Bizee vs Northwest Registered Agent for Non-Resident LLCs

For non-residents choosing between Bizee and Northwest Registered Agent, Northwest is the better fit for most people. It costs more on day one. It also gives you stronger address privacy, a simpler checkout, and a registered agent service built for owners who will never set foot in their LLC’s state. Bizee makes sense if your main goal is the lowest possible upfront cost and you are comfortable declining add-ons.

Bottom line

• Pick Northwest if you want privacy, clear pricing, and a registered agent you can rely on from overseas.
• Pick Bizee if you want the lowest upfront formation fee and you will read every checkout screen carefully.
• Either way, you still pay the state filing fee, and you still need an EIN, a bank account, and annual federal filings after formation.

Bizee vs Northwest Registered Agent at a glance

Bizee is cheaper upfront. Northwest costs less to deal with over time. The table shows the decision factors that matter most to a foreign owner.

Both companies change their prices. Check the current pricing page before you buy: see Bizee’s current plans or see Northwest’s formation package.

Which one is cheaper for a non-resident?

Bizee is cheaper in the first month. Over the first two years, the gap mostly disappears, because both services charge a similar annual fee to keep acting as your registered agent.

A registered agent is the person or company that accepts legal and state mail for your LLC at a physical address in the state of formation. A non-resident almost always needs a paid one, because you cannot act as your own agent without a street address in that state.

Here is how the costs actually stack up:

• State filing fee. You pay this with either service, and the service passes it to the state at cost. The Wyoming Secretary of State charges $100 to file LLC articles. New Mexico charges $50. Delaware charges a $400 annual franchise tax on LLCs on top of its filing fee.
• Formation service fee. Bizee’s basic tier starts at $0. Northwest’s formation fee starts around $39.
• Registered agent renewal. Both services charge roughly $119 to $125 a year from year two onward. Confirm the exact figure on each pricing page.
• Add-ons. EIN service, operating agreements, and expedited filing are where totals start to move.

If you are still choosing a state, read our breakdown of the best state to form an LLC for non-residents before you price out either service.

Address privacy: where Northwest pulls ahead

Northwest puts its own address on your state filings wherever the state allows it, and it does that by default. For a non-resident, this keeps your home address in Lagos, Manila, or Osaka out of public business records.

That matters more than it sounds. State business databases are public and get scraped, and a home address on a public filing can lead to unsolicited mail and scam letters.

Bizee also lists its registered agent address on filings. The difference is how much of the rest of your filing it covers, and how much you have to configure yourself. Northwest builds privacy into the default package, so you do not have to work out which boxes to tick.

Some states require a principal or mailing address in addition to the registered agent address. Ask how each service handles that field for your state before you pay.

The checkout experience

Northwest’s checkout is short and the price is easy to predict. Bizee’s checkout has more optional upsells, so the price you see on the homepage can grow before you pay.

This is a fair point to make about Bizee, but it is not a reason to avoid it. Bizee’s add-ons (an expedited filing, a compliance package, a website bundle, and so on) are optional. A careful buyer can decline them and pay very little.

The risk for non-residents is that some add-ons look essential when they are not. You do not need a paid “business license research” package to open an LLC in Wyoming. You also do not need expedited filing unless a bank or payment processor is waiting on your documents.

Our Bizee review covers which of its add-ons are worth paying for.

Getting an EIN without an SSN

Both services can get your EIN for an extra fee, and neither can skip the IRS’s process for foreign owners. If you have no Social Security number, the EIN is requested on Form SS-4, which the IRS handles by fax or mail.

An EIN (Employer Identification Number) is the nine-digit tax ID the IRS assigns to your LLC. You need it to open a US bank account, use most payment processors, and file your annual federal forms.

You can apply for it yourself for free. Paying a formation service saves you from faxing the IRS from abroad and handling follow-up calls. If you want to do it yourself, our guide on how to get an EIN without an SSN walks through the SS-4.

Support and ongoing compliance

Northwest’s support team is staffed by people it calls Corporate Guides, and it is known for direct answers about filings. Bizee offers standard support and paid compliance reminders.

For a foreign owner, ongoing compliance is where mistakes get expensive. A foreign-owned single-member LLC must file Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 every year, even with zero US income. The IRS penalty for a missed Form 5472 starts at $25,000.

Neither formation service files Form 5472 for you as part of its core package. You will need a CPA or a dedicated tax service. Both services can send state annual report reminders, and Wyoming requires an annual report with a minimum $60 license tax.

Who should pick Northwest Registered Agent

Northwest is the right choice if you value privacy, predictable pricing, and fewer decisions. It suits founders forming in Wyoming, New Mexico, or Delaware from abroad who want one company to file the LLC and stay on as a reliable registered agent.

Pick Northwest if:

• You do not want your home address in a public state database.
• You want a short checkout without stacked upsells.
• You plan to keep the LLC for years and care more about service than a $39 saving.

Start your LLC with Northwest Registered Agent

Who should pick Bizee

Bizee is the right choice if you want the lowest upfront cost and already know what your LLC needs. It works well for price-sensitive founders testing a business idea who are comfortable reading every checkout screen.

Pick Bizee if:

• You want to spend as little as possible to get the LLC filed.
• You are confident about which add-ons you will skip.
• Address privacy beyond the registered agent address is not a priority for you.

Check Bizee’s current free formation tier

FAQ

Can a non-resident use Bizee or Northwest to form a US LLC?

Yes. Both services accept customers from outside the US and do not require a US address, SSN, or US visa to file your LLC. You will still need an EIN and a bank account after formation, which are separate steps.

Is Bizee’s free LLC formation really free?

The formation service fee on Bizee’s basic tier is $0, but you still pay the state filing fee. After the free first year, you also pay an annual registered agent renewal fee. Optional add-ons at checkout raise the total if you accept them.

Do I need a registered agent if I live outside the US?

Yes. Every US state requires an LLC to keep a registered agent with a physical address in the state of formation. A non-resident almost always pays a commercial registered agent such as Bizee or Northwest to fill that role.

Does either service file my Form 5472?

No. Neither service files Form 5472 or the pro forma Form 1120 as part of its standard formation package. Plan to use a CPA or a specialist tax service for your annual federal filing as a foreign-owned LLC.

Our pick

For most non-residents, Northwest Registered Agent is the stronger pick. Its privacy-first filings and simple pricing suit owners who will manage the LLC entirely from abroad. Bizee is a solid budget alternative if you want the lowest entry cost and will decline the add-ons you do not need.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm your state choice and annual filing obligations with a CPA or attorney.

Ready to file? Form your LLC with Northwest Registered Agent, or compare Bizee’s plans if keeping upfront cost down is your priority.