One of the most persistent myths about doing business in the United States is that you need a Social Security Number to get a federal tax ID for your company. You don't. Thousands of foreign-owned US companies receive an EIN every year with no SSN, no ITIN, and no US citizen involved anywhere in the ownership. What you do need is the right process — because the convenient online route is closed to you, and the paper route punishes small mistakes with weeks of delay.
This guide walks through the exact process we use to obtain EINs for non-US founders: which application method to choose, how to fill in the two lines on Form SS-4 that cause most rejections, and what timelines actually look like in 2026.
Yes, you can get an EIN without an SSN — here's why
An Employer Identification Number (EIN) belongs to the business, not to its owner. The IRS issues EINs based on business need: your company will file returns, open a bank account, hire people, or sell on platforms that demand a tax ID. None of that requires the owner to hold US identification.
The IRS says this itself in the official instructions for Form SS-4: if the responsible party does not have — and is not eligible to obtain — an SSN or ITIN, you simply enter "foreign" on line 7b instead of a number. The application is complete and valid without it.
What foreign founders can't use is the IRS online EIN assistant. That tool validates the responsible party's SSN/ITIN in real time, so an application without one fails — often with the cryptic "error 101" that sends founders down forum rabbit holes. The online tool being closed to you does not mean the EIN is closed to you. It means you apply the older way: by fax, phone, or mail.
EIN vs SSN vs ITIN: which number do you actually need?
| Number | Who it identifies | When a foreign founder needs it |
|---|---|---|
| EIN | Your US company | Almost always — bank account, tax filings, payroll, Amazon/Stripe/Shopify verification |
| SSN | A US citizen or authorized worker | Never — you are not eligible, and you don't need to be |
| ITIN | A foreign individual with a US tax purpose | Only if you personally must file a US return (Form 1040-NR), claim treaty benefits, or similar |
A common and costly detour: founders apply for an ITIN first because they believe it's a prerequisite for the EIN. It isn't. An ITIN application (Form W-7) takes around seven weeks at best — nine to eleven from overseas or in tax season — and for most e-commerce founders it's not needed at all until a personal filing obligation actually arises. Get the EIN first. Deal with the ITIN if and when your tax situation requires one.
Step 1: Form the company first
The EIN application asks for your company's exact legal name and formation details. Apply before the LLC exists, or with a name that doesn't match the Articles of Organization letter for letter, and you've bought yourself a rejection. Form the entity, wait for the state's stamped documents, then file the SS-4 with the name exactly as the state approved it — including the "LLC" suffix.
If you're still choosing where to form, we've compared the three states foreign founders shortlist most in Delaware vs Wyoming vs Nevada.
Step 2: Complete Form SS-4 line by line
Form SS-4 is one page, but three fields do most of the damage when they're wrong:
- Line 1 — Legal name. Exactly as it appears on your formation documents. Not the brand name, not the domain name.
- Line 7a/7b — Responsible party. The responsible party is the human who controls the entity — for a single-member LLC, that's you. On 7b, where the form asks for the SSN or ITIN, write "foreign" if you have neither and are not eligible for one. Leaving it blank is the single most common reason international applications stall.
- Lines 9a–10 — Entity type and reason for applying. For a single-member LLC owned by a non-US person, the standard answer for 9a is "Other" with "foreign-owned disregarded entity" written in, and "Started new business" or "Banking purpose" on line 10, whichever is true. This matters later: a foreign-owned disregarded entity has an annual Form 5472 filing obligation, and the IRS matches that filing against how the EIN was registered.
Step 3: Choose your filing method
| Method | How | Official time | Realistic time (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone | +1 267-941-1099, 6am–11pm ET, Mon–Fri (international applicants only) | EIN issued on the call | Same day, if you get through — budget for hold time |
| Fax | 304-707-9471 from outside the US; 855-215-1627 from within | ~4 business days with a return fax number | 1–8 weeks depending on IRS workload |
| IRS, Attn: EIN International Operation, Cincinnati, OH 45999 | ~4 weeks | 6+ weeks; use only as a last resort |
Two practical notes on these:
- The phone option is the fastest but the narrowest. It's only available when the applicant has no US legal residence or principal place of business, and the IRS agent will complete the SS-4 with you live — have the finished form in front of you before you dial.
- On fax, the return fax number is not optional in practice. The IRS faxes the EIN back to the number you provide. Omit it and your "4 business days" quietly becomes "whenever the mailed letter reaches your country."
Treat the IRS's "4 business days" as the best case, not the plan. Through 2025 and 2026, processing has fluctuated with IRS staffing — we advise clients to budget two to eight weeks for a faxed application and to start the EIN process the same week the LLC is formed, not the week the bank appointment is booked.
Using a third-party designee
Form SS-4 lets you authorize a third-party designee — a service provider like Vestriva — to receive the EIN on your behalf and answer IRS questions about the application. The designee's authority ends the moment the EIN is issued; it is not a power of attorney and grants no ongoing access to your tax affairs.
One rule worth knowing: if the designee's address or fax matches the applicant's own contact details on the form, the IRS requires the application to go by mail or fax rather than phone. A competent service handles this routing for you; it's also the honest answer to "why can't the service just call and get it today" in some configurations.
And to be clear about pricing: the EIN itself is free. The IRS charges nothing. What you pay a service for is preparing the SS-4 correctly the first time, submitting it through the right channel, and chasing it — not for the number.
The six mistakes that get SS-4s rejected or delayed
- Leaving line 7b blank instead of writing "foreign" — the application sits until someone at the IRS queries it.
- Trying the online tool anyway and burning days on error 101 before starting the real process.
- No return fax number on a faxed application — adds weeks for a mailed response.
- Name mismatch between the SS-4 and the state formation documents — down to punctuation and the LLC suffix.
- Applying before the entity exists. The IRS expects a formed company; "I'm about to form it" is not a formed company.
- Using an unconnected US address to look more domestic — IRS letters then go somewhere you'll never see them.
After the EIN: what actually comes next
The EIN letter (CP 575) is the key that opens the rest of the US setup, and each next step has its own traps:
- Bank account. US banks and fintechs will ask for the CP 575 or the IRS letter 147C. Keep the original fax — replacing a lost CP 575 means another IRS phone call.
- Form 5472. If your LLC is a foreign-owned single-member LLC, you now have an annual information filing with a $25,000 penalty for skipping it — even in a year with no revenue. We wrote a full guide: Form 5472 for foreign-owned LLCs.
- BOI reporting. As of the current FinCEN rules, companies formed in the US no longer file beneficial ownership reports — that requirement now applies only to entities formed under foreign law that register to do business in a US state. If your structure includes one of those, put it on the calendar.
- Marketplace verification. Amazon, Stripe, and Shopify each match your EIN, legal name, and address against IRS records. The clean-name discipline from Step 1 pays off here.
Want the EIN handled — correctly, once?
Vestriva forms US companies and obtains EINs for founders without SSNs as a matter of routine, then keeps the books and files the returns that come after. Tell us where you are and we'll reply within one business day with a plan and a fixed quote.
Talk to UsFrequently asked questions
Do I need an ITIN to get an EIN?
No. Write "foreign" on line 7b of Form SS-4 if you have no SSN or ITIN and are ineligible for one. An ITIN is a personal tax ID and is only needed when you personally have a US filing obligation.
How much does an EIN cost?
Nothing — the IRS issues EINs for free. Fees you see advertised are for preparation and handling services, not the number.
How long does it take in 2026?
By phone, the EIN can be issued during the call. By fax, the IRS quotes about 4 business days, but real-world international applications have ranged from one to eight weeks. By mail, budget six weeks or more.
Can my LLC open a US bank account with just an EIN?
The EIN is necessary but not always sufficient — banks apply their own KYC to foreign owners. Fintech platforms tend to be more accommodating than branch banks for non-resident founders.
Primary sources: IRS Instructions for Form SS-4 (Rev. December 2025); IRS ITIN guidance (irs.gov/individuals/individual-taxpayer-identification-number); FinCEN BOI interim final rule (March 2025). Fee-free EIN issuance per IRS. Details current as of July 8, 2026 — IRS numbers, addresses, and timelines change; verify against irs.gov before filing.