government-issued ID (passport from ANY country is accepted — founder nationality/residence is not a blocker), and a physical US bank account that 'can't be a virtual bank account.' This unlocks a full self-serve US Stripe account with international card acceptance regardless of where the founder lives. Stripe endorses the path itself: Stripe Atlas ('Start a US company from anywhere in the world') forms a Delaware LLC/C-corp, retrieves the EIN, opens a financial account, and activates Stripe — with dedicated compliance guides for Indian-resident (ODI rules) and Singaporean founders. Caveats: pure virtual accounts (Wise/Payoneer receiving details) fall outside Stripe's stated bank requirement; Stripe KYCs the human representative and can review/reserve accounts that misrepresent business location, so the LLC must actually operate as the merchant of record; and bank onboarding is the practical chokepoint for some nationalities (e.g., Mercury excludes Pakistan/Nigeria residents as of 2026).",
   "workaround_notes": "For charging customers on Stripe, free Wise/Payoneer accounts do NOT suffice anywhere: Stripe's own requirements page demands a legal entity registered in the account country plus 'a physical bank account in that country... This can't be a virtual bank account.' Wise/Payoneer solve marketplace payouts, not merchant signup. So for PK, NG, BD, TR, EG, VN, NP, SA, MA (fully unsupported), IN (invite-only), and effectively ID (no cross-border even if admitted), a US LLC + EIN + real US business bank account is the officially documented route — not a gray-area hack; Stripe sells this exact path via Atlas. Caveats: choose the bank carefully (as of 2026 Mercury rejects founders residing in Pakistan and Nigeria, so Relay/Brex or similar are needed for those audiences), the LLC must genuinely be the merchant of record with a real website and US mailing address (not a P.O. box), and Indian founders must handle RBI ODI compliance when forming a US entity (Stripe Atlas has a dedicated Indian-founder guide). Brazil and UAE founders can sign up locally and don't need the LLC to charge customers.",
   "sources": [
    "https://stripe.com/global",
    "https://support.stripe.com/questions/stripe-accounts-are-invite-only-in-india",
    "https://support.stripe.com/questions/requirements-to-open-a-stripe-account-in-indonesia",
    "https://support.stripe.com/questions/requirements-to-open-a-stripe-account-in-another-country",
    "https://docs.stripe.com/atlas"
   ],
   "rows": {
    "PK": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Pakistan is absent from Stripe's official supported-countries list (verified 2026-07-01); no signup, preview, or extended-network path exists.",
     "source": "https://stripe.com/global"
    },
    "NG": {
     "status": "partial",
     "detail": "Listed on stripe.com/global only as 'Extended network' served via Stripe-owned Paystack (acquired Oct 2020) — a separate product requiring a Nigerian business; no native Stripe account can be opened.",
     "source": "https://stripe.com/global"
    },
    "IN": {
     "status": "invite_only",
     "detail": "Labeled 'Preview' on stripe.com/global; Stripe's help page states 'Stripe services are invite-only in India' with signup only via a Sales invite prioritizing export-focused businesses — policy announced May 31, 2024 and still in effect; existing Indian accounts continue to work.",
     "source": "https://support.stripe.com/questions/stripe-accounts-are-invite-only-in-india"
    },
    "BD": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Bangladesh is absent from Stripe's official supported-countries list (verified 2026-07-01).",
     "source": "https://stripe.com/global"
    },
    "TR": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Turkey is absent from Stripe's official supported-countries list (verified 2026-07-01), with no preview or extended-network status.",
     "source": "https://stripe.com/global"
    },
    "EG": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Egypt is absent from Stripe's official supported-countries list and is not in the Paystack 'Extended network' set (Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa) as of 2026-07-01.",
     "source": "https://stripe.com/global"
    },
    "VN": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Vietnam is absent from Stripe's official supported-countries list (verified 2026-07-01).",
     "source": "https://stripe.com/global"
    },
    "ID": {
     "status": "invite_only",
     "detail": "Labeled 'Preview' on stripe.com/global; Stripe's help page says 'Stripe is available in Indonesia as an invite-only program', and even admitted accounts cannot process cross-border/international transactions (local IDR only).",
     "source": "https://support.stripe.com/questions/requirements-to-open-a-stripe-account-in-indonesia"
    },
    "BR": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Brazil appears on stripe.com/global with no restriction label — standard self-serve signup for Brazil-registered businesses (verified 2026-07-01).",
     "source": "https://stripe.com/global"
    },
    "NP": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Nepal is absent from Stripe's official supported-countries list (verified 2026-07-01).",
     "source": "https://stripe.com/global"
    },
    "SA": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Saudi Arabia is absent from Stripe's official supported-countries list (verified 2026-07-01), unlike neighboring UAE.",
     "source": "https://stripe.com/global"
    },
    "AE": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "United Arab Emirates appears on stripe.com/global with no restriction label — UAE-established businesses can sign up directly (GA since 2021).",
     "source": "https://stripe.com/global"
    },
    "MA": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Morocco is absent from Stripe's official supported-countries list (verified 2026-07-01).",
     "source": "https://stripe.com/global"
    }
   }
  },
  {
   "slug": "paypal",
   "name": "PayPal",
   "capability": "PayPal Business account: ability to RECEIVE payments (not just send/withdraw)",
   "us_llc_unlock": "A US PayPal Business account with the full US feature set: domestic + international receiving, PayPal branded checkout and invoicing, USD balance holding (no Egypt-style forced sweep), and withdrawal to the US bank account. PayPal's own user agreement requires a business to be \"organized in, operating in, or a resident of\" a listed country/region — a US LLC satisfies \"organized in,\" making this a ToS-consistent route for the entity itself. Caveats: US onboarding KYC requests the beneficial owner's SSN or ITIN (non-residents typically need an ITIN — EIN alone is often not enough), a US address and phone are expected, and persistent logins from non-serviced countries (TR/PK/BD) are a known account-limitation trigger, so the account must be operated as a genuine US business with consistent details. PayPal has no TikTok-Shop-style W-9 rejection for foreign-owned single-member LLCs, but identity verification of the human owner is the practical chokepoint.",
   "workaround_notes": "PayPal is unusual among platforms: Wise/Payoneer are NOT substitutes, because money sent through PayPal can only land in a PayPal account (single exception: Pakistan's 2025 SBP arrangement lets PayPal senders pay Pakistani freelancers out to Payoneer). So for PK, BD, TR, and NP residents there is no free workaround at any price — a US LLC + EIN + ITIN + US bank is the only compliant route to receiving PayPal payments. For Nigeria, the new Paga link (live Jan 27, 2026) now covers freelancer-style receiving for free, but merchant/branded-checkout integration is still undocumented for NG, so e-commerce sellers still benefit from a US entity. For Egypt, receiving works locally but the forced monthly sweep to a Visa card or US bank makes a US LLC + US bank materially better for fund control. For India, cross-border receiving works locally (purpose codes, forced INR conversion); a US LLC helps only if USD retention or US-domestic sales matter, and Indian residents must weigh FEMA/ODI compliance first. For VN, ID, BR, SA, AE, MA, local PayPal receiving is fine and a US LLC is rarely justified for PayPal alone — it is usually justified by Stripe or other rails instead.",
   "sources": [
    "https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/country-worldwide",
    "https://www.paypal.com/ng/cshelp/article/how-do-i-receive-money-through-paypal-help667",
    "https://www.paypal.com/ng/cshelp/article/what-is-the-third-party-partner-service--help1010",
    "https://www.paypal.com/in/cshelp/article/how-do-i-receive-payments-through-paypal-help667",
    "https://www.paypal.com/eg/cshelp/article/how-do-i-receive-money-through-paypal-help667",
    "https://www.paypal.com/vn/cshelp/article/how-do-i-receive-money-through-paypal-help667",
    "https://www.paypal.com/id/cshelp/article/how-do-i-receive-money-through-paypal-help667",
    "https://www.paypal.com/br/cshelp/article/como-receber-recursos-com-o-paypal-help667",
    "https://www.paypal.com/sa/cshelp/article/how-do-i-receive-money-through-paypal-help667",
    "https://www.paypal.com/ae/cshelp/article/how-do-i-receive-money-through-paypal-help667",
    "https://www.paypal.com/ma/cshelp/article/how-do-i-receive-money-through-paypal-help667",
    "https://www.paypal.com/tr/home",
    "https://www.paypal.com/np/home",
    "https://www.paypal.com/np/legalhub/paypal/useragreement-full",
    "https://www.paypal.com/in/legalhub/paypal/archive-policies-full"
   ],
   "rows": {
    "PK": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Pakistan is absent from PayPal's Worldwide country list and paypal.com/pk falls back to the US site — residents cannot open any PayPal account, so receiving is impossible (the 2025 SBP–Payoneer bridge lets PayPal senders pay Pakistani freelancers via Payoneer, without a PayPal account).",
     "source": "https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/country-worldwide"
    },
    "NG": {
     "status": "partial",
     "detail": "Receiving was enabled in early 2026 (live account linking announced Jan 27, 2026): PayPal's NG help center now instructs new Nigerian customers to link a licensed local partner bank (Paga) to receive money, with USD-balance withdrawal to Naira via the partner — but the NG site still markets send/shop only and PayPal-branded merchant checkout for Nigerian businesses is not documented.",
     "source": "https://www.paypal.com/ng/cshelp/article/how-do-i-receive-money-through-paypal-help667"
    },
    "IN": {
     "status": "partial",
     "detail": "Indian accounts can receive international (cross-border) payments only — requiring PAN verification, an Indian bank account, and an RBI purpose code with forced INR settlement — because PayPal discontinued domestic payment services in India effective April 1, 2021.",
     "source": "https://www.paypal.com/in/cshelp/article/how-do-i-receive-payments-through-paypal-help667"
    },
    "BD": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Bangladesh is absent from PayPal's Worldwide country list and paypal.com/bd falls back to the US site — no PayPal accounts of any kind (only Xoom inbound remittances), so receiving is impossible.",
     "source": "https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/country-worldwide"
    },
    "TR": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "PayPal halted all Turkey operations in June 2016 after the BDDK refused its license, and the suspension notice ('we stopped our operations in Turkey as of June 2016') is still live on paypal.com/tr as of July 2026.",
     "source": "https://www.paypal.com/tr/home"
    },
    "EG": {
     "status": "partial",
     "detail": "Egyptian accounts can receive payments, but PayPal's Egypt-specific help article requires confirming a Visa card or a US bank account to accept money and force-transfers the entire balance to that card/US bank on the first day of every month — no balance holding and no local EGP bank withdrawal.",
     "source": "https://www.paypal.com/eg/cshelp/article/how-do-i-receive-money-through-paypal-help667"
    },
    "VN": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Receiving is documented in PayPal's Vietnam help center (funds can be held in balance or transferred to a bank), and the VN site is a full send-and-request market.",
     "source": "https://www.paypal.com/vn/cshelp/article/how-do-i-receive-money-through-paypal-help667"
    },
    "ID": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Receiving is documented in PayPal's Indonesia help center and the ID site is a full send-and-request market ('Kirim & Minta Pembayaran').",
     "source": "https://www.paypal.com/id/cshelp/article/how-do-i-receive-money-through-paypal-help667"
    },
    "BR": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Brazil is a full PayPal market (local entity, CPF/CNPJ-verified accounts); received balances auto-transfer to the linked local bank account with automatic BRL conversion for foreign-currency payments.",
     "source": "https://www.paypal.com/br/cshelp/article/como-receber-recursos-com-o-paypal-help667"
    },
    "NP": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Nepal is on PayPal's Worldwide list and paypal.com/np is live, but only as a send/shop consumer market — the 'receive money' help article is unpublished for the NP locale and Nepal is not in PayPal's partner-bank receive program (HELP1010 lists only Nigeria, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Maldives) — so accounts exist but cannot receive.",
     "source": "https://www.paypal.com/np/home"
    },
    "SA": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Receiving is documented in PayPal's Saudi Arabia help center (balance can be held or transferred to bank) and the SA site is a send-and-request market served by PayPal Pte. Ltd. (Singapore).",
     "source": "https://www.paypal.com/sa/cshelp/article/how-do-i-receive-money-through-paypal-help667"
    },
    "AE": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Receiving is documented in PayPal's UAE help center and the AE site is a full send-and-request market.",
     "source": "https://www.paypal.com/ae/cshelp/article/how-do-i-receive-money-through-paypal-help667"
    },
    "MA": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Receiving is documented in PayPal's Morocco help center and the MA site includes Request Money, though PayPal docs do not confirm current withdrawal paths (historically limited to US bank accounts).",
     "source": "https://www.paypal.com/ma/cshelp/article/how-do-i-receive-money-through-paypal-help667"
    }
   }
  },
  {
   "slug": "shopify-payments",
   "name": "shopify-payments",
   "capability": "Shopify Payments (native gateway) merchant signup — store-owner/business country eligibility",
   "us_llc_unlock": "A US LLC + EIN + US checking account unlocks full Shopify Payments as a US merchant, and Shopify's US docs explicitly accommodate non-resident owners: sign up as a registered legal entity with an EIN (not as an individual/sole proprietor — that business type requires US residency; Shopify notes being asked for a US home address means 'you might be signed up under an incorrect business type'), and non-US-resident owners/representatives without an SSN/ITIN can verify identity with 'a photograph of a valid passport instead'. The payout account must be a full USD checking account at a US bank, ACH-eligible — savings accounts, wire-only accounts, flex-currency (multi-currency) accounts, and fintech 'money transfer services' are all explicitly rejected, so Wise/Payoneer-style accounts don't qualify; a real US business account (Mercury/Relay-class) is needed, noting some such banks exclude PK/NG-resident founders.",
   "workaround_notes": "A free Wise/Payoneer account does NOT suffice for Shopify Payments — eligibility is gated on business location ('Your business is located in a supported country'), not on payout rails, and Shopify's US requirements explicitly exclude 'flex-currency accounts' and 'money transfer services... that mimic bank accounts' as payout destinations (payouts require a full USD checking account at a US bank that accepts ACH; US virtual accounts that accept ACH 'might work' but see more payout failures). The only non-LLC fallback in these 13 countries is a local third-party gateway (where one exists), which adds Shopify's extra third-party transaction fee and drops Shop Pay. For this platform the US LLC + EIN + real US business bank account is the robust fix — Shopify's own docs accommodate it. Sole exception: certain UAE merchants may get native early access. Bank-choice caveat for PK/NG founders: some US fintech banks (e.g. Mercury as of 2026) do not onboard founders resident in those countries, so the banking leg needs a compatible provider.",
   "sources": [
    "https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/supported-countries",
    "https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/supported-countries/united-arab-emirates",
    "https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/onboarding/eligibility",
    "https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/supported-countries/united-states/requirements"
   ],
   "rows": {
    "PK": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Pakistan is not on Shopify's supported-countries list for Shopify Payments (verified 2026-07-01); stores must use a third-party payment provider.",
     "source": "https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/supported-countries"
    },
    "NG": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Nigeria is not on Shopify's supported-countries list for Shopify Payments (verified 2026-07-01); stores must use a third-party payment provider.",
     "source": "https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/supported-countries"
    },
    "IN": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "India is not on Shopify's supported-countries list (verified 2026-07-01) and Shopify staff confirm no launch timeline; Indian stores use third-party gateways like Razorpay/PayU.",
     "source": "https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/supported-countries"
    },
    "BD": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Bangladesh is not on Shopify's supported-countries list for Shopify Payments (verified 2026-07-01).",
     "source": "https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/supported-countries"
    },
    "TR": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Turkey is not on Shopify's supported-countries list for Shopify Payments (verified 2026-07-01).",
     "source": "https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/supported-countries"
    },
    "EG": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Egypt is not on Shopify's supported-countries list for Shopify Payments (verified 2026-07-01).",
     "source": "https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/supported-countries"
    },
    "VN": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Vietnam is not on Shopify's supported-countries list for Shopify Payments (verified 2026-07-01).",
     "source": "https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/supported-countries"
    },
    "ID": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Indonesia is not on Shopify's supported-countries list for Shopify Payments (verified 2026-07-01).",
     "source": "https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/supported-countries"
    },
    "BR": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Brazil is not on Shopify's supported-countries list for Shopify Payments (verified 2026-07-01), even though Mexico is the sole supported Latin American country.",
     "source": "https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/supported-countries"
    },
    "NP": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Nepal is not on Shopify's supported-countries list for Shopify Payments (verified 2026-07-01).",
     "source": "https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/supported-countries"
    },
    "SA": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Saudi Arabia is not on Shopify's supported-countries list for Shopify Payments (verified 2026-07-01), unlike neighboring UAE which has early access.",
     "source": "https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/supported-countries"
    },
    "AE": {
     "status": "partial",
     "detail": "UAE is on the supported list but Shopify's UAE page states verbatim that Shopify Payments in the UAE 'is in early access, and is available only to certain merchants' (verified 2026-07-01; no effective date published).",
     "source": "https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/supported-countries/united-arab-emirates"
    },
    "MA": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Morocco is not on Shopify's supported-countries list for Shopify Payments (verified 2026-07-01).",
     "source": "https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/supported-countries"
    }
   }
  },
  {
   "slug": "tiktok-shop",
   "name": "TikTok Shop (US market)",
   "capability": "TikTok Shop US seller account registration for foreign/non-resident founders",
   "us_llc_unlock": "A US LLC + EIN + US bank satisfies the entity side of TikTok Shop US onboarding: IRS-issued EIN proof (147C, 252C, or CP 575 A/B/G/E/H only — SS-4s, IRS screenshots, tax returns rejected), US business address matching state records, and a US bank for payouts. Caveats: (1) it does NOT satisfy the person side — TikTok still requires a US-resident Business Representative with US-issued ID and US proof of address, so a non-resident founder cannot self-register even with a perfect LLC; (2) TikTok collects only W-9 tax forms, and a foreign-owned single-member disregarded LLC generally cannot validly sign a W-9 — TikTok/practitioner guidance says non-resident owners need a W-9-capable US taxpayer, i.e., an LLC taxed as a C-corp (Form 8832) or a C-corporation (Form 1120 matches TikTok's tax-document mapping); (3) all names/addresses must match exactly across IRS letter, state filing, application, and the rep's ID per TikTok's Feb 2026 failure-reason list. The only non-US-entity route into TikTok Shop US is the invite/deposit-gated cross-border program for Mainland China/Hong Kong enterprises.",
   "workaround_notes": "Wise/Payoneer virtual accounts are useless for TikTok Shop US — the gate is identity+residency+IRS documents, not payouts. TikTok requires the registrant (US Business Representative, formerly 'Primary Business Representative') to be US-resident with a US-issued ID (US passport, driver's license, state ID, or green card — 'all other types of ID verification will be rejected') plus US residential proof of address; foreign passports are accepted only for UBO (25%+ owner) verification. So a US LLC+EIN is NECESSARY but NOT SUFFICIENT: the founder additionally needs a trusted US-resident person (employee/partner/green-card holder) to serve as the verified representative with their own ID, address, phone, and 2FA. Tax-wise, TikTok Shop US collects only Form W-9 (no W-8 path; 24% backup withholding and selling blocked past $2,000 earnings without tax docs), so a foreign-owned disregarded single-member LLC cannot truthfully furnish the W-9 — practitioners (O&G Tax, NCP, Clemta) flag this as a rejection/perjury risk; the robust structure is an LLC with C-corp election (Form 8832) or a C-corp filing Form 1120. Per TikTok's Feb-2026-published onboarding-failure list (Seller University 'Common Seller Onboarding Issues and Solutions', updated 06/17/2026), most rejections are document-consistency failures: wrong proof-of-business type (must be IRS 147C/252C/CP575), business-name or street-address mismatch vs IRS/state records, wrong or stale proof-of-address (>90 days), unacceptable/illegible ID, last-name mismatch. Honest positioning: this is one of the hardest US platforms for non-residents; do not promise access from an LLC alone.",
   "sources": [
    "https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=3460256793413390&lang=en",
    "https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=258395901675310&lang=en",
    "https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=248891033372462&lang=en",
    "https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=7763199395645197&lang=en",
    "https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=80339993577259&lang=en",
    "https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/requirements-to-register-as-a-seller-on-tiktok-shop?lang=en",
    "https://seller.tiktok.com/"
   ],
   "rows": {
    "PK": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "No direct TikTok Shop US registration from Pakistan: TikTok requires the applicant to reside in the USA with a US-issued ID, and the only cross-border lane into the US shop is limited to Mainland China/Hong Kong enterprises; Pakistan also has no local TikTok Shop market.",
     "source": "https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=3460256793413390&lang=en"
    },
    "NG": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "No direct TikTok Shop US registration from Nigeria: US residency, US-issued ID, and US proof of address are required for the registrant, and Nigeria is not in any TikTok cross-border seller lane nor a local TikTok Shop market.",
     "source": "https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=3460256793413390&lang=en"
    },
    "IN": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "No direct TikTok Shop US registration from India (US residency + US ID required), and TikTok itself has been banned in India since June 2020, so there is no local TikTok Shop and no seller path of any kind.",
     "source": "https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=3460256793413390&lang=en"
    },
    "BD": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "No direct TikTok Shop US registration from Bangladesh: registrants must reside in the USA with US-issued ID, Bangladesh is not in the China/HK-only cross-border lane, and no local TikTok Shop market exists.",
     "source": "https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=3460256793413390&lang=en"
    },
    "TR": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "No direct TikTok Shop US registration from Turkey: US residency and US-issued ID required; Turkey is not a TikTok Shop market on seller.tiktok.com (checked Jul 2026) and not in any cross-border lane to the US shop.",
     "source": "https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=3460256793413390&lang=en"
    },
    "EG": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "No direct TikTok Shop US registration from Egypt: US residency and US-issued ID required; Egypt has no local TikTok Shop and no cross-border lane into the US market.",
     "source": "https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=3460256793413390&lang=en"
    },
    "VN": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Vietnam residents cannot register for TikTok Shop US (US residency + US ID required); a local TikTok Shop Vietnam exists on seller.tiktok.com for domestic selling only, which does not grant US-market access.",
     "source": "https://seller.tiktok.com/"
    },
    "ID": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Indonesia residents cannot register for TikTok Shop US (US residency + US ID required); local TikTok Shop Indonesia (Tokopedia-integrated) exists for domestic selling only.",
     "source": "https://seller.tiktok.com/"
    },
    "BR": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Brazil residents cannot register for TikTok Shop US (US residency + US ID required); a local TikTok Shop Brazil (launched 2025) exists on seller.tiktok.com for domestic selling only.",
     "source": "https://seller.tiktok.com/"
    },
    "NP": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "No direct TikTok Shop US registration from Nepal: US residency and US-issued ID required; Nepal has no local TikTok Shop and no cross-border lane to the US shop.",
     "source": "https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=3460256793413390&lang=en"
    },
    "SA": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "No direct TikTok Shop US registration from Saudi Arabia (US residency + US ID required); despite third-party GCC-launch chatter, Saudi Arabia is not listed as a registrable market on seller.tiktok.com as of Jul 2026.",
     "source": "https://seller.tiktok.com/"
    },
    "AE": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "No direct TikTok Shop US registration from the UAE (US residency + US ID required); the UAE is not listed as a registrable TikTok Shop market on seller.tiktok.com as of Jul 2026.",
     "source": "https://seller.tiktok.com/"
    },
    "MA": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "No direct TikTok Shop US registration from Morocco: US residency and US-issued ID required; Morocco has no local TikTok Shop and no cross-border lane into the US market.",
     "source": "https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=3460256793413390&lang=en"
    }
   }
  },
  {
   "slug": "google-play",
   "name": "google-play",
   "capability": "Google Play Console merchant registration (selling paid apps / in-app purchases / subscriptions), vs plain developer registration",
   "us_llc_unlock": "A US LLC + EIN lets a non-resident founder create a NEW Play Console organization account with a US Google payments (merchant) profile, unlocking full monetization — paid apps, in-app purchases, subscriptions — with payouts in USD to the LLC's US bank account. Caveats: (1) organization accounts require a D-U-N-S number, free from Dun & Bradstreet but up to 30 days to issue; (2) developer verification documents must match the US entity (US country-specific document list, answer 15633622); (3) an existing Nepali/Moroccan developer account cannot be migrated — the payments-profile link is one-time and irreversible, so you create a fresh account ($25 one-time fee) and transfer apps to it; (4) upside: org accounts are exempt from the 20-tester closed-testing requirement imposed on personal accounts created after Nov 13, 2023; (5) Google accepts the LLC's W-9/EIN with no known rejection of foreign-owned single-member disregarded LLCs (unlike TikTok Shop), though the owner still owes IRS Form 5472 + pro-forma 1120 annually.",
   "workaround_notes": "For 11 of the 13 countries no workaround is needed — Google Play merchant registration is natively supported, so a US LLC adds nothing for basic monetization there (secondary angles only: PK/EG/VN/ID/SA/AE payouts arrive in USD/EUR to local banks, and the merchant-country choice is a permanent one-way door). For the two real wedges, Nepal and Morocco, free Wise/Payoneer routes categorically do NOT work: the gate is the Google payments profile's COUNTRY, not the receiving bank account, so a USD receiving account changes nothing. The payments profile can only be linked to a Play Console account once and can never be changed, and Google's terms require you to be legally able to do business in the profile country — borrowing/buying a foreign account (a common NP/MA workaround sold on gray markets) violates ToS and risks developer-account termination. A US LLC + EIN + US bank is the robust, compliant fix for NP and MA specifically. Statuses verified against the live official table on 2026-07-01 by parsing the page HTML directly, and cross-checked byte-identical against a 2022-05-26 Wayback snapshot — this table has been stable 4+ years, so the Nepal/Morocco wedge is durable.",
   "sources": [
    "https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9306917?hl=en",
    "https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/3092739?hl=en",
    "https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/13628312?hl=en",
    "https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/15633622?hl=en&co=GENIE.CountryCode%3DUS"
   ],
   "rows": {
    "PK": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Developer and merchant registration both supported; default currency PKR but payouts made in USD or EUR per Google's footnote — unchanged since at least May 2022 (verified live 2026-07-01 vs Wayback 2022-05-26).",
     "source": "https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9306917?hl=en"
    },
    "NG": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Developer and merchant registration both supported; developer default currency is USD — unchanged since at least May 2022.",
     "source": "https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9306917?hl=en"
    },
    "IN": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Developer and merchant registration both supported; default currency INR — unchanged since at least May 2022.",
     "source": "https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9306917?hl=en"
    },
    "BD": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Developer and merchant registration both supported; developer default currency is USD — unchanged since at least May 2022.",
     "source": "https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9306917?hl=en"
    },
    "TR": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Developer and merchant registration both supported (listed as Türkiye); default currency TRY — unchanged since at least May 2022.",
     "source": "https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9306917?hl=en"
    },
    "EG": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Developer and merchant registration both supported; default currency EGP but payouts made in USD or EUR per Google's footnote — unchanged since at least May 2022.",
     "source": "https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9306917?hl=en"
    },
    "VN": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Developer and merchant registration both supported; default currency VND but payouts made in USD or EUR per Google's footnote — unchanged since at least May 2022.",
     "source": "https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9306917?hl=en"
    },
    "ID": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Developer and merchant registration both supported; default currency IDR but payouts made in USD or EUR per Google's footnote — unchanged since at least May 2022.",
     "source": "https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9306917?hl=en"
    },
    "BR": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Developer and merchant registration both supported; default currency BRL — unchanged since at least May 2022.",
     "source": "https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9306917?hl=en"
    },
    "NP": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Merchant registration NOT supported (dev registration ✔, merchant ✘, currency column shows ☆ 'location does not support merchants') — Nepali developers can publish free apps but cannot sell paid apps/IAP; unchanged since at least May 2022 and still an open complaint in Google's developer community as of Oct 2025.",
     "source": "https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9306917?hl=en"
    },
    "SA": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Developer and merchant registration both supported; default currency SAR but payouts made in USD or EUR per Google's footnote — unchanged since at least May 2022.",
     "source": "https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9306917?hl=en"
    },
    "AE": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Developer and merchant registration both supported; default currency AED but payouts made in USD or EUR per Google's footnote — unchanged since at least May 2022.",
     "source": "https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9306917?hl=en"
    },
    "MA": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Merchant registration NOT supported (dev registration ✔, merchant ✘, ☆ in currency column) — Moroccan developers cannot enable Play Billing or sell paid apps/IAP; the last major MENA holdout, unchanged since at least May 2022.",
     "source": "https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9306917?hl=en"
    }
   }
  },
  {
   "slug": "amazon-kdp",
   "name": "amazon-kdp",
   "capability": "Non-US author royalty payouts (direct deposit vs Payoneer/Wise vs check) and US tax withholding / W-8BEN treaty rates on KDP",
   "us_llc_unlock": "Honestly: almost nothing for KDP. A foreign-owned single-member US LLC is a disregarded entity, so Amazon's tax interview must be completed as the individual beneficial owner on a W-8BEN, and the treaty rate follows the OWNER's country of residence, not the LLC — a Nigerian owner still gets 30%, a Pakistani owner gets 0% with or without the LLC. Filing a W-9 for a foreign-owned disregarded SMLLC is a misrepresentation (W-9 is for US persons only). Electing C-corp status does eliminate withholding (W-9, 0%) but substitutes 21% US corporate tax + Form 1120/5472 compliance and dividend withholding on profit extraction — worse than every available treaty rate. The only real payout benefit — a US bank account receiving USD EFT with no threshold — is fully replicated by Payoneer/Wise, which are on KDP's official approved-PSP list. The LLC is justified only as part of a broader US business stack (Seller Central, Stripe, merch), never for KDP alone.",
   "workaround_notes": "KDP is a platform where the free route almost always suffices and ein.llc should say so plainly. (1) Withholding: the fix is the tax interview, not an entity — KDP accepts a foreign TIN (\"you may enter the income tax identification number issued to you by the tax authority in your country of residence\") on a W-8BEN, no ITIN needed; that gets PK to 0%, BD/TR/ID/MA to 10%, IN/EG to 15%. No-treaty countries (NG, VN, BR, NP, SA, AE) are stuck at 30% by law and NO structure short of a tax-paying US C-corp changes that. (2) Payouts: Payoneer and Wise are on KDP's official Payment Service Provider participating list (alongside Airwallex, PingPong, WorldFirst, Razorpay), so entering a Payoneer/Wise receiving account is an Amazon-sanctioned route, not a gray hack — and PK/IN/EG/ID authors don't even need that, since KDP direct-deposits PKR/INR/EGP/IDR with no minimum. A US LLC only makes sense for authors who want a US entity anyway (Amazon Seller Central, Stripe, imprint branding, liability separation for a catalog) — not as a KDP payout or withholding fix.",
   "sources": [
    "https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GJD7DFFX6X88AK46",
    "https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G6GLVRHVQZY4V4FX",
    "https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201274690",
    "https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201207800",
    "https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-lbi/tax-treaty-table-1.pdf",
    "https://www.irs.gov/businesses/international-businesses/united-states-income-tax-treaties-a-to-z",
    "https://account.kdp.amazon.com/tax-interview/help?nodeId=201600460&locale=en_US"
   ],
   "rows": {
    "PK": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Direct deposit in PKR to Pakistani banks (no minimum threshold) is listed on KDP's Payment Options page, and the US-Pakistan treaty gives a 0% withholding rate on copyright royalties (Art. VIII(1)) with W-8BEN + foreign TIN — one of the best-treated countries on KDP.",
     "source": "https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GJD7DFFX6X88AK46"
    },
    "NG": {
     "status": "partial",
     "detail": "No direct deposit — KDP offers only wire transfer in NGN (~$100-equivalent minimum per marketplace) or an approved PSP (Payoneer/Wise officially participate); withholding is the full 30% since Nigeria has no US tax treaty.",
     "source": "https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GJD7DFFX6X88AK46"
    },
    "IN": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Direct deposit in INR (no minimum threshold) per KDP's Payment Options page; US-India treaty rate on copyright royalties is 15% (Art. 12) via W-8BEN with Indian PAN accepted as foreign TIN.",
     "source": "https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GJD7DFFX6X88AK46"
    },
    "BD": {
     "status": "partial",
     "detail": "Bangladesh is not a supported bank location (no EFT or wire) — payout is paper check (US$100 threshold) or an approved PSP such as Payoneer/Wise; US-Bangladesh treaty reduces withholding to 10% on copyright royalties (Art. 12(2)).",
     "source": "https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GJD7DFFX6X88AK46"
    },
    "TR": {
     "status": "partial",
     "detail": "Turkey/Türkiye does not appear as a supported bank location on KDP's Payment Options page (checked July 2026) — check or approved PSP only — but the US-Turkey treaty gives a favorable 10% rate on copyright royalties (Art. 12(2)).",
     "source": "https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GJD7DFFX6X88AK46"
    },
    "EG": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Direct deposit in EGP (no minimum threshold) per KDP's Payment Options page; US-Egypt treaty rate on copyright royalties is 15% (Art. 13(1)) via W-8BEN with foreign TIN.",
     "source": "https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GJD7DFFX6X88AK46"
    },
    "VN": {
     "status": "partial",
     "detail": "Vietnam is not a supported bank location (check or approved PSP only), and withholding stays at 30% because the 2015 US-Vietnam treaty never entered into force and is absent from IRS Tax Treaty Table 1 (Rev. May 2023, still current).",
     "source": "https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GJD7DFFX6X88AK46"
    },
    "ID": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Direct deposit in IDR (no minimum threshold) per KDP's Payment Options page; US-Indonesia treaty rate on copyright royalties is 10% (Art. 13(2)).",
     "source": "https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GJD7DFFX6X88AK46"
    },
    "BR": {
     "status": "partial",
     "detail": "BRL direct deposit is offered only for Amazon.com.br royalties; all other marketplaces pay Brazilian-bank authors by cross-border USD wire (~$100 minimum) or approved PSP, and withholding is 30% as Brazil has no US tax treaty (plus separate Brazilian withholding on .com.br sales).",
     "source": "https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GJD7DFFX6X88AK46"
    },
    "NP": {
     "status": "partial",
     "detail": "Nepal is not a supported bank location (check with US$100 threshold, or approved PSP such as Payoneer/Wise) and withholding is the full 30% — no US tax treaty.",
     "source": "https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GJD7DFFX6X88AK46"
    },
    "SA": {
     "status": "partial",
     "detail": "Saudi Arabia does not appear as a supported bank location on KDP's Payment Options page (checked July 2026) — check or approved PSP only — and withholding is the full 30% with no US tax treaty.",
     "source": "https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GJD7DFFX6X88AK46"
    },
    "AE": {
     "status": "partial",
     "detail": "UAE does not appear as a supported bank location on KDP's Payment Options page (checked July 2026) — check or approved PSP only — and withholding is the full 30% with no US tax treaty (UAE residents also have no local income tax to credit it against).",
     "source": "https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GJD7DFFX6X88AK46"
    },
    "MA": {
     "status": "partial",
     "detail": "No direct deposit — KDP offers only wire transfer in MAD (~$100-equivalent minimum) or an approved PSP; US-Morocco treaty reduces withholding to 10% on copyright royalties (Art. 12(2)).",
     "source": "https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GJD7DFFX6X88AK46"
    }
   }
  },
  {
   "slug": "x-creator-monetization",
   "name": "X (Twitter) creator monetization",
   "capability": "Creator Revenue Sharing payouts (ads revenue share / creator payout via Stripe)",
   "us_llc_unlock": "A US LLC + EIN + US bank account lets a creator in a non-supported country (PK, BR, NP) complete X's payout onboarding as a US-country Stripe payout account, receiving revenue-share payouts to the LLC's US bank. Caveats: (1) X still runs individual identity verification and its terms require being 'in a supported country', so this is a terms-of-service grey zone with revocation risk at X's discretion; (2) a foreign-owned single-member disregarded LLC should generally certify with the owner's W-8BEN, not a W-9 — misfiling is the classic failure mode; (3) US-source ad revenue to a foreign-owned LLC triggers US filing obligations (Form 5472 + pro-forma 1120 at minimum). For creators in the 10 supported countries, a US LLC adds nothing for X payouts specifically.",
   "workaround_notes": "Only 3 of the 13 countries (PK, BR, NP) lack X payout support — X's list is far broader than Stripe's merchant-country list, so NG/BD/EG/MA/VN/TR/etc. creators receive payouts natively to local banks and do NOT need any workaround. For PK/BR/NP, a free Wise/Payoneer USD account does NOT suffice: the blocker is the country of the Stripe payout (connected) account that X's onboarding creates, not the bank account — and opening it as US requires a US tax ID and US address. A US LLC + EIN + US bank is the only structural fix, but it operates in a grey zone: X's eligibility wording requires the creator to 'be in a supported country', identity verification is done on the individual, and X reserves the right to revoke participation at its sole discretion. Note also Stripe's public docs (checked 2026-07-01) now restrict self-serve cross-border payouts to US/UK/EEA/CA/CH, so X's own published list is the sole governing source for recipient countries — re-verify quarterly via archive snapshots since help.x.com returns 403 to automated fetchers.",
   "sources": [
    "https://help.x.com/en/using-x/creator-revenue-sharing",
    "https://web.archive.org/web/20260616105521/https://help.x.com/en/using-x/creator-revenue-sharing",
    "https://docs.stripe.com/connect/cross-border-payouts"
   ],
   "rows": {
    "PK": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Pakistan is absent from the explicit 'Country availability' payout list on X's Creator Revenue Sharing help page (verified via June 16, 2026 archive snapshot; help.x.com blocks bots), so Pakistani creators cannot connect a Stripe payout account.",
     "source": "https://help.x.com/en/using-x/creator-revenue-sharing"
    },
    "NG": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Nigeria is listed in the 'Country availability' payout list on X's Creator Revenue Sharing help page (June 16, 2026 snapshot); payouts via Stripe every ~2 weeks, $30 minimum.",
     "source": "https://help.x.com/en/using-x/creator-revenue-sharing"
    },
    "IN": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "India is listed in the 'Country availability' payout list on X's Creator Revenue Sharing help page (June 16, 2026 snapshot).",
     "source": "https://help.x.com/en/using-x/creator-revenue-sharing"
    },
    "BD": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Bangladesh is listed in the 'Country availability' payout list on X's Creator Revenue Sharing help page (June 16, 2026 snapshot).",
     "source": "https://help.x.com/en/using-x/creator-revenue-sharing"
    },
    "TR": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Turkey is listed in the 'Country availability' payout list on X's Creator Revenue Sharing help page (June 16, 2026 snapshot).",
     "source": "https://help.x.com/en/using-x/creator-revenue-sharing"
    },
    "EG": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Egypt is listed in the 'Country availability' payout list on X's Creator Revenue Sharing help page (June 16, 2026 snapshot).",
     "source": "https://help.x.com/en/using-x/creator-revenue-sharing"
    },
    "VN": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Vietnam is listed in the 'Country availability' payout list on X's Creator Revenue Sharing help page (June 16, 2026 snapshot).",
     "source": "https://help.x.com/en/using-x/creator-revenue-sharing"
    },
    "ID": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Indonesia is listed in the 'Country availability' payout list on X's Creator Revenue Sharing help page (June 16, 2026 snapshot).",
     "source": "https://help.x.com/en/using-x/creator-revenue-sharing"
    },
    "BR": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Brazil is absent from X's 'Country availability' payout list (June 16, 2026 snapshot) — notable given market size, and consistent with Stripe never supporting Brazil as a cross-border payout recipient.",
     "source": "https://help.x.com/en/using-x/creator-revenue-sharing"
    },
    "NP": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Nepal is absent from X's 'Country availability' payout list (June 16, 2026 snapshot), so Nepali creators cannot connect a Stripe payout account.",
     "source": "https://help.x.com/en/using-x/creator-revenue-sharing"
    },
    "SA": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Saudi Arabia is listed in the 'Country availability' payout list on X's Creator Revenue Sharing help page (June 16, 2026 snapshot).",
     "source": "https://help.x.com/en/using-x/creator-revenue-sharing"
    },
    "AE": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "United Arab Emirates is listed in the 'Country availability' payout list on X's Creator Revenue Sharing help page (June 16, 2026 snapshot).",
     "source": "https://help.x.com/en/using-x/creator-revenue-sharing"
    },
    "MA": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Morocco is listed in the 'Country availability' payout list on X's Creator Revenue Sharing help page (June 16, 2026 snapshot).",
     "source": "https://help.x.com/en/using-x/creator-revenue-sharing"
    }
   }
  },
  {
   "slug": "etsy",
   "name": "Etsy",
   "capability": "Etsy seller shop opening (Etsy Payments eligibility requirement)",
   "us_llc_unlock": "A US LLC + EIN + US business bank account lets a founder from a non-eligible country (NG, BD, NP, SA) open Etsy shop onboarding as a United States shop: Etsy sets shop country from the bank-account country, the US is fully Etsy Payments-eligible at the standard tier (direct bank payouts, no Payoneer), and the EIN can serve as the taxpayer ID for a business seller account (1099-K reporting). Caveats: (1) Persona identity verification is personal — the founder still verifies with their own foreign government ID + selfie, and Etsy expects seller location/taxpayer details to be accurate, so a US shop operated entirely from a blocked country carries unpublished account-review risk; (2) unlike TikTok Shop, Etsy has no published rule rejecting W-9s from foreign-owned disregarded single-member LLCs, but the W-9/W-8 treatment of a foreign-owned disregarded SMLLC remains a gray area that should be flagged, not asserted; (3) the shop's bank country cannot be changed later, so the US bank account must stay open for the life of the shop.",
   "workaround_notes": "Etsy is unusual: there is NO free Wise/Payoneer side door for blocked countries. New shops must onboard to Etsy Payments, the country dropdown simply omits non-eligible countries (NG, BD, NP, SA), and 'bank country = shop country' is fixed at signup and unchangeable — so a Wise USD account doesn't create eligibility, and the old standalone-PayPal fallback died on Aug 5, 2025 when Etsy closed all remaining PayPal-only shops (announced to sellers ~Mar 2025; ~54k African shops reportedly closed). For the nine already-eligible countries (PK, EG, BR, AE, IN, TR, VN, ID, MA) a US LLC is NOT needed to open a shop: PK/EG/BR/AE/IN onboard via a mandatory Payoneer Payment Account (USD payouts), TR/VN/ID/MA via local bank. India is the in-between case: local onboarding exists but is export-only (no domestic sales, no digital sales to Indian buyers) with GSTIN + $10 fee, so a US shop via an LLC is a genuine upgrade there. For NG/BD/NP/SA the US LLC + EIN + US bank route is effectively the only robust path onto Etsy. All new sellers everywhere pass Persona ID verification (personal government ID + selfie), which a US entity does not bypass.",
   "sources": [
    "https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015710408-Countries-Eligible-for-Etsy-Payments",
    "https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500006519562-Why-Can-t-I-Open-a-Shop-in-My-Country",
    "https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/22504854625815-Identity-Verification-with-Persona-on-Etsy",
    "https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/6742925359255-How-to-Accept-Payments-as-a-Seller-in-India",
    "https://www.etsy.com/legal/etsy-payments/",
    "https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook/article/1183344188826"
   ],
   "rows": {
    "PK": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Listed as 'Pakistan*' on Etsy's eligible-countries page (verified via 2026-05-26 capture): shops can open since the Payoneer expansion wave that hit the eligibility list between Jan 20 and Feb 19, 2025 (announcement republished Mar 26, 2025); payouts only via a Payoneer Payment Account in USD, plus Persona government-ID + selfie verification.",
     "source": "https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015710408-Countries-Eligible-for-Etsy-Payments"
    },
    "NG": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Nigeria has never been on the Etsy Payments eligible list, so new-shop onboarding is blocked ('If you don't see your country in the dropdown... selling on Etsy isn't available in your country'), and legacy standalone-PayPal shops were closed on Aug 5, 2025.",
     "source": "https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500006519562-Why-Can-t-I-Open-a-Shop-in-My-Country"
    },
    "IN": {
     "status": "partial",
     "detail": "Listed as 'India*' (Payoneer) since Oct 17, 2023, but export-only: 'Indian shops enrolled in Etsy Payments cannot accept domestic sales', digital items cannot be sold to buyers in India, and onboarding requires a valid GSTIN plus a one-time $10 setup fee (verified via 2025-08-28 capture).",
     "source": "https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/6742925359255-How-to-Accept-Payments-as-a-Seller-in-India"
    },
    "BD": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Bangladesh is not on the Etsy Payments eligible list (verified via 2026-05-26 capture), so new shops cannot be opened; the standalone-PayPal fallback for non-eligible countries ended with the Aug 5, 2025 shop closures.",
     "source": "https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500006519562-Why-Can-t-I-Open-a-Shop-in-My-Country"
    },
    "TR": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Türkiye is on the eligible list at the standard tier (no Payoneer asterisk; local bank payout), with the caveat on the same page that PayPal does not operate in Türkiye so TR sellers cannot offer PayPal to buyers.",
     "source": "https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015710408-Countries-Eligible-for-Etsy-Payments"
    },
    "EG": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Listed as 'Egypt*': eligible since the Feb/Mar-2025 Payoneer wave (on the list by Feb 19, 2025; announced Mar 26, 2025), payouts only via Payoneer in USD; one of only three eligible African countries alongside South Africa and Morocco.",
     "source": "https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015710408-Countries-Eligible-for-Etsy-Payments"
    },
    "VN": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Vietnam is on the eligible list at the standard tier (no Payoneer asterisk) and has been eligible since at least Oct 2023 (present on the 2023-10-03 capture of the same page).",
     "source": "https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015710408-Countries-Eligible-for-Etsy-Payments"
    },
    "ID": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Indonesia is on the eligible list at the standard tier (no Payoneer asterisk) and has been eligible since at least Oct 2023 (present on the 2023-10-03 capture of the same page).",
     "source": "https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015710408-Countries-Eligible-for-Etsy-Payments"
    },
    "BR": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Listed as 'Brazil*': eligible since the Feb/Mar-2025 Payoneer wave (on the list by Feb 19, 2025; announced Mar 26, 2025); the current Etsy Payments Policy names Brazil among countries required to onboard via Payoneer.",
     "source": "https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015710408-Countries-Eligible-for-Etsy-Payments"
    },
    "NP": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Nepal is not on the Etsy Payments eligible list (verified via 2026-05-26 capture), so new shops cannot be opened from Nepal.",
     "source": "https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500006519562-Why-Can-t-I-Open-a-Shop-in-My-Country"
    },
    "SA": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Saudi Arabia is not on the Etsy Payments eligible list (verified via 2026-05-26 capture), so new shops cannot be opened from Saudi Arabia.",
     "source": "https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500006519562-Why-Can-t-I-Open-a-Shop-in-My-Country"
    },
    "AE": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Listed as 'United Arab Emirates*': eligible since the Feb/Mar-2025 Payoneer wave (on the list by Feb 19, 2025; announced Mar 26, 2025); payouts only via a Payoneer Payment Account in USD.",
     "source": "https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015710408-Countries-Eligible-for-Etsy-Payments"
    },
    "MA": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Morocco is on the eligible list at the standard tier (no Payoneer asterisk) and has been eligible since at least Oct 2023; it survived the Aug 5, 2025 purge that closed shops in most other African countries.",
     "source": "https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015710408-Countries-Eligible-for-Etsy-Payments"
    }
   }
  },
  {
   "slug": "mercury-business-banking",
   "name": "Mercury (mercury.com) business banking",
   "capability": "Business account signup for a US LLC with a non-US-resident founder (founder-residence eligibility)",
   "us_llc_unlock": "A US LLC + EIN is the hard prerequisite for Mercury: the company must be 'formed and registered in the United States or a U.S. territory' with existing or planned US operations; no SSN/ITIN or US residence is required, and Mercury itself provides the US bank account (fintech; banking via Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC). Caveats: (1) the LLC does NOT bypass the founder-residence bans — an LLC owned by someone living in PK/NG/BD/ID/NP/VN is still rejected; (2) the registered-agent address from the formation service cannot serve as the principal-place-of-business/physical address ('registered agent addresses, P.O. boxes, and UPS Store addresses are not' accepted; 'We don't accept a P.O. box, virtual address, commercial mail receiving agency, mail center, or registered agent address') — the founder's real residential address, US or international, is accepted and may need documentary proof (lease, utility bill or bank statement <=90 days, coworking invoice, etc.); (3) physical-card delivery is separately restricted for IN/MA (permanent mailing restriction) and SA/AE (temporary pause), with virtual cards as the workaround.",
   "workaround_notes": "Mercury's ban keys on where founders LIVE ('unable to open accounts for founders living in...'; 'if you are domiciled outside of one of these countries, please reach out'), not citizenship or LLC state — so no free workaround exists for residents of PK/NG/BD/ID/NP/VN: a Wise/Payoneer address or a US LLC does not change the founder's declared residence, and Mercury collects and screens every >=25% beneficial owner. The list was expanded ~April 29, 2026 to add BD/ID/NP/VN (verified via Feb 7, 2026 Wayback snapshot vs current article). Relay (support.relayfi.com) is the closest equivalent: its prohibited list (edited 2026-04-30) bans by citizenship OR residency — stricter axis — and still includes Pakistan and Nigeria, but does NOT include Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, Vietnam (nor IN/TR/EG/BR/SA/AE/MA), making Relay the natural fallback for the four countries Mercury newly banned; conversely a PK/NG citizen living in a third country passes Mercury but fails Relay. For PK/NG residents, neither Mercury nor Relay works — Wise Business/Payoneer rails are the remaining option (own policies apply). For the seven supported countries, Mercury signup is direct and free; a Wise/Payoneer detour adds nothing for the account itself.",
   "sources": [
    "https://support.mercury.com/hc/en-us/articles/28771710754580-Prohibited-countries",
    "https://support.mercury.com/hc/en-us/articles/28770467511060-Eligibility-and-requirements-for-opening-a-Mercury-account",
    "https://support.mercury.com/hc/en-us/articles/28769699533588-Company-address-requirements",
    "https://support.mercury.com/hc/en-us/articles/34087163095572-Restricted-countries-for-card-issuance",
    "https://support.mercury.com/hc/en-us/articles/28778487704084-Countries-where-Mercury-cards-are-restricted",
    "https://support.mercury.com/hc/en-us/articles/28772666820500-International-wire-limits",
    "https://support.relayfi.com/hc/en-us/articles/10239600121748-Prohibited-Countries",
    "https://web.archive.org/web/20260207183807/https://support.mercury.com/hc/en-us/articles/28771710754580-Prohibited-countries",
    "https://web.archive.org/web/20240908164928/https://support.mercury.com/hc/en-us/articles/28771710754580-Prohibited-countries"
   ],
   "rows": {
    "PK": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Founders living in Pakistan are on Mercury's prohibited list (present since the article's earliest Sept 2024 archive, confirmed in the current version updated 2026-06-29); Pakistan addresses are also ineligible for international wires and physical card mailing.",
     "source": "https://support.mercury.com/hc/en-us/articles/28771710754580-Prohibited-countries"
    },
    "NG": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Founders living in Nigeria are prohibited (since at least Sept 2024, confirmed current 2026-06-29); Nigeria residents are also barred from both physical and virtual card issuance and international wires.",
     "source": "https://support.mercury.com/hc/en-us/articles/28771710754580-Prohibited-countries"
    },
    "BD": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Bangladesh was ADDED to Mercury's prohibited-founder-residence list in the April 29, 2026 revision (absent from the Feb 7, 2026 archived version); Mercury cards also cannot be used with Bangladeshi merchants.",
     "source": "https://support.mercury.com/hc/en-us/articles/28771710754580-Prohibited-countries"
    },
    "ID": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Indonesia was ADDED to the prohibited list in the April 29, 2026 revision (previously only physical-card mailing was restricted); cards are also unusable with Indonesian merchants.",
     "source": "https://support.mercury.com/hc/en-us/articles/28771710754580-Prohibited-countries"
    },
    "NP": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Nepal was ADDED to the prohibited list in the April 29, 2026 revision (absent from the Feb 7, 2026 archive); cards are also unusable with Nepali merchants.",
     "source": "https://support.mercury.com/hc/en-us/articles/28771710754580-Prohibited-countries"
    },
    "VN": {
     "status": "not_supported",
     "detail": "Vietnam was ADDED to the prohibited list in the April 29, 2026 revision; Vietnam residents are also barred from physical and virtual card issuance and cards are unusable with Vietnamese merchants.",
     "source": "https://support.mercury.com/hc/en-us/articles/28771710754580-Prohibited-countries"
    },
    "IN": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "India has never appeared on the prohibited-founder-residence list (verified against Sept 2024, Feb 2026, and current June 2026 versions), but Mercury cannot mail physical cards to India — virtual cards work and cards can be used at Indian merchants.",
     "source": "https://support.mercury.com/hc/en-us/articles/28771710754580-Prohibited-countries"
    },
    "TR": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Turkey appears on none of Mercury's restriction lists (prohibited residence, card issuance, card mailing, card usage, or wires) as of the June 2026 article versions.",
     "source": "https://support.mercury.com/hc/en-us/articles/28771710754580-Prohibited-countries"
    },
    "EG": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Egypt appears on none of Mercury's restriction lists as of June 2026, and outbound international wires to Egypt are supported.",
     "source": "https://support.mercury.com/hc/en-us/articles/28771710754580-Prohibited-countries"
    },
    "BR": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Brazil appears on none of Mercury's restriction lists as of June 2026, including physical card mailing.",
     "source": "https://support.mercury.com/hc/en-us/articles/28771710754580-Prohibited-countries"
    },
    "SA": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Saudi Arabia is not on the prohibited list, but physical card shipments to SA are 'currently paused due to the ongoing conflict in the region' (card-issuance article, current 2026-06-30) — virtual cards are available immediately.",
     "source": "https://support.mercury.com/hc/en-us/articles/34087163095572-Restricted-countries-for-card-issuance"
    },
    "AE": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "UAE is not on the prohibited list; the same temporary physical-card-shipment pause as Saudi Arabia applies (also Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar), with virtual cards available.",
     "source": "https://support.mercury.com/hc/en-us/articles/34087163095572-Restricted-countries-for-card-issuance"
    },
    "MA": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Morocco is not on the prohibited-founder-residence list, but Mercury cannot mail physical cards to Morocco — virtual cards work.",
     "source": "https://support.mercury.com/hc/en-us/articles/34087163095572-Restricted-countries-for-card-issuance"
    }
   }
  },
  {
   "slug": "wise-payoneer",
   "name": "wise-payoneer",
   "capability": "individual USD receiving account (US ACH routing + account number) via Wise Business/personal or Payoneer, for residents of the country",
   "us_llc_unlock": "A US LLC + EIN + US business bank turns \"can receive B2B bank transfers\" into full US payment-stack access: a native Stripe US account (card/consumer checkout, subscriptions), Shopify Payments US, PayPal Business US, and unrestricted ACH/wire receiving from individuals and companies alike — none of which Wise/Payoneer receiving accounts provide from any of the 13 countries. It also removes Payoneer's B2B-only and 1% receiving constraints and Wise's country exclusions, since Wise Business onboards US-registered companies (Wise's docs gate accounts by where the BUSINESS is registered, and it explicitly supports foreign directors — though final approval still involves the applicant's residence). Caveats: some US banks restrict by founder residence (e.g., Mercury bans Pakistan- and Nigeria-resident founders as of 2026, so pick the bank to match the country); the founder's PERSONAL Wise access stays blocked in excluded countries; and a foreign-owned single-member LLC carries IRS Form 5472/pro-forma 1120 filing duties. For pure B2B freelancing income, the LLC's ongoing costs only beat Payoneer's ~1–3% total friction above roughly $10–20k/yr of receipts.",
   "workaround_notes": "The free route is really \"Payoneer, not Wise\": of the 13 countries only Brazil and Saudi Arabia residents can open Wise accounts with USD ACH details (Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Türkiye and UAE are named on Wise's exclusion list; Egypt, Vietnam, Indonesia, Nepal and Morocco aren't hold-money countries at all, and India gets only a travel product). Payoneer works in all 13 (Nepal/Morocco/Egypt only community-level evidence, confirm at sign-up) and is genuinely sufficient for freelancers and agencies receiving marketplace payouts (Upwork/Fiverr/Amazon) or invoicing foreign COMPANIES — costs are ~1% USD receiving from clients, ~2% FX on withdrawal, $29.95/yr if under $6,000 received. It is NOT sufficient when: (a) payers are individuals — Payoneer declines payments from personal bank accounts; (b) you sell to consumers and need card checkout — neither platform is a merchant account and none of the 13 except Brazil and UAE have self-serve native Stripe (India/Indonesia are preview-gated, Nigeria is Paystack-only); (c) you need to receive from your own US entity — Payoneer blocks payments from companies you own; or (d) you need to hold USD — India (and effectively Bangladesh) force local-currency withdrawal under central-bank rules. In those cases the US LLC + EIN + US bank account is the robust fix; in Brazil and Saudi Arabia, Wise alone already covers bank-transfer receiving well.",
   "sources": [
    "https://wise.com/help/articles/2810318/can-i-get-usd-account-details",
    "https://wise.com/help/articles/2813542/where-do-i-need-to-live-to-hold-money-with-wise",
    "https://wise.com/help/articles/2827506/how-do-i-receive-money-with-my-usd-account-details",
    "https://wise.com/help/articles/2977974/can-my-business-use-wise",
    "https://payoneer.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/18786/~/receiving-accounts---faq",
    "https://www.payoneer.com/about/fees/",
    "https://www.payoneer.com/resources/country-guides/payoneer-individual-account-in-pakistan/",
    "https://www.payoneer.com/resources/payoneer-and-meezan-bank-transform-international-payment-withdrawals-in-pakistan-with-new-partnership/",
    "https://www.payoneer.com/resources/business/weve-partnered-with-bkash-to-streamline-bangladeshi-cross-border-payments/",
    "https://www.payoneer.com/en-in/receive-international-payments/",
    "https://stripe.com/global"
   ],
   "rows": {
    "PK": {
     "status": "partial",
     "detail": "Wise unavailable — Pakistan is explicitly on Wise's 'can't get USD account details' list and is not a hold-money country; Payoneer works and publishes its own Pakistan individual-account guide with PKR withdrawals (real-time via Meezan Bank partnership), B2B/marketplace payments only.",
     "source": "https://www.payoneer.com/resources/country-guides/payoneer-individual-account-in-pakistan/"
    },
    "NG": {
     "status": "partial",
     "detail": "Wise unavailable — Nigeria is explicitly named on Wise's USD-account-details exclusion list (as published July 2026); Payoneer USD receiving accounts work but local withdrawal is community-documented as USD to domiciliary accounts rather than an NGN local rail.",
     "source": "https://wise.com/help/articles/2810318/can-i-get-usd-account-details"
    },
    "IN": {
     "status": "partial",
     "detail": "Wise offers Indian residents balance-holding only 'when travelling overseas' (no home USD receiving account); Payoneer India provides USD/EUR/GBP receiving accounts with digital FIRC/e-FIRA, but under RBI rules earnings are withdrawn to a local INR bank account rather than held in USD.",
     "source": "https://www.payoneer.com/en-in/receive-international-payments/"
    },
    "BD": {
     "status": "partial",
     "detail": "Wise unavailable — Bangladesh is explicitly on Wise's USD-account-details exclusion list; Payoneer works with withdrawals to BDT banks and bKash via an official Payoneer–bKash partnership, B2B/marketplace payments only.",
     "source": "https://wise.com/help/articles/2810318/can-i-get-usd-account-details"
    },
    "TR": {
     "status": "partial",
     "detail": "Wise unavailable — 'Türkiye' is explicitly on Wise's USD-account-details exclusion list and Turkey is not a hold-money country; Payoneer supports Turkish users (TRY among its listed currencies) with the standard B2B-only receiving restriction.",
     "source": "https://wise.com/help/articles/2810318/can-i-get-usd-account-details"
    },
    "EG": {
     "status": "partial",
     "detail": "Wise unavailable — Egypt is absent from Wise's hold-money country list so no account details of any currency; Payoneer is generally available (190+ countries, availability confirmed at sign-up) though Payoneer publishes no Egypt-specific documentation.",
     "source": "https://wise.com/help/articles/2813542/where-do-i-need-to-live-to-hold-money-with-wise"
    },
    "VN": {
     "status": "partial",
     "detail": "Wise unavailable — Vietnam is absent from Wise's hold-money list; Payoneer serves Vietnam (Vietnamese-language site/support, VND bank withdrawals) with USD receiving accounts limited to business/marketplace payers.",
     "source": "https://wise.com/help/articles/2813542/where-do-i-need-to-live-to-hold-money-with-wise"
    },
    "ID": {
     "status": "partial",
     "detail": "Wise unavailable for receiving — Indonesia is absent from Wise's hold-money list (Wise Indonesia is outbound-send only); Payoneer works and lists IDR among supported currencies, B2B/marketplace payments only.",
     "source": "https://wise.com/help/articles/2813542/where-do-i-need-to-live-to-hold-money-with-wise"
    },
    "BR": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Both work — Brazil is on Wise's hold-money list (personal and business, incl. MEI/Ltda structures) and not USD-excluded, so residents get free USD ACH details (ACH free, $6.11 wires, limits from $20M, personal payers allowed); Payoneer also available; Brazil additionally has native Stripe.",
     "source": "https://wise.com/help/articles/2813542/where-do-i-need-to-live-to-hold-money-with-wise"
    },
    "NP": {
     "status": "partial",
     "detail": "Wise unavailable — Nepal is absent from Wise's hold-money list; Payoneer has an active documented Nepali user base on its own community forums but publishes no Nepal-specific availability doc, so treat as available-but-confirm-at-signup (thinnest documentation of the 13).",
     "source": "https://wise.com/help/articles/2813542/where-do-i-need-to-live-to-hold-money-with-wise"
    },
    "SA": {
     "status": "supported",
     "detail": "Both work — Saudi Arabia is on Wise's hold-money list with no restriction asterisk (personal and business) and is not USD-excluded, so residents get USD ACH details; Payoneer is generally available though no KSA-specific Payoneer documentation or local license was found.",
     "source": "https://wise.com/help/articles/2813542/where-do-i-need-to-live-to-hold-money-with-wise"
    },
    "AE": {
     "status": "partial",
     "detail": "Wise UAE is send-only — United Arab Emirates is explicitly on Wise's USD-account-details exclusion list; Payoneer is fully available to UAE residents (AED is even a Payoneer local receiving-account currency), and note UAE separately has native Stripe.",
     "source": "https://wise.com/help/articles/2810318/can-i-get-usd-account-details"
    },
    "MA": {
     "status": "partial",
     "detail": "Wise unavailable — Morocco is absent from Wise's hold-money list; Payoneer accounts and cards are in active use per Payoneer's own community and its 190+-country withdrawal claim, but there is no Morocco-specific Payoneer doc, so confirm at sign-up.",
     "source": "https://wise.com/help/articles/2813542/where-do-i-need-to-live-to-hold-money-with-wise"
    }
   }
  }
 ]
}