If you're forming a US company and you don't have a Social Security number or an ITIN, you can still get an EIN. You just can't use the IRS's online application. You'll apply by phone, fax, or mail instead, and on Form SS-4 you'll write "Foreign" on the line that asks for your SSN or ITIN.
That's the short version. The rest of this guide covers which of the three channels to use, how to fill out the form so it doesn't get rejected, and what an EIN does and doesn't unlock once you have it.
Why the IRS Online Tool Won't Work for You
The IRS's online EIN application looks like the obvious first stop, and for a US-based founder it usually is. Fill out a few screens and get an EIN on the spot. But the online tool has four requirements, and every one of them has to be true before it'll let you in.
Per IRS.gov, the online tool requires all four of these to be true:
A domestic organization formed in the US or its territories
A principal place of business inside the US or its territories
Standing as the responsible party or an authorized representative
An SSN or ITIN for that responsible party
Miss any one of those, and the tool locks you out, not just the SSN requirement.
That matters because two separate things can knock a non-US founder out of the online path. If your principal place of business is outside the US, you're excluded regardless of whether you have an SSN. And if you don't have an SSN or ITIN, you're excluded regardless of where your business operates.
Founders sometimes assume getting an ITIN first fixes this, but it doesn't. If your business itself is based outside the US, an ITIN alone won't reopen the online tool.
The IRS's own guidance for anyone the online tool rejects is simple. Apply by phone, fax, or mail.
Your Three Options: Phone, Fax, or Mail
Each of the three alternative channels works, but they're not equally fast, and the right one depends on where you are and how much time you have.
Channel | How it works | Processing time | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
Phone | Call the IRS's international line directly and complete the SS-4 interview verbally with an agent | EIN assigned during the call | You can call during the IRS's hours and want the fastest possible outcome |
Fax | Fax a completed Form SS-4 to the IRS's international fax line | Generally within 4 business days | You'd rather not navigate a live call, or the time difference makes calling impractical |
Mail a completed Form SS-4 to the IRS's international operation | Approximately 4 weeks | Backup option only, or if fax and phone aren't workable for you |
Phone
Call the international EIN line at 267-941-1099. It is not toll-free, so factor in the cost of an international call, but the line is staffed Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern time, and a completed call typically ends with your EIN assigned before you hang up. This is the fastest of the three channels by a wide margin and the one most non-US founders should try first.
Fax
If a live call doesn't fit your schedule or your comfort level, fax is the next-best option. Fax your completed Form SS-4 to 304-707-9471 if you're applying from outside the US, or to 855-215-1627 if you're applying from within the US. The IRS generally processes faxed applications within 4 business days.
Mail is the slowest of the three, often by weeks. If you mail your SS-4, send it to: Internal Revenue Service, Attn: EIN International Operation, Cincinnati, OH 45999. The IRS states this takes approximately 4 weeks. Use mail only as a fallback, not a first choice.
All three lag behind the same-day guarantee the online tool offers eligible domestic applicants. Phone comes closest. Fax and mail both put your application into a queue you don't control.
Filling Out Form SS-4 Without an SSN or ITIN
The form itself doesn't change based on which channel you use. It's the same Form SS-4 either way, and the part that trips people up is line 7b.
Line 7b asks for the responsible party's SSN or ITIN. If you don't have one, and you're not eligible to get one, the IRS's own instructions say to enter "Foreign" or "N/A" on that line.
Not blank. Not a placeholder number. This single line is where a lot of applications go sideways for founders who leave it empty or guess at something else.
The responsible party itself has a separate rule that's easy to miss. Per the IRS's instructions for Form SS-4, the responsible party must be an individual, a natural person, not an entity, unless the applicant is a government entity.
It's defined as the person who ultimately owns, controls, or exercises ultimate effective control over the company. If your company has multiple founders, pick the one who actually fits that definition, not whoever is listed first on your cap table.
A few other things reliably cause rejections or delays:
The entity name on the form doesn't match your formation documents exactly
The entity type is unclear or missing
Responsible-party information is incomplete
These issues aren't unique to non-US founders, but they compound with an already-slower application channel. Double-check the form before you call, fax, or mail it.
What the EIN Unlocks (and What Still Waits on It)
Once your EIN is issued, it does real work. It's what lets you open a US business bank account, get paid by US customers, pay contractors and employees, and file the tax returns your entity is on the hook for from day one. It's also what lets you apply for a business credit card with nothing but that EIN, no personal credit history required.
But there's a sequencing question non-US founders ask more than any other. Can you open a business bank account before the EIN shows up?
Mostly, yes, for opening the account, though it depends on the bank. Most US banks require an EIN to open a business account at all. A few will let you start that account-opening process while your EIN application is still working its way through the IRS.
What doesn't move ahead of the EIN is the transacting part. Opening and IRS processing can run in parallel; actually moving money through that account is gated on the EIN being issued and attached. Never assume you can transact before that happens.
We cover the full walkthrough in opening a business bank account before your EIN arrives, including exactly how that parallel-track timing works, which banks handle it this way, and what a bank needs from you before the EIN lands. This piece stays focused on the IRS side of getting the EIN itself, not the banking mechanics that follow.
An EIN and a TIN also get used interchangeably in casual conversation, but they're not quite the same thing, and mixing them up gets confusing fast once you're filling out tax forms that ask for one or the other.
FAQs
Yes. An SSN is not required to get an EIN. What it changes is which application channel you can use: without an SSN or ITIN, the IRS's online tool isn't available to you, and you'll apply by phone, fax, or mail instead.
Yes. Form SS-4 doesn't ask about immigration or residency status. What it requires is a formed US entity and an identifiable responsible party, an individual who owns or controls the company. Residency status isn't part of the IRS's own eligibility criteria for the EIN itself.
The SSN requirement is specifically about eligibility for the IRS's online application, not a rule that you must supply an SSN if you have one. If you don't have an SSN or ITIN at all, you enter "Foreign" on the SSN/ITIN line of Form SS-4 and apply through one of the alternative channels.
Write "Foreign" or "N/A." That's the IRS's own instruction for responsible parties without an SSN or ITIN. Leaving it blank or writing anything else is one of the more common reasons these applications get kicked back.
None beyond a completed Form SS-4 and the entity formation information you already have on hand: your entity's legal name, formation state or country, and the responsible party's identifying details. No SSN, ITIN, or immigration documentation is required to submit the application.
Only through the phone channel, and only if the call goes smoothly. The IRS's international EIN line typically assigns an EIN before the call ends. Fax generally takes about 4 business days, and mail runs approximately 4 weeks, so neither of those is an immediate outcome.
Functionally, no. An EIN doesn't create any tax obligation your entity doesn't already have; it's an identifier, not a trigger for new filing requirements. There's no fee and no ongoing maintenance tied to holding one.
Yes. You need a formed US entity before you can apply. If you haven't incorporated yet, start with forming a Delaware LLC as a non-US resident, then come back to the EIN application once your entity exists.
Nothing. The IRS does not charge a fee for an EIN through any of its application channels. If a service charges you specifically for "obtaining your EIN," you're paying for someone to handle the paperwork on your behalf, not for the EIN itself.
Generally no, not one you can actually use for anything beyond opening it. Some banks will let you begin the account-opening process while your EIN is still pending with the IRS, but transacting through that account waits until the EIN is issued and attached. We walk through which banks handle this and how in opening a business bank account before your EIN arrives.
That's a separate process from applying for one. If you already have an EIN and just need to verify it, we cover how to track it down in our EIN lookup guide.