North America Common Law
Pacific Rim operating bases, California, USA
California is the gateway to APAC, with the largest Asian American population in the US, deep trade infrastructure through LA/Long Beach ports, and direct air connectivity to Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, and Hong Kong. The state is the world's 5th largest economy by GDP, and CIT applies to active business with California nexus regardless of state of incorporation.
5th largest world GDPAPAC gatewayLA / SF Bay tech hubs
Start setup {placement} 4 min · no card required
Corp tax
21%
Fastest setup
5-15 days
Tax treaties
68
Region
North America
What you'll need
- No resident director required
- Remote-friendly, no local office
- No substance requirement
- Minimum capital: No minimum capital
- Administrative language: English
- Legal system: Common law
Tax and treaty profile
- Corporate tax 21%
- Effective rate ~28%
- Tax treaties 68
- VAT rate 7.25%
- Withholding on dividends 30%
Key treaty partners
UKCanadaGermanyFranceJapanAustralia
Banking and payments
- Banking is straightforward
- Stripe supported
- Mercury supported
- Wise supported
- Crypto banking available
- EMI license framework available
Considerations
If you want to minimise US state tax
California has one of the highest state tax burdens in the US: 8.84% CIT (10.84% for banks), $800/year minimum franchise tax even on $0 revenue LLCs, plus LLC gross receipts tax above $250K. For zero or low state tax US bases:
$800/year minimum franchise tax8.84% CITLLC gross receipts tax