How to Get an EIN as a Foreign Founder

What You Need Before You Start

The IRS will not issue an EIN for a company that does not exist yet, so wait until the state has approved your formation. Have these to hand:

• Your LLC's exact legal name and the state it was formed in, as shown on the approved Articles of Organization or Certificate of Formation.
• The date the state approved the formation.
• The LLC's US address: the registered agent address is fine for the application, or a Business Mail Address if you have one.
• Your own name, as the responsible party, and your foreign home address.
• Access to a fax service. Any online fax tool works; you do not need a physical machine.

Why You Cannot Apply Online

The IRS online EIN assistant asks for the responsible party's SSN or ITIN and rejects the application without one. Non-residents therefore use Form SS-4, sent by fax or post. There is no fee. Be wary of websites that charge to "process" an EIN application; the IRS never charges for an EIN.

Form SS-4, Box by Box

Download the current Form SS-4 and its instructions from irs.gov. The boxes that trip foreign founders up are these:

• Line 1: the LLC's legal name exactly as the state approved it, including "LLC".
• Lines 4a and 4b: the LLC's mailing address in the US. A foreign address is also accepted; the IRS will post the confirmation letter to whatever you put here.
• Line 7a: your full name as the responsible party. Line 7b: write "Foreign" if you have no SSN or ITIN. Do not leave it blank and do not invent a number.
• Line 8a: tick "Yes", it is an LLC. Line 8b: the number of members. Line 8c: "Yes" if the LLC was organized in the United States.
• Line 9a: for a single-member LLC owned by a non-US person, tick "Other" and write "Foreign-owned U.S. disregarded entity". A multi-member LLC ticks "Partnership" unless you have elected otherwise.
• Line 10: "Started new business" is the usual reason, with a short description of what the company does.
• Line 11: the formation date. Line 12: the closing month of your accounting year, normally December.
• Lines 13 to 15: the number of employees you expect, usually zero, and whether you expect to owe employment tax, usually "No".
• Line 16: the box that best describes the business; "Other" with a few words is fine for a crypto trading or holding company.
• Line 18: "No" unless this company has applied for an EIN before.
• Third party designee: leave blank if you are applying yourself. If Spindipper files for you, our details go here so the IRS can talk to us about the application.
• Signature: sign and date it yourself, with your title ("Member" or "Managing Member") and a phone number with the country code.

Sending It: Fax or Post

Fax is faster and gives you proof. Send the signed form to the IRS fax number for international applicants shown in the current SS-4 instructions, and keep the transmission report with your company records. If you fax from outside the US, include your own fax number or a US fax number you can receive at; the IRS faxes the EIN back to that number. By post, the form goes to the IRS EIN International Operation in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the address in the instructions. Do not send the same application twice: a duplicate can create two EINs, which is a problem to untangle later.

How Long It Really Takes

The IRS's own target for faxed applications is about four business days, and that is often what happens for domestic applicants. For a foreign-owned LLC, in practice, allow four to eight weeks, because applications without an SSN are handled by a separate unit and queue times vary through the year. Anyone promising a non-resident an EIN in days is not being straight with you. There is one shortcut: the IRS international line accepts EIN applications by telephone from non-US applicants during US business hours, and the number is issued on the call. Expect a long wait to get through, and have the completed SS-4 in front of you, because the agent reads the boxes out one by one.

What You Get, and What to Do With It

The IRS sends a confirmation letter, the CP 575, which banks and payment processors ask to see. Keep the original and a scan with your company documents. Once you have the EIN you can open the bank account, register with payment providers and, from the following year, file the annual information return every foreign-owned single-member LLC owes: Form 5472 with a pro-forma 1120. Our compliance checklist sets out every yearly filing in one place.

Common Mistakes

• Applying before the state has approved the LLC. The IRS checks, and a rejected application costs weeks.
• Leaving line 7b blank or writing a made-up number instead of "Foreign".
• Ticking "Corporation" on line 9a for an ordinary LLC. That box is a tax election with lasting consequences, not a description of your company.
• Sending the form twice because the first fax "felt like it failed". Check the transmission report first.
• Paying a website for the EIN. It is free from the IRS; what you pay a professional for is doing it correctly on your behalf.

If You Would Rather We Did It

Our EIN Application service is $149: we prepare the SS-4 from your company record, act as third-party designee so the IRS deals with us, file it, chase it and send you the confirmation letter when it arrives. It is in the client portal under Order a service. Every US formation also includes EIN assistance at no charge: the steps above, emailed to you after sign-up with your company's details, and a team that answers questions while you do it.

This guide is general information about US procedures as generally understood in 2026. It is not legal or tax advice, the IRS and the states change their forms and fees, and your own position depends on facts we have not seen. Check the current official instructions, or ask us, before you file.