How to Build US Credit as a Foreigner from Slovakia

Slovak founders expanding to the United States often face the invisible-credit problem. When you land in the US market, your stellar financial track record built in Slovakia—tracked meticulously through domestic registries like the CRIF – Slovak Credit Bureau (SBCB / NBCB)—does not automatically transfer across the Atlantic. US financial institutions, landlords, and lenders start your credit score at absolute zero, making it difficult to secure apartment leases, corporate utility accounts, or founder-friendly credit cards without heavy security deposits or personal guarantees.

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.

We maintain a country-by-country reference for this, including which markets are confirmed and which are not: Amex Global Transfer country eligibility [blocked]

Check before you rely on this: American Express sets these terms and can change them. Confirm current conditions with American Express directly.

The ITIN path

For founders who do not hold an American Express card, establishing a US credit identity begins with securing a tax identifier. Because non-resident founders typically do not qualify for a Social Security Number (SSN) immediately, obtaining an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) via IRS Form W-7 is essential.

1. Form LLC Formation: Form your US LLC or C-Corp and obtain your official EIN (Employer Identification Number) from the IRS.
2. Prepare W-7 Documentation: Complete IRS Form W-7, attaching your certified Slovak passport copy (certified directly by a notary or the Embassy of the Slovak Republic) along with US federal tax documentation or a supporting US business return.
3. Engage a Certifying Acceptance Agent (CAA): Work with an IRS-authorized CAA or submit your package directly through an authorized tax professional to avoid mailing your physical passport to the IRS office in Austin, Texas.
4. Receive Your ITIN: Once issued, your ITIN serves as your foundational tax identifier in the US financial ecosystem.
5. Open Secured Credit Lines: Use your newly minted ITIN to apply for secured credit cards or retail cards that report to major US credit bureaus, establishing your baseline payment history.

Nova Credit

Nova Credit is a premier cross-border credit bureau bureau-integration service that allows foreign nationals to share their home country credit history with US financial institutions.

• Coverage Status: Nova Credit currently covers major credit bureaus in countries such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and South Korea, among others.
• Slovakia Status: Because Nova Credit does not currently integrate directly with the Slovak CRIF (SBCB/NBCB) registry, Slovak founders cannot directly pull their Slovak credit history into US lenders via Nova Credit. Founders from Slovakia must rely instead on the Amex Global Transfer shortcut or build credit organically via ITIN-based secured cards and business credit lines.

Business credit: the faster lane

Fortunately, founders establishing a US LLC or C-Corp can bypass years of personal credit-building by establishing commercial credit tied to their company EIN rather than their personal identity.

• Dun & Bradstreet (D&B): Register your US company on Dun & Bradstreet to automatically trigger the creation of your D&B D-U-N-S Number free of charge.
• Establish Trade Lines: Open vendor accounts with US suppliers, software providers, and logistics services that report payment history to commercial credit bureaus (D&B, Experian Business, and Equifax Business).
• Build the Paydex Score: Pay your vendor invoices early or on exact net-30/net-60 terms to cultivate a stellar D&B Paydex score (ranging from 0 to 100). A strong Paydex score allows your US entity to qualify for commercial credit cards, fleet cards, and vendor financing without requiring a personal US credit history or a personal guarantee from the founder.

Recommended sequence

1. Month 1: Leverage an existing European American Express card via Amex Global Transfer to acquire your first US personal credit card.
2. Month 1–2: Form your US entity, obtain your EIN, and initiate the IRS Form W-7 application process to secure your ITIN.
3. Month 2–3: Register your US company with Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) to establish your corporate D-U-N-S number.
4. Month 3–6: Open net-30 business vendor accounts and a US business bank account to build robust commercial credit and secure business-tier financing.

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. This guide is for informational purposes only and is not financial, tax, or legal advice. Consult a qualified adviser for your specific situation.