How to Get an EIN With No SSN and No ITIN as a Non-Resident (Full 2026 Method)

Yes, you can get an EIN for your U.S. company without a Social Security Number (SSN) or an ITIN. The number is issued to the company, not to you personally, and the practical route for a non-resident is to complete Form SS-4 and fax it to the IRS, writing the word "Foreign" in the responsible party's ID field. The IRS charges nothing for it.

What the EIN is and why you actually need it

The EIN is the Employer Identification Number, effectively your company's tax ID with the IRS. You need it to open a U.S. bank account, register with a payment gateway, and file annual returns such as Form 5472. Without it the company exists legally but cannot conduct any real financial activity.

Why you need neither an SSN nor an ITIN

Many founders confuse the individual's number with the company's number. The SSN and ITIN belong to people; the EIN belongs to the business entity. The IRS explicitly allows a foreign responsible party who has no SSN or ITIN, and is ineligible for one, to write "Foreign" instead of a number, a point spelled out in the official Form SS-4 instructions.

Filling out Form SS-4: the lines that actually matter

Form SS-4 is a single-page document, but small mistakes on it are the number-one cause of rejection. Focus on four spots: the company name exactly as it appears in the Articles of Organization, the entity type, the responsible party's name, and their tax-ID field.

1. 1Line 1: Write the company's legal name verbatim as on the formation document, including the word LLC.
2. 2Line 7a: Name of the responsible party, the individual who owns or truly controls the company (not another company or a registered agent).
3. 3Line 7b: This is the crux. If you have no SSN and no ITIN, write "Foreign".
4. 4Lines 8a and 8b: Answer "Yes" that it is an LLC, then state the number of members (1 for a single-member LLC).
5. 5Line 9a: For a foreign-owned single-member LLC, tick "Other" and write "Foreign-owned U.S. Disregarded Entity".
6. 6Line 10: Reason for applying, usually "Started new business" or "Banking purpose".

Why fax is the recommended route for non-residents

The online EIN application is available only to those who hold an SSN or ITIN, so it is closed to most non-residents. That leaves fax or mail, and fax is far faster and more reliable. Fax Form SS-4 from inside the U.S. to 855-215-1627, or from outside the U.S. to 304-707-9471 (not toll-free).

If you have no fax machine, use any online fax service. What matters is attaching a cover sheet with your name and a working fax or phone number, because the IRS will fax the assigned EIN back to that same number within days.

The realistic timeline

Outside peak season, the EIN comes back by fax in about 4 to 5 business days. During tax season, January through April, volumes rise and it can stretch to 7 or 10 business days. The paper confirmation letter arrives by mail weeks later, regardless of how you applied.

The CP 575 confirmation letter

CP 575 is the official document confirming the EIN, and the IRS issues it only once. It arrives by mail within 4 to 6 weeks and shows the company's legal name, the nine-digit EIN, and the code "CP 575" at the top of the page. Keep it safe, because banks and payment gateways often ask for it.

If you later lose it, the IRS will not reissue CP 575, but it issues an equivalent called a 147C letter, requestable by phone on the international line 267-941-1099, and this substitute is accepted by banks just like the original.

The most common causes of rejection and delay

• Name mismatch: the company name on Form SS-4 differs by even one character from the name in the Articles of Organization. They must match exactly.
• Responsible-party error: entering a registered agent or a management company instead of the true individual owner.
• Leaving Line 7b blank instead of writing "Foreign".
• Missing information or illegible handwriting on the fax, causing the document to be rejected and sent back to square one.
• Omitting a valid fax number on the cover sheet, so the IRS has no way to send the number back to you.

If you would rather have the whole process handled end to end for you, it is part of Dawly's company formation service, so your EIN reaches you ready-made without your having to deal with the fax or the IRS instructions yourself.