.us .us owners live outside of USA

I'm not exactly sure with the .US but for many of the other ccTLDs a hosting agent can act as a state of residence for you in that country. I own two extensions that require you to be a citizen of the islands but the hosting agents are acting as my address.

Get the info from the source: http://www.neustar.us/policies/docs/ustld_nexus_requirements.pdf

Weird...I found ALOT of .US domains registered by people in India and China.

Asian said:

Weird...I found ALOT of .US domains registered by people in India and China.

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Yes, and most of these people are not valid .us holders as per the Neustar nexus agreement. I actually found one person who holds about $50k worth of .us domains (and those are only the domains I've actually scanned--I'm sure he has more that I haven't scanned) who is at risk of having his domains be taken away because it appears he fails the nexus requirements.

In fact, I purchased a domain from a gentleman (and fellow NP'er) who was not in compliance with the neustar agreement. Ironically, on the day I purchased the domain, Neustar had run a scan but the whois info still showed the old owner. Long story short, Neustar was going to delete the domain even though it was in my account, with my whois info. (Neustar didn't even contact me, I found out through the seller about this). I had to call and speak with an attorney at Neustar to get things straightened out. I was lucky to be able to keep the domain.

Lesson: if you don't comply with the Neustar nexus requirements, you are at risk of losing you entire investment! Additionally, individuals should tread carefully when purchasing domains from someone who is not in compliance with the nexus requirements.

What this part really means...

A foreign entity or organization that has a bona fide presence in the United States of America or any of its possessions or territories [Nexus Category 3].
Prospective Registrants will certify that they have a “bona fide presence in the United States” on the basis of real and substantial lawful connections with, or lawful activities in, the United States of America. This requirement is intended to ensure that only those individuals or organizations that have a substantive lawful connection to the United States are permitted to register for usTLD
domain names.

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If you answered falsely when registering a .us domain, there is no defense. If you answered falsely to any ccTLD criteria for registering, you run the risk, as Fonz pointed out, in losing your investment.

There are ways of skirting around the law or regulations. Not advisable.

I am in the US but have co-op'ed some .eu domains with an associate in the UK. Completely legal with papers drawn up showing him as a member of the LLC. He can reg .us if he chooses (legally) and he can reg .eu domains (legally) for the LLC.

Working together helps bridge gaps and offers some credibility to your venture. Having international connections makes all this possible. All of this was long established long before I even joined these forums.

Members in my LLC reside in the US, UK, Italy, Sardinia, and Denmark. All of this thanks to some projects we worked on or consulted together. These are non voting members of the LLC. Has worked out wonderfully and perfectly for numerous years.

Ain't the internet great?