How to Apply for an EIN Without an SSN or ITIN

If you don’t have a Social Security Number or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, you can still apply for an EIN without an SSN or ITIN by filing IRS Form SS-4 by phone, fax, or mail. The IRS online tool won’t work for you because it requires one of those two numbers, but the offline routes are free and lead to the same nine-digit Employer Identification Number.1Internal Revenue Service. Get an Employer Identification Number

Who This Route Is For

The typical applicant is a foreign individual acting as the “responsible party” for a U.S. entity — a corporation, LLC, partnership, trust, or estate. The responsible party is the person who ultimately owns or controls the entity, or who has enough control over its funds and assets to direct how it operates.2Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form SS-4

Foreign entities with U.S. tax obligations or U.S. business activity also qualify. You can request an EIN for banking or state tax purposes even if no federal filing requires one.3Internal Revenue Service. Employer Identification Number If you happen to already hold an ITIN or a foreign tax ID, they can be useful elsewhere, but neither is required to get the EIN itself.

What to Have Ready Before You File

The application is Form SS-4, “Application for Employer Identification Number,” available on the IRS website.4Internal Revenue Service. About Form SS-4, Application for Employer Identification Number Fill it in completely before you pick up the phone or send it off. If you apply by phone, the IRS agent will read through the form with you line by line.5Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form SS-4 – Application for Employer Identification Number

You’ll need:

  • The legal name of the entity, exactly as registered.
  • A complete mailing address, including country and postal code if outside the U.S.
  • The entity type: sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, LLC, trust, or estate.
  • The responsible party’s name and title.
  • An entry on line 7b for the responsible party’s SSN or ITIN. If the responsible party has neither and is not eligible for either, enter “Foreign” or “N/A.” The line cannot be left blank.2Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form SS-4
  • The reason for applying — new business, hiring employees, banking, or compliance with a filing requirement.
  • The principal business activity and the start date.

You also need to sign the form. A foreign applicant may have any duly authorized person sign, such as a division manager.2Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form SS-4

The Three Ways to Submit

By Phone (International Applicants Only)

If you have no legal residence, principal place of business, or office in the United States or its territories, call the IRS at +1-267-941-1099 (not toll-free), Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time.2Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form SS-4 The EIN is assigned during the call, so this is the fastest route. The person calling must be authorized to receive the EIN and answer questions from the form.6Taxpayer Advocate Service. Getting an EIN

Domestic applicants who lack an SSN cannot use this phone method. Fax or mail is the path.

By Fax

Fax the completed Form SS-4 to the number that matches your situation:7Internal Revenue Service. Where to File Your Taxes for Form SS-4

  • Business located in one of the 50 states or D.C.: 855-641-6935
  • No legal residence or business in any state, faxing from within the U.S.: 855-215-1627
  • No legal residence or business in any state, faxing from outside the U.S.: 304-707-9471

Put a return fax number on the form. The IRS will fax the EIN back within about four business days.3Internal Revenue Service. Employer Identification Number

By Mail

Mail the completed Form SS-4 to: Internal Revenue Service, Attn: EIN Operation, Cincinnati, OH 45999.3Internal Revenue Service. Employer Identification Number Turnaround is approximately four weeks. If you’re outside the country without fax access and can’t call during U.S. business hours, mail may be the only option, so plan ahead.

Using a Third-Party Designee

You don’t have to handle this alone. Form SS-4 includes a “Third Party Designee” section that authorizes an attorney, CPA, or formation agent to answer the IRS’s questions and receive the EIN for you. The authorization expires once the EIN is assigned and released to the designee.2Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form SS-4

One catch: if the designee’s address or phone number matches the applicant’s address or phone number, the IRS will not process the application online or by phone. It has to go by mail or fax instead.2Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form SS-4

Processing Times and Your Confirmation Notice

How fast you get the number depends on the method:

  • Phone: immediate, assigned during the call.
  • Fax: about four business days, if you include a return fax number.
  • Mail: approximately four weeks.

Whichever method you use, the IRS mails an official confirmation called Notice CP 575 to the address on your Form SS-4.3Internal Revenue Service. Employer Identification Number Keep it somewhere safe. The IRS only issues CP 575 once. If you lose it, you can request a replacement called an EIN Verification Letter (147C) by calling the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line at 1-800-829-4933 or by writing in. The 147C verifies the same information, though some banks specifically ask for the original CP 575.

An EIN Is Not an ITIN

The EIN identifies the business. It does not stand in for a personal taxpayer number for the foreign individual who owns or controls it. If you personally have a U.S. federal tax filing obligation — for instance, because your LLC earns income connected to a U.S. trade or business — you will likely need an ITIN to file your personal return. An ITIN is applied for separately using Form W-7, and is available to resident aliens, nonresident aliens, and their spouses and dependents regardless of immigration status.8Internal Revenue Service. Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) You don’t need the ITIN before the EIN, but waiting until a tax deadline pushes you into it invites processing delays.

You Should Never Pay for an EIN

The IRS charges no fee. In the agency’s own words, “You never have to pay a fee for an EIN.”1Internal Revenue Service. Get an Employer Identification Number A number of look-alike websites charge $50 to $300 to file the application on your behalf, sometimes hinting at an IRS affiliation. The Federal Trade Commission sent warning letters to operators of those sites in 2025.9Federal Trade Commission. FTC Warns Operators of Websites that Charge for Employer Identification Number If a page is asking for a payment, it isn’t irs.gov. Paying a professional to prepare and submit Form SS-4 for you is different — that’s a fee for their service, not for the number itself.