How to Get an EIN for Your US LLC Without an SSN or ITIN (Non-Resident Guide)

You Do Not Need an SSN to Get an EIN

An EIN — Employer Identification Number — is the nine-digit tax ID the IRS assigns to your business. You need it to file federal tax returns, open a US business bank account, and work with payment processors like Stripe.

A common myth stops non-resident founders in their tracks: that you need a US Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) to get one. You do not. The EIN belongs to your business entity, not to you personally. The IRS has a clear, established process for international applicants who have no US tax ID at all.

Why the Online Application Will Not Work for You

The IRS recommends applying for an EIN electronically — but the online application is only available to applicants in the United States or US territories, and the responsible party must already have a valid SSN, EIN, or ITIN to use it.

If you are a non-resident without any US tax ID, the online tool will reject you. That is expected. You simply use one of the other official routes instead: phone, fax, or mail.

Form SS-4: The Two Lines That Trip People Up

You apply using IRS Form SS-4. Most of it is straightforward, but two lines matter for non-residents.

Line 7b (the responsible party's SSN or ITIN): The "responsible party" must be a natural person who ultimately owns or controls the company — for a single-member LLC, that is you. If you do not have and are not eligible for an SSN or ITIN, you write "Foreign" or "N/A" on line 7b. An entry is required, so do not leave it blank.

Line 9a (type of entity): For a foreign-owned single-member LLC that will need to file Form 5472, the IRS instructions tell you to check the "Other" box and write "Foreign-owned U.S. disregarded entity-Form 5472." This tells the IRS exactly what kind of entity you are and signals your annual filing obligations.

How to Actually Submit It as a Non-Resident

There are three routes open to you.

By phone is the fastest, and it is reserved for international applicants. If you have no legal residence or place of business in the US, you can call the IRS international EIN line at 267-941-1099 (not toll-free), Monday to Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The person on the call must be authorised to answer questions about the SS-4 and to receive the EIN. This route can produce an EIN in a single call.

By fax is reliable and widely used. Under the IRS Fax-TIN program you generally receive your EIN by fax within about four business days. International applicants — those with no US legal residence or principal place of business — fax Form SS-4 to 304-707-9471 from outside the US. Always include a return fax number so the IRS can send the EIN back to you.

By mail is the slowest. The IRS asks you to send Form SS-4 at least four to five weeks before you actually need the EIN, so this route is usually only worth it if you have no access to a fax service.

After You Get Your EIN

Keep your EIN confirmation letter (the CP 575) somewhere safe — banks and payment processors will ask for it. And remember that getting an EIN is the start of your US tax responsibilities, not the end. A foreign-owned single-member LLC is generally a "disregarded entity" that must file Form 5472 together with a pro forma Form 1120 every year — even with zero US income — and the penalty for missing it starts at $25,000. If your responsible party, address, or ownership changes, you must tell the IRS using Form 8822-B within 60 days.

Have Questions About Your Own Situation?

Getting the SS-4 right matters — a single wrong entry on line 7b or 9a can mean weeks of delay, or an EIN issued under the wrong entity type. If you would like to talk through how any of this applies to your specific company, you can book a free 30-minute consultation with the MP Partner experts team. No pressure and no hard sell — just clear answers to your questions.

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