Guide · Founders abroad
A US phone number for your US company, when you don't live in the US
You formed a US company from abroad, through Stripe Atlas or a formation service, and every form now asks for a phone number. You may need a US one less often than you think, and more than you'd like for the codes that matter. Here's the difference, with each company's own words.
By the Cleat team · Updated September 15, 2026
You're far from the only one
Stripe counted “23,000 companies that incorporated in 2025” through Atlas, from 169 countries, and “56% of Atlas startups are based in the US” (Stripe). The rest, thousands of companies a year, are run from somewhere else.
What Stripe actually requires
Less than most checklists say. Stripe's support article on phone numbers for US accounts (Stripe):
Business phone number, for a company formed through Atlas
“the business phone number can be in any country”
https://support.stripe.com/questions/phone-number-requirements-for-us-stripe-accountsRepresentative or owner
“A valid phone number (can be in any country)”
https://support.stripe.com/questions/phone-number-requirements-for-us-stripe-accountsThe exception: Individual or Sole Prop accounts
“the representative/owner phone number must be an active US-based phone number”
https://support.stripe.com/questions/phone-number-requirements-for-us-stripe-accounts
So if your company went through Atlas, your home mobile number is enough for Stripe itself. What it doesn't settle is every other account your company opens.
Where a US mobile number does matter: the codes
Banks, payment providers, payroll, tax and government services, and the tools your company signs up for send one-time codes by SMS. Many of those codes come from short codes, and internet (VoIP) numbers can't receive them. A business phone company says so plainly about its own numbers:
Quo (formerly OpenPhone)
“Most 2FA and verification codes are sent from short codes (5–6 digit numbers). Quo numbers can't receive short code SMS.”
https://support.quo.com/troubleshooting/messaging-issuesQuo, on why
“a VoIP limitation that applies across providers, not just Quo”
https://support.quo.com/troubleshooting/messaging-issues
Some services also check a number's line type and refuse anything that isn't mobile (how line-type checks work), and a code texted to a foreign number can arrive late or not at all. A real US mobile line is the number those codes are built for.
Your four options
| Option | Line type | Receives short-code SMS | Shared with a co-founder or accountant | Set up from abroad |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your home mobile number | Mobile, but not US | Only if the service texts international numbers | No: it's your personal phone | Already yours |
| A business VoIP app (Quo, Google Voice and others) | Internet (VoIP) | No, per Quo's own help centre | Usually, per user | Depends on the app |
| A prepaid US SIM or eSIM | Mobile | Usually | No: it lives in one phone | Depends on the carrier; Tello's eSIM activates only “physically located within the United States” |
| A real US mobile line online (Cleat) | Mobile | Usually | Yes, free for your whole team | Yes, with a government ID |
Setting it up for a company
- Get one line for the company, not for a person: codes for the company's accounts shouldn't depend on one founder's phone.
- Put that number on the accounts that send codes by SMS: your business bank, payment and payroll providers, and anything else that refused your home number.
- Invite your co-founders and your accountant, so whoever is logging in sees the code without asking.
- Keep your own mobile number where Stripe allows it, as its support article says.
Where Cleat fits
Cleat is a receive-only real US mobile line. Texts land in a shared inbox, by email, on Telegram or through the API, for $24.99 a month, cancel anytime. When a service reads a code out over an automated call instead, it arrives transcribed. You can't place calls or send texts, and you can't choose the area code. Every line's owner verifies their identity, which is what keeps the numbers clean. Most services that refuse VoIP accept a mobile line; no provider can promise that all of them do.
- Running the company with others? Shared 2FA codes for teams.
- Living outside the US yourself? Cleat for expats and non-residents, and every way to get a US number from abroad.
- The details and what isn't included: pricing.
Questions
Does Stripe Atlas require a US phone number?
Not for Stripe itself: for a company formed through Atlas, Stripe says the business phone number can be in any country, and so can the representative's. Accounts set up as Individual or Sole Prop are the exception. A US mobile number matters more for the codes other services send by SMS.
Can my co-founder and our accountant get the codes too?
Yes. Invite them to your workspace at no extra cost, and each sees codes as they arrive, or gets them by email or Telegram.
Can we use the number as our company's public phone line?
Not for calls: Cleat Line is receive-only, and incoming calls arrive as transcripts rather than ringing. Calls and sending texts are coming with Cleat Full.
Will our US business bank accept the number?
Most services that refuse internet numbers accept a real mobile line. No provider can promise that every one does, so try yours in the first month and cancel if it doesn't fit.
Do I need to be in the US to sign up?
No. You need internet access and a government ID.
Sources
Facts about other companies come from their own pages, checked in September 2026.
- Stripe, Stripe Atlas startups in 2025: year in review https://stripe.com/blog/stripe-atlas-startups-in-2025-year-in-review
- Stripe Support, phone number requirements for US Stripe accounts https://support.stripe.com/questions/phone-number-requirements-for-us-stripe-accounts
- Quo Help Center, messaging issues https://support.quo.com/troubleshooting/messaging-issues
- Tello Help Center, activating an eSIM outside the US https://tello.com/help_center/how-to-activate-an-esim-outside-the-us