The IRS online EIN assistant is the fast lane: answer a few questions, get the number on screen. It is also closed to you if you do not have a Social Security Number or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. The tool asks for the responsible party's SSN or ITIN and refuses to continue without one. This guide covers what to do instead.
You do not need an SSN or ITIN to get an EIN
This is the most common misunderstanding. The IRS itself says that international applicants can obtain an EIN without an SSN or ITIN. On Form SS-4, line 7b asks for the responsible party's SSN, ITIN, or EIN. If you have none of them, you write "Foreign" in that field. That is the official instruction, not a workaround.
What you lose without an SSN is only the online tool. The remaining routes are all paper based or by phone, which is why they are slow.
Option 1: Fax Form SS-4 to the IRS
Complete Form SS-4, sign it, and fax it to the IRS international applications fax number listed in the form instructions. The IRS says it will fax the EIN back within about four business days if you include a return fax number. In practice, for foreign applicants, the wait has been 4 to 12 weeks for a long time, and longer during backlogs. Some applications receive no reply at all and have to be resent.
Practical problems: you need a fax service, you need to read the return fax, and you have no way to check on progress except calling the IRS.
If you have already faxed an SS-4 and are waiting, you are not stuck. The IRS issues only one EIN per entity, so a third party designee can pick up where your application is: retrieve the number if it has been assigned, or get the application through if it has not. When you order from SwiftEIN, upload the SS-4 you sent and we take it from there.
Option 2: Mail Form SS-4
You can mail the signed form to the IRS service center in Cincinnati. Allow 6 to 12 weeks for processing, plus international postage both ways. The IRS mails the CP 575 notice to the address on the form. This is the slowest route and there is nothing you can do to speed it up.
Option 3: Call the IRS international line
The IRS has a dedicated telephone line for international applicants (not toll free, US business hours, Eastern time). An agent goes through the SS-4 with you and can assign the EIN during the call. This can work well, but expect long hold times, calls that drop, and limited hours that fall in the middle of the night for Asia and Australia. The person calling has to be the responsible party or an authorized third party, and you should have the completed SS-4 in front of you.
Option 4: Use a third party designee
Form SS-4 has a section called Third Party Designee. By signing there, you authorize a person or company to receive the EIN on your behalf and answer IRS questions about the application. EIN filing services, registered agents, and law firms use this route. The value is in the process: a designee who files many applications knows how to get through, can follow up by phone, and can request the 147c verification letter by fax the moment the number is assigned.
This is what SwiftEIN does. You enter your LLC details once, we prepare and file the application, and you receive the 147c letter by email, in 72 hours or less for 99% of orders. No SSN, no ITIN, no fax machine, no calls in the middle of the night. The EIN is assigned by the IRS to your LLC and is the same number you would get through any other route; a designee changes the speed, not the number.
Should you get an ITIN first?
No. An ITIN is a personal tax number for individuals who have a US filing requirement and no SSN. Applying for one takes 7 to 11 weeks, requires a tax return or an exception, and involves sending certified copies of your passport. It is not a prerequisite for an EIN. Most foreign LLC owners never need an ITIN at all. The EIN vs ITIN guide explains when you would.
What the IRS will ask, whichever route you choose
- Legal name of the LLC and the state and date of formation
- Mailing address of the LLC
- Responsible party: name and address, "Foreign" in place of the SSN
- Type of entity and number of members
- Reason for applying (usually "started new business")
- Principal activity and a description of what you sell or do
- Whether the LLC has applied for an EIN before
Our line-by-line SS-4 guide covers each of these.