EIN without an SSN: phone, fax, or mail
The IRS online EIN application only works if the responsible party has a US Social Security number or ITIN. Founders without one still get an EIN for free: through one of three routes that each trade speed for convenience.
| Route | How | Typical timing |
| Phone | +1 267-941-1099, Mon–Fri 6 a.m.–11 p.m. Eastern (not toll-free) | EIN issued on the call |
| Fax | SS-4 to 855-215-1627 (from inside the US) or +1 304-707-9471 (from outside) | About 4 business days if you include a return fax number; often longer in busy periods |
| IRS, Attn: EIN International Operation, Cincinnati, OH 45999 | About 4 weeks, plus postage time |
The phone route is for applicants whose principal place of business or residence is outside the US. Check irs.gov for current hours before calling.
Fill in Form SS-4 first
Every route uses the answers on Form SS-4, so complete it before you call or fax. The points that trip up foreign founders:
- Line 1: the LLC or corporation's exact legal name, matching the state filing.
- Line 7a/7b — responsible party: a real individual who controls the entity (usually the founder). If they have no SSN or ITIN, write “Foreign” in 7b. A company or nominee can't be the responsible party.
- Lines 4a–5b: a mailing address — a foreign address is fine, and so is a US registered-agent address if the agent forwards mail.
- Line 9a — entity type: a single-member LLC checks “Other” and writes “Foreign-owned U.S. disregarded entity”; a Delaware C-corp checks “Corporation” and enters Form 1120.
- Line 10 — reason: usually “Started new business.”
- Signature: an authorized person signs. If you authorize someone else (a lawyer or formation agent) to receive the EIN for you, complete the Third Party Designee section.
Which route to choose
Phone is fastest if you can handle a 30–45 minute international call during US hours; the agent reads the SS-4 questions and gives you the number before you hang up, and the confirmation letter (CP 575) follows by mail. Fax suits founders who want a paper trail and can wait a week: use an online fax service and include a fax number the IRS can reply to. Mail is the slowest and best avoided when a bank account is waiting on the EIN. Don't send the same application twice; duplicates can create two EINs that later have to be untangled.
What the EIN is for
With an EIN you can open a US business bank account (many banks still want an in-person visit or a specialist fintech), set up Stripe or other payment processors, and file US returns. It does not give you, personally, a US taxpayer number: if you later need to file a personal US return (for example, as a member of a multi-member LLC with US income, or to make an 83(b) election), you'll need an ITIN, applied for on Form W-7.
A foreign-owned single-member LLC also has an annual filing duty from its first year: a pro forma Form 1120 with Form 5472, even with no income.
Scams and timing
The EIN is free. Services charging hundreds of dollars for an “expedited EIN” are filing the same form you can file yourself; they can't buy a faster queue. Apply the day your state filing is approved: banks and payment processors won't onboard you without it. Forming now? See the Delaware LLC and Wyoming LLC guides.