Proof of US Nexus: What Banks Want, the 4 Ways to Pass, and the $25k Countdown (2026)

A US LLC with an EIN used to be enough to open a US business account. In 2026 it increasingly isn't: banks and fintechs now ask you to prove the company has a real, verifiable connection to the United States — a “US Nexus.” Aspire formalized it into policy in March 2026 (with a hard $25,000 cap and a 90-day clock for accounts that can't prove one), and Mercury asks a version of the same question in its application. This guide covers the four ways to qualify, the exact documents each one needs, and how to survive the countdown if you don't have a nexus yet.

What a US Nexus is — and who's asking

A US Nexus means your business has a legitimate, verifiable connection to the US — a place, a person, customers, or money that ties the company to the country beyond a registered-agent address. The push comes from partner banks' compliance teams: a Delaware LLC owned abroad, operated abroad, selling abroad looks to a US bank like a shell with a US costume on. The nexus requirement is how they separate real cross-border businesses from pass-through accounts.

• Aspire (US accounts via Column N.A.) — formal policy since 2026-03: one qualifying nexus, documented, or your account runs on a countdown (details below).
• Mercury — asks near the end of the application whether you have a US business connection now or within 6 months (US office / employees / customers / suppliers / investors), plus where the first funds come from.
• The direction of travel — partner banks (Column, Thread, and peers) drive this, so expect more fintechs to add a nexus step, not fewer.

The four ways to qualify — and the exact documents

Recency is a soft requirement across all four: the FAQ asks for “recent and active” documents wherever possible. A 2023 contract with no payments since won't carry a 2026 review.

Which proof to pick for your profile

• Cross-border e-commerce (Amazon / Shopify / TikTok Shop) → Option 3. Your processor already generates settlement reports showing US-source revenue; pair them with the matching payouts into your account. If you sell B2B, three invoices to US buyers + the payments that cleared them.
• SaaS / services selling to US clients → Option 3. Two executed US client contracts, or three invoices + Stripe/processor records. This is the most common honest answer.
• Startup with US investors, no revenue yet → Option 4. The SAFE / investment agreement + the incoming wire confirmation is a complete package — the FAQ explicitly blesses this for early-stage companies.
• Importer / supply-chain buyer with US vendors → Option 4. Supplier contracts or invoices + your outgoing payment records showing an ongoing relationship.
• Company with a real US office or a US-based hire → Options 1 / 2. If you're paying US rent or US payroll, that paperwork outranks everything else — submit it.

No nexus yet? How the $25k / 60-day countdown works

Aspire's pre-US Nexus flow lets a US-registered company open first and prove later — but the account runs on two clocks and one meter, and you should know all three numbers before you fund it:

1. $25,000 outgoing cap — cumulative and total, not monthly. Card spend counts. When it's gone, it's gone.
2. Day 60 — nexus documents must be submitted and approved by then. Hitting the cap or the deadline without approval locks outgoing transactions (incoming may still land, but the account stays under review).
3. Day 90 — no approved nexus, account closed. Aspire sends advance notice; it is not a bluff.

Playing it well: treat it as a 45-day window, not 60 — review takes time, and unclear documents trigger a follow-up round. Submit around day 30-40, keep big outgoing payments off this account until the nexus is approved, and if your first invoices or investor wire will realistically take longer than two months, generate the nexus before opening rather than racing the clock.

Why nexus documents get rejected

• Name mismatch — the bill / lease / contract shows a person or a different entity, not the company's full legal name.
• Stale dates — the utility bill or bank statement is older than 60 days, or the contract shows no recent activity.
• Missing signatures — employment or investment agreements without both parties signed are drafts, not proof.
• Unpaired paperwork — invoices without matching payment records, or an investment agreement without the wire that followed. Money movement is the half that convinces.
• The wrong kind of address — registered-agent and CMRA / virtual-mailbox addresses on a “US location” document. Reviewers check address databases; mail agents are flagged on sight.

If your documents don't cleanly fit one option, the review doesn't auto-fail — the bank asks for additional or alternative documents. But every round-trip costs a week of your 60 days, which is one more reason to submit early and clean.

Bottom line