How to Build US Credit as a Foreigner from Sweden

Swedish entrepreneurs setting up a US business often discover that their Swedish credit history is invisible to US lenders. A strong Klarna payment record or a Swedbank mortgage means nothing to Experian or TransUnion. This guide explains the fastest legitimate routes to a US credit file from Sweden.

Why US credit matters for Swedish founders

A US credit file unlocks business credit cards, equipment financing, office leases, and eventually personal credit cards that earn rewards on US business spend. Without one, you are paying cash for everything or relying on debit cards with no purchase protection.

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

If you do not have a Swedish Amex card, the standard path is:

1. Form a US entity (LLC or C-Corp) and get an EIN
2. Apply for an ITIN (IRS Form W-7) — this is your personal US tax ID
3. Open a secured credit card that reports to all three US bureaus (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion)
4. Use the card regularly and pay in full each month
5. Graduate to unsecured cards after 6–12 months of on-time payments

The ITIN path takes 12–18 months to build a meaningful credit file. The Amex Global Transfer path can compress this to weeks.

Nova Credit for Swedish founders

Nova Credit is a cross-border credit bureau that translates Swedish credit history into a US-equivalent score. Nova Credit partners with Swedish credit bureaus and provides a "Credit Passport" that some US lenders accept in lieu of a US credit history.

Currently, Nova Credit works with a limited set of US lenders (primarily American Express, some mortgage lenders). It is worth checking whether your target US bank or card issuer accepts Nova Credit before going through the application process.

Business credit: the faster lane

Business credit (Dun & Bradstreet Paydex score) is separate from personal credit and can be established faster. Steps:

1. Get a free D-U-N-S number from Dun & Bradstreet
2. Open trade accounts with vendors that report to D&B (Uline, Grainger, Quill)
3. Pay on net-30 terms consistently
4. A Paydex score of 80+ can be established in 45–90 days

Business credit does not require a US SSN or ITIN. It is the fastest way to establish a US credit identity for your company.

Recommended sequence for Swedish founders

1. Check if you have a Swedish Amex card → if yes, apply for Amex Global Transfer immediately
2. If no Amex card, form US entity + get EIN + apply for ITIN
3. Open a secured card (Discover it Secured, Capital One Secured) that reports to all three bureaus
4. Simultaneously build business credit via D&B trade lines
5. After 6–12 months, apply for unsecured personal cards

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.