How to get an EIN without an SSN

What an EIN is, and why the online form won’t work

An EIN (employer identification number) is the company’s US tax number. US banks and payment processors ask for it, and you need it for the company’s IRS filings. The IRS never charges for one (IRS).

The IRS online application is the fast route, but it needs the responsible party’s SSN or ITIN, and it can’t be used when the principal place of business is outside the US. Those applicants apply by phone, fax or mail instead (IRS).

Who the “responsible party” is

Form SS-4 asks for one responsible party: the person who ultimately owns or controls the company, or who exercises ultimate effective control over it. It must be a real person, not another company (Form SS-4 instructions, lines 7a–7b). For a single-owner LLC that is usually you.

On line 7b the form asks for that person’s SSN or ITIN. If they don’t have one and aren’t eligible to get one, the instructions say to enter “Foreign” or “N/A”; the line can’t be left blank (Form SS-4 instructions).

Do you need an ITIN first? Usually not

• No ITIN: enter “Foreign” on line 7b and apply by phone, fax or mail as below. You don’t need to get an ITIN just to get an EIN.
• Already have an ITIN: enter it on line 7b in place of an SSN (Form SS-4 instructions). If the business is run from outside the US you still can’t use the online application, so you apply the same way.
• Getting an ITIN is a separate, slower process. It is for people with a US federal tax purpose who can’t get an SSN. You normally apply with Form W-7 sent with a tax return, and the IRS says to allow 7 weeks, or 9–11 weeks from overseas or in tax season (IRS: ITIN). Whether you need one for your own US tax return is a question for a tax adviser.

Three ways to apply, and how long each takes

These routes are for applicants with no legal residence, principal place of business or principal office in the United States (Form SS-4 instructions). Fill in Form SS-4 first; the phone route uses the same questions.

1. Fax: about 4 business days. Fax the signed Form SS-4 to +1 304-707-9471 from outside the US (855-215-1627 from inside it). Under the IRS Fax-TIN program the EIN is generally faxed back within 4 business days, so give a fax number that can receive.
2. Phone: international applicants only. Call +1 267-941-1099 (not toll-free), 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern, Monday to Friday. The IRS no longer issues EINs by phone to domestic applicants. Have your completed SS-4 in front of you.
3. Mail: about 4 weeks. Mail the signed Form SS-4 to Internal Revenue Service, Attn: EIN International Operation, Cincinnati, OH 45999. The IRS says to send it at least 4 to 5 weeks before you need the number.

The IRS issues one EIN per responsible party per day, whatever the route (Form SS-4 instructions). If you are forming several companies, space the applications out.

Letting someone apply for you: the third-party designee

The “Third Party Designee” section of Form SS-4 lets you name a person, such as an accountant or a formation service, to answer the IRS’s questions about the form and receive the new EIN. The rules (Form SS-4 instructions):

• The authorization only counts if you sign the form.
• It ends as soon as the EIN is assigned and released to the designee.
• The designee gets the EIN the way they applied (phone or fax); the IRS still mails the official EIN notice to the company.
• If the designee’s address or phone number is the same as yours, the form must be mailed or faxed.

A designee never needs your SSN, because you don’t have to give one. Be wary of anyone who asks for one, or who charges you for the EIN itself: the IRS doesn’t.

Before you apply

• Form the LLC first. Use the company’s exact legal name from the state filing on the SS-4, so the IRS record matches what your bank will see.
• Use a mailing address that works. The EIN notice comes by post. Use an address where you can actually receive IRS mail.
• Use the EIN only for the business. The IRS says it is not a substitute for a personal SSN or ITIN (Form SS-4 instructions).
• Plan for the yearly IRS filing. A single-member LLC owned by a non-US person files Form 5472 each year. The non-resident guide explains it.

What Corpus does, and doesn’t

• Does: forms the LLC with the state (all 50 states and DC), with no citizenship, residency or visa needed, and includes the registered agent’s first year. In Wyoming and Delaware it can use your address outside the US.
• Doesn’t (today): get an EIN for a founder with no SSN. Corpus’s EIN add-on uses the IRS online application, which needs an SSN, so founders without one apply to the IRS directly with Form SS-4 as above, after the LLC is formed.

Related guides

• How to form a US LLC as a non-resident
• Founder guides by country: China, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the UK, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Vietnam, the UAE, the Philippines, Bangladesh
• You formed an LLC. Now what?

Sources

• IRS: Instructions for Form SS-4 (Rev. December 2025)
• IRS: Form SS-4 (PDF)
• IRS: Get an employer identification number (updated October 16, 2026)
• IRS: Individual taxpayer identification number (updated October 28, 2026)

Last checked 2026-11-08. Corpus is not a law firm and does not provide legal or tax advice. IRS numbers and procedures change, so confirm with the sources above before you apply.