Guide
The US phone number checklist for founders outside the US
Where a US startup run from abroad needs a phone number, from banking to app stores to support, and which ones need your own mobile.
Running a US company from Bengaluru, Lagos, Lisbon or Jakarta means a long list of forms that ask for a phone number. Some of them only want a way to reach you. Some send login codes you can’t afford to lose. Others are where customers judge whether you’re a real business. Here’s the list we see founders work through, and what kind of number each item needs.
1. Incorporation and your registered agent
Stripe Atlas, Clerky, Firstbase, doola and registered agents ask for a contact number. It’s for reaching you, not for verification, so your own mobile or a US line both work. Use the number you’ll still have in two years, because these records get copied into tax and bank forms.
2. Banking and payments
This is the one to be careful with. Banks and payment providers such as Mercury, Brex and Stripe use your number for security codes and account recovery. Some refuse internet (VoIP) numbers outright, and some accept them today and change policy later. Our advice:
- Use an authenticator app or passkey wherever the service offers one.
- Keep your own mobile on the account as the recovery number.
- If you add a US internet number, test that codes arrive before you depend on it.
3. App Store Connect, Google Play and developer accounts
Apple and Google ask for a contact number on developer and organisation accounts, and Apple’s D-U-N-S process can involve a call. A US number that rings in your browser is fine for being reachable. Your Apple ID’s two-factor number should be a phone you physically hold.
4. Your website, Google Business profile and support page
This is where a local US number earns its keep. US customers trust a US number, call it without international charges, and expect someone to answer during their business hours. That’s usually your night. Options:
- Answer in the browser when you’re awake. Calls ring on every open tab of the VoixCall web app.
- Point the number at an AI agent the rest of the time. It answers, takes the message, and rings you when a caller asks for a person. See answering US calls from another time zone.
5. Calls you make to the US
Customer calls, vendor support lines, the IRS, your registered agent, and 1-800 numbers that don’t accept calls from abroad. From VoixCall these cost about 2.7¢ a minute to any US number, 1-800 numbers included, and the app shows the rate before you dial. Turn on AI notes and you keep the case number and next steps from each call.
6. Investors and partners
A US number on your deck and email signature makes “let’s hop on a call” easy, and it keeps working after you fly home from Demo Day or a cohort in San Francisco.
The short version
| Where | Number to use |
|---|---|
| Incorporation, registered agent | Any number you’ll keep |
| Bank and payment security codes | Your own mobile or an authenticator app |
| App store contact | US line is fine; 2FA on your own phone |
| Website, Google Business, support | Local US number |
| Calling US companies and 1-800 lines | US line, about 2.7¢ a minute |
A VoixCall US number is $2 a month, needs no US address, and comes with an inbox for texts and codes. Get one in a few minutes, or read how YC founders outside the US use it.
Questions
Do I legally need a US phone number to run a Delaware company?
Not as far as we know. Formation services and registered agents ask for a contact number, and a foreign number usually works. A US number matters more for customers, partners and services that only accept US numbers.
Should my bank 2FA go to an internet number?
Be careful. Some banks and fintechs refuse internet numbers, and losing access to a bank account is expensive. Use your own mobile, or an authenticator app where offered, and test any internet number before relying on it.
What area code should I pick?
Pick where your customers or your company story is: 415 or 628 for San Francisco, 212 or 646 for New York, 302 for Delaware. Callers don’t pay more for any US area code.