If you live outside the U.S. and just formed a Wyoming or New Mexico LLC, the IRS online EIN tool won’t work for you, because it needs the responsible party’s SSN or ITIN. That isn’t a dead end. It means you take the paper route: Form SS-4, sent to the IRS by phone, fax or mail. Everything below comes from the IRS’s own Instructions for Form SS-4 (12/2025) and its Get an EIN page.
Who needs this
The IRS ties every EIN to a responsible party: “the person who ultimately owns or controls the entity or who exercises ultimate effective control over the entity.” For anything other than a government entity, that has to be a real person, not another company.
The online application needs that person’s SSN or ITIN, and the business’s principal place of business has to be in the U.S. or a U.S. territory. So this guide is for you if:
- You own or control a new U.S. LLC or corporation and you don’t have an SSN or ITIN.
- You live abroad and your company has no U.S. office of its own.
- You own a single-member U.S. LLC from outside the U.S. and need the EIN so the LLC can file Form 5472.
The three ways to apply without an SSN
1. Call the IRS
Call 267-941-1099 (not toll-free), 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday. This line is only for applicants with no legal residence, principal place of business, or principal office or agency in the U.S. or U.S. territories.
Fill in Form SS-4 before you call. The person on the phone must be authorized to receive the EIN and answer questions about the form. The agent gives you the number on the call. If asked, you mail or fax the signed SS-4 within 24 hours.
2. Fax Form SS-4
With no U.S. residence, place of business or office, fax to 855-215-1627 from inside the U.S. or 304-707-9471 from outside it. With one in the 50 states or D.C., fax to 855-641-6935.
The fax line runs 24 hours a day. Put your own fax number on the form so the IRS can fax the EIN back.
3. Mail Form SS-4
With a U.S. residence, place of business or office, mail the signed form to: Internal Revenue Service, Attn: EIN Operation, Cincinnati, OH 45999. With none, use: Internal Revenue Service, Attn: EIN International Operation, Cincinnati, OH 45999.
The IRS says to complete the form at least 4 to 5 weeks before you need the EIN.
The fax numbers above are the ones printed in the current instructions, and the IRS notes they “may change without notice,” so check the SS-4 instructions the day you send.
What to put on Form SS-4 line 7b
Line 7a is the responsible party’s name. Line 7b is their taxpayer ID. The IRS rule, word for word: “Enter ‘foreign’ or N/A on line 7b if the responsible party doesn’t have and is ineligible to obtain an SSN or ITIN. An entry is required.” Otherwise, the instructions say you must enter an SSN or ITIN.
Foreign owner of a single-member LLC? On line 9a, the instructions say a U.S. disregarded entity wholly owned by a foreign person that needs the EIN to file Form 5472 checks “Other” and writes “Foreign-owned U.S. disregarded entity-Form 5472.”
If someone else will make the call or receive the number for you, they go in the Third Party Designee section. You have to sign the form for that authorization to count, and the designee’s authority ends once the EIN is assigned and released. The IRS still mails the EIN notice to the company itself.
How long it takes
- Phone: the IRS agent assigns the EIN during the call.
- Fax: “generally within 4 business days.”
- Mail: “approximately 4 weeks.”
To check on a mailed application or confirm a number, the instructions point to 800-829-4933. Banks usually want the EIN before they open a business account, so plan the bank step around whichever route you pick.
Common mistakes
- Leaving line 7b blank. The instructions say an entry is required. If you can’t get an SSN or ITIN, write “foreign” or N/A.
- Naming a company as the responsible party. Outside government entities, it has to be an individual.
- Faxing the domestic number. Applicants with no U.S. residence, place of business or office use 855-215-1627 or 304-707-9471, not 855-641-6935.
- Forgetting a return fax number. The IRS faxes the EIN back to the number you give it.
- An unsigned designee section. Without your signature, the IRS won’t treat the designee as authorized.
- Thinking the IRS charges for the number. It doesn’t. The IRS says “you never have to pay a fee for an EIN.” Any fee you pay is for help preparing and filing the form.
How we handle it
When you form a company with us and add the EIN without SSN, we handle the IRS filing on your behalf. The Day-One Bundle covers the LLC filing, a year of registered agent service through Registered Agents Inc (the agent of record), your operating agreement, and your business toll-free line’s first month. The EIN is included for owners with a U.S. SSN. Without one, it adds $150.
Forming a new LLCDay-One Bundle with EIN, no SSN
- LLC or corporation filing in your state
- Year-one registered agent through Registered Agents Inc
- EIN filing with the IRS, handled for you
- Operating agreement and a toll-free line’s first month
Already have your company? Get EIN Acquisition without SSN on its own for a flat $165. If the bundle isn’t showing on the order page, the standard formation order has the same EIN without SSN as a +$165 add-on. Still picking a state? Compare them in the best state to form an LLC.
This article is for educational and informational purposes only and does not provide legal, tax, financial, securities, or investment advice. Vermilion Vitez prepares and files documents; it is not a law firm or accounting firm. Business owners should consult qualified professionals before making decisions.
Common Questions
Can I get an EIN without an SSN?
Yes. The IRS online application needs the responsible party’s SSN or ITIN, but you can file Form SS-4 by fax or mail without one. Applicants with no U.S. residence, place of business or office can also apply by phone.
What do I write on Form SS-4 line 7b if I don't have an SSN or ITIN?
The IRS instructions say to enter “foreign” or N/A on line 7b if the responsible party doesn’t have and is ineligible to obtain an SSN or ITIN. An entry is required, so don’t leave it blank.
How long does it take to get an EIN without an SSN?
By phone, the IRS agent assigns the EIN during the call. By fax, the IRS says you generally get it within 4 business days. By mail, it takes approximately 4 weeks.
Who can call the IRS international EIN line?
Only applicants with no legal residence, principal place of business, or principal office or agency in the U.S. or U.S. territories. The number is 267-941-1099 (not toll-free), 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday. The caller must be authorized to receive the EIN and answer questions about Form SS-4.
Does the IRS charge a fee for an EIN?
No. The IRS says you never have to pay a fee for an EIN. A fee you pay a company covers its help preparing and filing Form SS-4, not the number itself.
Can my LLC or another company be the responsible party?
No. Unless the applicant is a government entity, the IRS says the responsible party must be an individual, a natural person, not an entity.