Fifty regulators, not one
Business Regulatory Approvals in the United States
Some US activities require a licence in every single state where you have customers.
GCC business setup specialists
Money transmission is the hardest version of this
Several regulated activities in the United States are licensed at state level rather than federally, and money transmission is the clearest example: a business moving customer funds can need authorisation from dozens of state regulators, each with its own application, capital requirement, bonding and examination cycle. Businesses that budget for one licence and discover they need forty do not usually recover from the surprise.
- Whether your activity is federally or state licensed, established first
- The full state count and cost scoped before you commit
- Referral to specialist counsel where licensing is a project
20+
Mainland, free zone and offshore jurisdictions we file in — so the recommendation is based on your activity, not on which authority we happen to be registered with.
7,000+
Companies successfully established.
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Who regulates you
Federal and state licensing
The level matters more than the subject.
| Area | Level | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Securities offerings and advisers | Federal and state | Both can apply |
| Broker-dealers | Federal, with membership | Self-regulatory body involved |
| Money transmission | State by state | Plus federal registration |
| Lending and consumer credit | Mostly state | Licence per state |
| Insurance | State by state | Each state’s commissioner |
| Food, drugs and devices | Federal | Plus state requirements |
Licensing requirements, capital and bonding levels and examination regimes differ by state and federal agency and change. Where licensing is substantial, specialist US regulatory counsel should be engaged. We handle US formation and compliance set-up and co-ordinate with US tax, immigration or regulatory counsel where advice is needed. We do not give US tax, immigration or securities advice.
How it works
Establishing what you need
Level first, then count the states.
01
Identify the level
Whether your activity is licensed federally, by state, or both — which determines whether this is one application or many.
02
Scope the footprint
Where your customers are, because for state-licensed activities every customer state is potentially a licence.
03
Plan or redirect
A realistic cost and timeline for the licensing programme, or a narrower model that avoids it, set out before you commit.
Typically required
What a state licence application needs
Multiplied by the number of states.
- Business plan and financial projections
- Ownership and control disclosure
- Background checks on controllers
- Minimum net worth evidence
- Surety bond in the required amount
- Anti-money-laundering programme
- Appointed compliance officer
- Policies and procedures manual
- Audited financial statements in some states
- Permissible investments evidence where applicable
- Examination readiness
- Annual reporting capability
Scope
What is included, and what is not
Stated plainly, so nothing is added once the engagement starts.
Included in the service fee
- Determination of whether licensing applies
- Federal and state level identified
- State footprint scoped against your customer base
- Realistic cost and timeline for the programme
- Co-ordination with specialist regulatory counsel
- Entity structuring to support the application
- Registrations where we can act directly
- Honest view where the model is not viable
Not included, quoted separately
- Regulator fees and bond premiums, paid at cost
- Minimum net worth to be held
- Specialist regulatory counsel fees
- Compliance programme drafting, quoted separately
- Compliance officer appointments
- Background check charges
- Examination representation
- Audited financial statements
Verify independently
Relevant US authorities
We file directly with these bodies on your behalf.
United States Patent and Trademark OfficeUS Citizenship and Immigration ServicesInternal Revenue ServiceState labour and revenue departmentsFinancial Crimes Enforcement NetworkState financial regulators
Questions
US regulatory approvals — FAQs
Why would I need licences in multiple states?
Because several activities, money transmission among them, are licensed at state level. Each state where you serve customers can require its own authorisation.
How many states might that be?
Potentially most of them, depending on your model. We scope the realistic number before you build a plan on one licence.
Is there a federal alternative?
For some activities there is a federal registration alongside state licensing rather than instead of it. The state obligations generally remain.
Can I start in a few states and expand?
Often yes, and that is usually the sensible approach. We help prioritise by customer concentration.
Do you handle the licensing itself?
We scope it, structure the entity and co-ordinate with specialist regulatory counsel. Multi-state licensing programmes are their work, not ours, and we say so.
Go deeper
More United States services
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