How to Build US Credit as a Foreigner from Turkey

Turkish founders launching US-based startups face the classic "invisible-credit" problem. When you arrive in the United States financial ecosystem, your domestic credit history built through Kredi Kayıt Bürosu (KKB) and platforms like Findeks does not automatically cross borders. Without an established US credit score, founders struggle to secure corporate apartments, business loans, personal credit cards, or software financing without personal guarantees or exorbitant cash deposits.

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

An Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) is issued by the IRS for tax processing and is essential for opening US bank accounts and building formal credit history if you do not have a Social Security Number (SSN).

Follow this standard 5-step sequence to obtain your ITIN and build credit:

1. Form the Entity: Establish your US Delaware C-Corp or LLC and obtain your Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS.
2. Prepare Form W-7: Complete the IRS Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (Form W-7).
3. Certify Identification: Have your Turkish passport certified by a Certified Acceptance Agent (CAA) or directly through a US embassy/consulate, or submit certified copies from issuing agencies.
4. Submit to the IRS: Mail your completed Form W-7, federal tax return or supporting documentation, and certified identification to the IRS ITIN Operation in Austin, Texas.
5. Receive Your ITIN: Once issued, use your ITIN to apply for secured credit cards, open business bank accounts, and report financial transactions.

Nova Credit

Nova Credit serves as a cross-border credit bureau connector that allows immigrants and international founders to share their home-country credit bureau data with US financial institutions.

Coverage Status: Nova Credit covers an extensive network of international credit bureaus including countries like the UK, Canada, India, Brazil, and Mexico. However, Turkey is currently not part of Nova Credit’s direct international bureau integration network. Turkish founders should rely instead on the American Express Global Transfer program or the ITIN secured credit card path.

Business credit: the faster lane

Building corporate credit allows your startup to borrow based on its own EIN rather than your personal SSN or ITIN.

1. Dun & Bradstreet (D&B): Register your US entity with Dun & Bradstreet to automatically generate a D-U-N-S number.
2. Establish Trade Lines: Open accounts with vendors and suppliers that report payment activity to commercial credit bureaus (such as D&B, Experian Business, and Equifax Business).
3. Build the Paydex Score: Pay your vendor invoices on time or early to establish a strong D&B Paydex score (ranging from 0 to 100), which unlocks commercial loans and corporate credit lines.

Recommended sequence

1. Incorporate your US entity and obtain an EIN.
2. If you hold an eligible American Express card in Turkey, execute an Amex Global Transfer to open your first US credit card.
3. Apply for an ITIN using Form W-7 if you plan to operate as an individual taxpayer or require personal US banking.
4. Register your business for a D-U-N-S number with Dun & Bradstreet and establish vendor trade lines.
5. Monitor your personal and business credit scores regularly across all major bureaus.

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.