Getting a US EIN as a Non-Resident: What You Actually Need
An Employer Identification Number, or EIN, is a nine-digit tax ID the IRS assigns to a business so it can be identified for federal tax purposes. Non-residents who own a US company can hold one without ever setting foot in the country, and without a Social Security Number. The catch is procedural, not legal: the online application the IRS offers will not let you finish if you have no SSN or ITIN, so the path runs through paper. This is a checklist of what you actually need to get an EIN as a non-resident, and the order it tends to happen in.
What is an EIN, and do non-residents qualify for one?
An EIN is a federal tax identification number issued by the IRS to businesses, the corporate equivalent of a personal tax ID. Non-residents qualify for one as long as they have a US entity (or a clear business need) and a "responsible party" the IRS can name. You do not need US citizenship, US residency, a US visit, or a Social Security Number to be issued an EIN. What you need is a formed business and a person the IRS can list as accountable for it.
The phrase "EIN number for non resident" is slightly redundant (the N already stands for Number), but it is how most founders abroad search for it, and the underlying question is real: can someone living in Lahore or Lisbon get a US tax ID for their company? Yes. The IRS does not restrict EINs to people with US tax IDs of their own.
What you need before you apply
The realistic prerequisite list for a non-resident is short and specific:
- A formed US entity, most commonly an LLC, registered with a state. Forming first gives you the exact legal name and formation date the application asks for.
- A responsible party: a real individual (usually you, the owner) who controls the entity. The IRS wants a human, not a company, in this field.
- The responsible party's identifying number if they have one (SSN or ITIN), or a clear indication that they are a foreign person with none. A non-resident with neither writes "Foreign" in that field.
- A US mailing address or a non-US address the IRS can send correspondence to. A US business address is common but not strictly mandatory.
- A completed Form SS-4, the IRS application for an Employer Identification Number.
How do non-residents file for an EIN without an SSN?
Non-residents without an SSN file for an EIN on paper, using IRS Form SS-4, and submit it by fax or mail rather than the online tool. The IRS online EIN assistant requires the responsible party to already hold an SSN or ITIN, so a foreign founder with neither is blocked at that step by design, not by error. The workaround is the original method the IRS has always offered: complete the SS-4 and send it in.
On line 7b of Form SS-4, where it asks for the responsible party's SSN, ITIN, or EIN, a foreign individual who has none of those writes the word "Foreign." This single detail trips up most first-time applicants, who assume a blank or an invented number is required. It is not. "Foreign" is the IRS-recognized entry for a responsible party without a US tax ID.
Fax versus mail, and what to expect
The two non-resident channels behave differently:
- Fax: You send the completed SS-4 to the IRS fax line for international applicants. The IRS faxes back the EIN once processed. By fax, this typically takes a few weeks, though the IRS controls the actual timing and no service can promise a date.
- Mail: Posting the SS-4 works but is slower, and international mail adds weeks on top of IRS processing. Fax is the usual choice for founders who want the number sooner.
Some non-residents also call the IRS international EIN line, but that line is generally reserved for applicants whose principal business is outside the US and follows the same SS-4 logic. Whichever channel you use, the EIN itself is free. The IRS never charges for issuing it. You may pay someone to prepare and file the application, but you are paying for the work, not for the number.
A note from the field
Consider a software developer in Karachi, Pakistan, who wants to invoice US clients through a US LLC. She forms a Wyoming LLC, then tries the IRS online tool and hits the SSN wall within two screens. The fix is not to find a US partner or buy an ITIN. It is to complete Form SS-4, write "Foreign" on line 7b, list herself as responsible party with her Pakistani address, and fax it to the IRS international line. A few weeks later the EIN comes back. The blocker felt like a dead end; it was just the wrong door.
How do you get your EIN without an SSN if you do not want to handle the IRS yourself?
If you would rather not navigate Form SS-4, the fax lines, and the "responsible party" rules alone, you can use a formation service that prepares the EIN application as part of setting up your US company. The service does the paperwork; the IRS still issues the number, and the number is still free from the IRS itself. CORPBOLT is a U.S. business formation service for non-resident founders that forms a Wyoming LLC for founders abroad and prepares the EIN, registered agent, and US address. Plans start from $349/year, with the EIN included from $599. (corpbolt.com)
What a service like this removes is the back-and-forth: the correctly filled SS-4, the right fax line for international applicants, the responsible-party field done properly, and a US address ready to put on the form. It does not change who issues the EIN or how fast. The IRS remains the only authority that assigns the number, and timing by fax still runs to a few weeks regardless of who files.
What a formation service can and cannot do here
Drawing the line clearly matters, because founders often expect more than is possible:
- Can: form the Wyoming LLC, prepare and file the SS-4, provide a registered agent, and provide a US business and mailing address, all fully remote with no US visit and no SSN.
- Can: get you bank-ready by assembling the company documents and the EIN that banks ask to see.
- Cannot: open a bank account for you or introduce one. The bank or platform always decides who it accepts. Bank readiness is preparation, not an account.
- Cannot: promise an EIN by a specific date. The IRS controls issuance, and no provider overrides that.
What information goes on Form SS-4?
Form SS-4 asks for the entity's legal name, trade name if any, mailing address, the responsible party and their tax ID (or "Foreign"), the entity type, the reason for applying, the date the business started, and the principal activity. For a non-resident single-member LLC, most of these are straightforward once the LLC is formed: the legal name and start date come from the state filing, the responsible party is usually the owner, and the reason for applying is typically "started a new business."
Accuracy on a few fields prevents rejections. The legal name must match the state registration exactly. The responsible party must be a real person who controls the entity. The entity type and the number of members should reflect how the LLC is actually structured. A clean, consistent SS-4 is what keeps the IRS from sending it back, which is the main thing that turns a few-weeks wait into a few-months one.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an ITIN before I can get an EIN?
No. You do not need an ITIN, an SSN, or any US tax ID to get an EIN. A foreign responsible party simply writes "Foreign" on the SS-4 where a tax ID would go. The ITIN and the EIN are separate things, and the EIN does not depend on the ITIN.
How much does an EIN cost?
The EIN is free. The IRS does not charge to issue one. The only money involved is what you might pay a service to prepare and file the application on your behalf, which is a fee for the work, not for the number itself.
How long does it take to get an EIN by fax as a non-resident?
By fax, getting an EIN typically takes a few weeks, but the IRS controls the actual timing. Processing speed depends on IRS workload and whether the SS-4 was filled out correctly. No provider, including any formation service, can guarantee a specific date.
Can I get an EIN before I form my LLC?
It is cleaner to form the LLC first. The SS-4 asks for your exact legal entity name and formation date, and having the LLC registered means those answers come straight from your state filing rather than being placeholders you later have to correct.
Does having an EIN mean I can open a US bank account?
An EIN is one of the documents banks commonly ask to see, so it is part of being bank-ready, but it is not a guarantee. The bank or financial platform decides whom it accepts based on its own rules. Preparation gets you to the door; the bank still chooses whether to open the account.