How to Get an EIN Without an SSN for a Foreign-Owned LLC

TL;DR

You can get an EIN without an SSN. The IRS issues an Employer Identification Number to a U.S. LLC whose owner has no SSN and no ITIN. What changes is only the method: the instant online tool is closed to you, so you file Form SS-4 by fax (about 4 business days), by mail (about 4 weeks), or by the international phone line (assigned during the call). On line 7b, you write “foreign” or “N/A” instead of a tax number. The EIN then unlocks banking, payment platforms, and the Form 5472 filing your LLC needs every year.

Can a foreign owner really get an EIN without an SSN?

Yes — and no personal U.S. tax number is required first. An EIN belongs to the entity. The IRS asks who the “responsible party” is (the person who controls the LLC), but the SS-4 instructions expressly allow a responsible party who does not have and is not eligible for an SSN or ITIN. You do not need to be in the United States, and you do not need to have visited.

Where people go wrong is the online tool. The IRS EIN Assistant is only for applicants with a legal residence, principal place of business, or principal office in the United States or its territories, and it requires the responsible party to have a valid SSN, ITIN, or EIN. A foreign owner living abroad fails both tests, so the online route is simply not available. That is not a rejection; it just means you use one of the three manual routes below.

EIN vs SSN vs ITIN — which number is which?

An ITIN is not a prerequisite for an EIN. Many foreign LLC owners never need an ITIN at all; it only becomes relevant when a personal U.S. return arises, and at that point we handle the W-7 with the return that creates the need.

Form SS-4 line by line for a foreign owner without an SSN

Form SS-4 is one page. Most rejections and delays come from a handful of lines, so here is how each one reads for a single-member LLC owned by a non-resident. Verify the current instructions before filing — the wording below follows the IRS Instructions for Form SS-4 (Rev. December 2025).

Lines 8b, 9a, and 10 are where a multi-member LLC diverges: two or more foreign members make the LLC a partnership by default and change the answers, and the filings, as explained here.

The three ways to apply without an SSN

The IRS directs applicants with no legal residence, principal place of business, or principal office in any U.S. state to a dedicated unit. All three routes below are quoted from the IRS Instructions for Form SS-4 and the IRS EIN page; check them before you send anything, because numbers and hours change.

How to apply by fax — step by step

1. Complete Form SS-4 using the line guide above. Type it or write clearly in block capitals; illegible handwriting is a frequent reason for a request to resubmit.
2. Sign and date it as the responsible party, and write the fax number where the IRS should send the EIN. If there is no fax number, the IRS mails the notice instead, which adds weeks.
3. Fax the single page to 304-707-9471 from outside the U.S. (or 855-215-1627 from inside). Keep the transmission report.
4. Wait about 4 business days for the return fax. During busy periods it can take longer; do not resend, because duplicate applications can create a second EIN for the same entity and a cleanup job later.
5. Store the EIN and the fax reply with your formation documents — you will need both for banking and for every future filing.

How to apply by phone

The phone route is only for applicants with no U.S. residence, place of business, or office. The person calling must be authorized to receive the EIN and able to answer questions about the SS-4, so complete the form first and have it in front of you. Expect a long hold; call early in the Eastern-time window.

How to apply by mail

Post the signed SS-4 to the Cincinnati address above. Use tracked international mail and build the roughly 4-week processing time — plus transit — into any deadline you are working toward.

How long does it really take?

The IRS’s published figures are 4 business days by fax and about 4 weeks by mail. In practice, fax replies during peak periods (January to April, and around the October extension deadline) can run to several weeks. The one thing that reliably makes it slower is a mistake on the form, which turns a 4-day fax into a rejection letter, a corrected resubmission, and a second wait.

What is the CP 575 notice?

CP 575 is the IRS’s confirmation that an EIN has been assigned to your entity. It states the EIN, the entity’s name and address as recorded, and the return the IRS expects you to file. Banks, Stripe, Amazon, and payment providers frequently ask for it as proof that the number belongs to your LLC.

If you applied by fax, the faxed reply serves the same purpose and the CP 575 follows by mail. If the letter is lost, you cannot get a duplicate CP 575, but the IRS will issue Letter 147C, an EIN verification letter, on request through the Business & Specialty Tax Line (800-829-4933, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time). The IRS also states that eligible Business Tax Account users can download a digital CP 575 that substitutes for the original notice and for Letter 147C — worth checking once your account access is set up.

Common reasons an application is rejected or delayed

• Line 7b left blank. An entry is required. “Foreign” or “N/A” is correct; a blank is not.
• A made-up number on 7b. Never invent a tax ID or use someone else’s. It fails validation and creates an identity problem attached to your entity.
• Line 10 set to “N/A.” A reason must be selected.
• LLC name that does not match the state record. Even a missing “LLC” suffix or a different punctuation can trigger a mismatch later at the bank.
• Abbreviated country name in the address block.
• No return fax number, which pushes the reply to the mail route.
• A second application for the same entity because the first reply felt slow. Duplicate EINs are a nuisance to unwind.
• Applying before the LLC exists. The IRS assigns the EIN to the entity named on the form; make sure the state has approved the formation first.

What to do while you wait

• Do not open platform accounts with a placeholder. Stripe, Amazon, and banks match the EIN to the legal name; retyping later is a verification headache.
• Line up your bank application documents — formation certificate, operating agreement, passport, proof of address — so the account application goes in the day the EIN arrives. What non-resident-friendly providers actually check is worth reading now.
• Calendar the LLC’s filing dates. The EIN’s arrival does not move the April 15 Form 5472 deadline; an LLC formed in December needs an EIN in time to file for that short first year.
• Keep the LLC’s money separate from yours from the first dollar — every owner transfer later becomes a reportable transaction on Form 5472.

What the EIN unlocks

• A U.S. business bank account or fintech account. Every provider asks for the EIN and, usually, the CP 575 or 147C letter.
• Payment platforms. Stripe, PayPal Business, Amazon, Shopify Payments, and marketplace payout accounts are all keyed to the EIN.
• Form W-9 / W-8 requests from customers, which need the LLC’s tax ID.
• Form 5472 with the pro forma 1120. A foreign-owned single-member LLC must file this information return every year it has reportable transactions — even with no income — and the IRS will not accept the return without an EIN. That is why the SS-4 instructions have a dedicated wording for exactly this reason.

If you would rather not manage the fax and follow-up yourself, we obtain the EIN for foreign owners for $129, or $49 bundled with your first Form 5472. Either way, the number is yours and the process is the one described above.

Official references: IRS — Instructions for Form SS-4 (line 7b, line 9a/10 wording, fax and mail addresses, timelines) · IRS — Employer identification number (international phone line, CP 575, Letter 147C) · IRS — Get an EIN online: eligibility · IRS — About Form SS-4.

This article is general information, not tax or legal advice. IRS numbers, addresses, and processing times change; confirm them on IRS.gov before you file.