EIN and ITIN from abroad
An EIN for the company, an ITIN for a person without an SSN, and how to get each from outside the US.
The company needs an EIN; a person without a Social Security number who needs a US taxpayer number gets an ITIN. They are different numbers for different taxpayers. A company whose principal place of business is outside the US can get its EIN by phone, or by faxing or mailing Form SS-4.
Where this lesson's rules come from
The sources behind this lesson's requirements, by kind. Anything marked as a convention is ours, not the rule-maker's.
- IRS guidance
- IRS, Employer ID numbers (opens in a new tab)An EIN for a company run from outside the United StatesFree to read
- IRS, Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (opens in a new tab)ITIN — the individual number for someone without an SSNFree to read
- Official form
- Form W-7 (Rev. December 2024) (opens in a new tab)Form W-7, Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (PDF)PDF · Free to read
- Form SS-4 (Rev. December 2025) (opens in a new tab)Form SS-4, Application for Employer Identification NumberPDF · Free to read
The words this page teaches
Each links to its glossary definition, which also names the authority behind it and the components that render it.