How to Build US Credit as a Foreigner from the Bahamas

As a founder based in the Bahamas expanding into the United States market, establishing a US credit profile is an essential operational milestone. Founders launching US business entities frequently encounter the invisible-credit problem: despite having a spotless financial track record and established banking relationships with institutions like CIBC FirstCaribbean, Scotiabank Bahamas, or Bank of Butterfield in Nassau, your foreign credit history does not transfer to the United States. In the Bahamas, consumer and commercial credit monitoring is anchored by CRIF Information Services Bahamas Ltd, the jurisdiction's licensed private credit bureau operating under the oversight of the Central Bank of the Bahamas [2] [3]. Because US financial institutions cannot access CRIF credit files when evaluating loan applications, credit cards, or commercial leases, foreign founders start with a clean slate—effectively invisible in the eyes of FICO scoring models.

For a reference on the U.S. business credit bureaus, see the U.S. business credit bureaus guide.

Why US credit matters

A US credit file changes what a US company can do. Without one, financing means cash collateral or a personal guarantee, corporate cards come with a deposit, and commercial leases ask for six months up front.

With one, the same company borrows at a normal rate. That is the whole difference, and it is why the sequence below is worth the months it takes.

No part of this is guaranteed. Credit decisions belong to lenders, and nobody — including us — can promise you a score or a limit.

The Amex Global Transfer route

American Express runs a programme — Global Transfer, sometimes called the Global Card Relationship — that lets an existing Amex cardholder apply for a US card using their established relationship with Amex rather than starting from nothing.

Your credit history does not transfer. This is the most common misunderstanding about the programme. What transfers is the relationship — Amex's own record of how you have handled your account with them. Your local bureau file, your repayment record with other lenders and your local credit score do not cross the border. Amex US underwrites you as a new customer who happens to be a known quantity to Amex.

That is still a considerable advantage over building a US file from zero. It is not the same as arriving with a credit history.

Four conditions apply, and all four must be met:

1. The card you already hold must be issued by American Express itself, not by a local bank operating under an American Express licence.
2. You must be the primary cardholder, not an additional or supplementary cardholder.
3. You must have held the card for at least three months.
4. The account must be open and in good standing when you apply.

Corporate cards are excluded separately from all four.

Condition one eliminates more applicants than the other three combined. In many markets American Express operates through Global Network Services, where a local bank licenses the Amex brand and issues its own cards under it. Those cards carry the Amex logo, but the account relationship belongs to the bank — so there is nothing to transfer. A local partnership is not an alternative route to eligibility; it is the thing that removes it.

How to check your own card: read the cardholder agreement, not the card. The agreement names the legal entity that issued it. If that name is a local bank, the card will not qualify. If it is an American Express entity, it may. If you cannot find the agreement, call the number on the back and ask which legal entity issued the card.

The ITIN path

For founders who cannot utilize the Amex Global Transfer program or who require a broader foundation for banking and credit, obtaining an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) from the Internal Revenue Service is the cornerstone of the US financial identity sequence. Follow this standard 5-step sequence to establish your foundational US tax and credit identity:

1. Form a US Entity or Establish US Tax Compliance: Establish a US LLC or C-Corporation, or prepare documentation demonstrating a valid federal tax reporting requirement under US law.
2. Complete IRS Form W-7: Fill out Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number accurately, attaching all required foreign status documentation and certified identification copies.
3. Engage a Certifying Acceptance Agent (CAA): Partner with an IRS-authorized Certifying Acceptance Agent in the Bahamas or utilize official passport certification services to verify your identity documents without mailing your physical passport to the IRS.
4. Submit the Application package: File Form W-7 along with your federal income tax return or information return (such as Form 5472 for a foreign-owned single-member LLC) to the IRS ITIN Operation division.
5. Receive Your ITIN and Open Secured Accounts: Once your ITIN is issued, use it to apply for an ITIN-friendly secured credit card or open business bank accounts that accept ITIN documentation in lieu of a Social Security Number.

Nova Credit

Nova Credit operates as a cross-border credit bureau infrastructure provider that translates international credit history into a US-equivalent credit report, allowing major US financial institutions to pull and evaluate foreign credit data. Nova Credit currently partners with credit bureaus across more than 20 countries worldwide, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Dominican Republic, India, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam [4]. Because Nova Credit's current network focuses primarily on these specific partner jurisdictions, its direct bureau-to-bureau translation bridge does not currently integrate with CRIF Information Services Bahamas Ltd. Founders from the Bahamas should verify Nova Credit's current country list for any recent expansions, but should generally expect to rely on alternative pathways such as the Amex Global Transfer program, secured cards, or business credit building rather than direct bureau data importing [4].

Business credit: the faster lane

Building commercial credit through Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) offers a powerful shortcut that bypasses the lengthy consumer credit history timeline. By obtaining a D-U-N-S Number for your US LLC or C-Corp, you can establish an independent corporate credit profile rated by the D&B Paydex score. You can build business credit rapidly by opening vendor accounts with suppliers that report payment experiences to commercial credit bureaus (such as Uline, Quill, or corporate office suppliers), purchasing necessary operational supplies, and paying the invoices net-30 days ahead of schedule. Because commercial credit focuses on the EIN and corporate payment habits rather than your personal SSN or ITIN, this lane allows foreign founders to build high-limit corporate lines of credit within months.

Recommended sequence

1. Incorporate your US Entity: Form your Delaware C-Corp or US LLC and obtain your federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS. Amex Global Transfer: check who issued your card first.

American Express runs a programme that lets an existing cardholder apply for a US card using their established relationship with Amex. Whether it works for you depends on one thing: whether your current card was issued by American Express itself, or by a local bank operating under an American Express licence. Only the first qualifies.

We have not verified which applies in Bahamas, and we would rather say so than guess.

How to check, and it takes ten minutes: read your cardholder agreement, not the card. The agreement names the legal entity that issued it. If that name is a local bank, the card will not qualify. If it is an American Express entity, it may. If you cannot find the agreement, call the number on the back of the card and ask which legal entity issued it.

Three further conditions apply even if the issuer qualifies: you must be the primary cardholder, you must have held the card for at least three months, and the account must be open and in good standing.

Full country-by-country detail: Amex Global Transfer country eligibility 3. Obtain an ITIN: File Form W-7 alongside your US entity information returns to secure an individual tax identification number for US banking and credit applications. 4. Open a Secured US Credit Card: Deposit funds with a US financial institution offering ITIN-friendly secured credit cards to establish a secondary reporting tradeline with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. 5. Establish Business Credit Tradelines: Register your US entity for a D-U-N-S number with Dun & Bradstreet, open vendor accounts, and maintain strict net-30 early payment habits to build corporate credit.

What Keystone Bridge does

We handle the US side for founders based outside the United States: entity formation, EIN, ITIN, US business banking access, and business credit.

The price of every stage is published on this site, so a first conversation is about whether we fit — not a pitch. If the answer is that you can do this yourself, we will tell you so.

References

[1] PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). "The Bahamas - Corporate - Taxes on corporate income." https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/the-bahamas/corporate/taxes-on-corporate-income
[2] Central Bank of the Bahamas. "Overview of Credit Reporting Act, 2018 & Credit Reporting Regulations, 2019." https://www.centralbankbahamas.com/news/public-notices/overview-of-credit-reporting-act-2018-credit-reporting-regulations-2019-synopsis-of-cbb-legislation-credit-reporting
[3] Central Bank of the Bahamas. "CRIF Information Services Bahamas Information Requests." https://www.scb.gov.bs/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/CRIF-Information-Services-Bahamas-Information-Requests.pdf
[4] Nova Credit. "Cross-Border Credit Bureau Coverage and Partner Network." https://www.novacredit.com/