Reputable or not? The checklist before you engage anyone.

“LLC” is a legal form — nothing more and nothing less. Many providers offer it, good and bad alike. Whether a provider is reputable comes down to eight points that you can check before engaging anyone. We apply the same list to ourselves.

In brief

You can recognise reputable support with your US formation by a contracting party with a registration number you can check and by a fixed price with a schedule of services. Further signs are clear mandatory notices on tax and filings, no commitments on tax, cards or credit, partners with their own professional admission — and connected companies that are named openly.

The eight points

1. Who is your contracting party?: Name, legal form, registered office and registration number must be in the contract — and listed in the register. If you cannot verify your contracting party, do not sign.
2. Is there a fixed price with a schedule of services?: What is included is set out in writing — including what is charged from the second year onwards. Subscriptions that only appear after signing are a warning sign.
3. Are promises made about tax?: “Tax-free” or “no tax” conceals the place of management. Reputable providers name the tax liability at home and the reporting duties.
4. Are cards, limits or loans promised?: The institution decides on the account, the card and the limit. Anyone who promises amounts is promising what they cannot deliver.
5. Who answers tax and legal questions?: Only tax advisers, US CPAs and lawyers admitted to practise — under your own engagement. A formation service itself is not permitted to do so.
6. Are the US obligations spelled out?: Form 5472, state fee, registered agent: anyone who does not mention them before the engagement leaves you alone with the most expensive deadline.
7. Who has access to your money?: The account holder is your company. A provider needs no power of attorney over your account and does not accept money on your behalf.
8. Are connections disclosed openly?: If partners have the same owner as the provider, that belongs on the website — not in the small print.

The same list for FIAON Global

The contracting party on our side is FIAON LTD, registered at Companies House under number 17318250. The fixed price is set out in the contract with a schedule of services, and we name the running costs from the second year onwards in advance. We make no commitments on tax, and we commit to neither cards nor limits. Tax advisers, US CPAs and lawyers from our partner network act under your engagement — FIAON pays their fees for the services in your package. Schwarzott Capital Partners AG and Schwarzott Global LLC are connected to FIAON through our founder Justin Schwarzott. Your contracting party is always FIAON LTD.

What you need to know

A legal form says nothing about reputability — neither an LLC nor a Ltd nor a GmbH.
Check registration numbers yourself: at Companies House, in Zefix or in the German commercial register (Handelsregister).
US business credit cards generally require a personal guarantee from the owner. The institution alone decides on the account, the card and the limit.

Frequently asked questions

How can I tell whether a US formation provider is reputable?

By a contracting party with a registration number you can check, a fixed price with a schedule of services, clear mandatory notices and the absence of any commitments on tax, cards and credit.

Is an LLC inherently dubious?

No. The LLC is an ordinary legal form in the US. What decides whether a provider is reputable is how it works — not what legal form it has.

How do I check FIAON’s registration number?

At Companies House (England and Wales) under number 17318250. You will find Schwarzott Capital Partners AG in Zefix under CHE-102.119.428.

Read on

London, Zurich, Miami. Three locations, one contracting party. – FIAON LTD in London, Schwarzott Capital Partners AG in Zurich, Schwarzott Global LLC in Miami: who your contracting party is and who works on the ground.
Yourself, a service or FIAON Global? Three routes to a US company. – Form it yourself, use a formation service or choose FIAON Global: what each includes, who coordinates and who takes care of taxes and filings.
What a US company costs. One-off and annual — stated openly. – What a US LLC costs: state fees in Florida, Delaware and Wyoming, running costs from year two and the FIAON Global fixed price — with sources.
The US business credit card. How issuers decide. – US business credit card for an LLC: what issuers check, what a personal guarantee means, when the introductory period ends and how to spot rip-offs.