How to Get an EIN Without an SSN: A Proven Guide
You can get an EIN without SSN by filing Form SS-4 with the IRS by fax or mail. The online application requires an SSN or ITIN, so foreigners use the paper route instead. The IRS charges nothing. Ours arrived in about two weeks.
Northwest filed our EIN alongside the formation
No SSN, no international fax to manage. The full timeline and invoice are below.
Getting an EIN without SSN is the step where most non-resident founders get stuck. The company is formed, the registered agent is appointed, and then the IRS online application asks for a Social Security Number you do not have and cannot obtain.
There is a route around it. It is not a workaround or a grey area — it is the official process the IRS provides for exactly this situation. Here is how it works, what it costs, and how long it actually takes.
Table of contents
Can you get an EIN without SSN?
Yes. An EIN without SSN is entirely standard: there is no requirement for the responsible party to hold a Social Security Number, a US address, a visa, or residency of any kind. The IRS issues EINs to foreign-owned entities as a matter of routine.
The confusion comes from the application channel rather than the eligibility rules. Most guides describe the online process because most readers are American — and the online process is the one closed to you.
Why the online EIN without SSN route fails
The IRS online EIN assistant asks for the responsible party’s SSN or ITIN and validates it in real time. No valid number means no submission. There is no “foreign applicant” checkbox on that form.
This is where people lose weeks: they assume they must first obtain an ITIN, apply for one, and wait months. You do not need an ITIN to get an EIN without SSN. The two are separate processes serving separate purposes.
The fax method, step by step
This is the process for obtaining an EIN without SSN as a foreign owner. Each step matters — the fax route is unforgiving of small errors.
Form your company first
You cannot apply for an EIN before the entity exists. The IRS asks for the legal name and formation state, which must match your filed Articles of Organization exactly. If you have not filed yet, start with the US LLC guide for non-residents.
Download the current Form SS-4
Always take it from the Internal Revenue Service directly rather than a third-party copy. The form is revised periodically and an outdated version gets rejected.
Complete it, marking your foreign status correctly
The critical detail: where the form asks for the responsible party’s SSN, ITIN or EIN, foreign applicants without any of these enter “Foreign” rather than leaving it blank. A blank field reads as an incomplete form; the word “Foreign” tells the IRS why it is empty.
Fax it to the international applicant number
The IRS publishes a separate fax number for applicants with no legal residence or principal office in the United States. Use that one — sending to the domestic number delays or loses the application. Include a return fax number so they can send the assignment back to you.
Wait, and do not re-submit
Ours came back in roughly two weeks. Published estimates run wider, and IRS processing times fluctuate with workload. Resist the urge to send a second application if it is quiet for ten days — duplicates create conflicting records that take far longer to untangle than the original wait.
Here is the actual sequence from one of our Wyoming entities, taken from the dated documents in our registered agent dashboard:
| Document | Jurisdiction | Received | Elapsed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formation Document | Wyoming | 30 May | Day 0 |
| Operating Agreement | Wyoming | 30 May | Same day |
| Initial Resolution | Wyoming | 30 May | Same day |
| Initial Filing | Federal | 5 June | +6 days |
| EIN Letter | Federal | 18 June | +19 days total |
Two things stand out. The state paperwork all landed the same day — formation itself is not the bottleneck. And the EIN letter arrived 19 days after formation, or 13 days after the federal filing was initiated. That is the realistic window to plan around when applying for an EIN without SSN.
EIN without SSN: the Form SS-4 fields that trip people up
| Field | What foreigners get wrong |
|---|---|
| Legal name of entity | Must match the state filing character for character, including “LLC” |
| Responsible party | A natural person — you — not the company or the registered agent |
| Responsible party’s SSN/ITIN | Enter “Foreign”, never leave blank |
| Mailing address | Your foreign address is acceptable here |
| Reason for applying | Usually “Started new business” or “Banking purpose” |
| Return fax number | Omitting it means waiting for postal mail instead |
The IRS instructions accompanying the form are authoritative and change from time to time. Read the current version before filing rather than relying on any article, including this one.
EIN without SSN, free vs paid: what we actually did
The IRS charges nothing for an EIN without SSN. Any fee you pay goes to a service filing on your behalf, never to the government. Anyone presenting the fee as an official cost is misleading you.
That said, here is our own decision, with the real number. When we formed our Wyoming LLC in January 2026, the invoice looked like this:
| Line item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Wyoming formation service | $39 |
| Federal EIN — tax ID for non-US citizens | $200 |
| Wyoming state filing fee | $104 |
| Total | $343 |
We paid the $200 because we wanted the entity operational without managing an international fax and a form we had never filed before. That was a convenience purchase, and we are not going to pretend otherwise.
If your budget matters more than your time, remove that line. Filing Form SS-4 yourself brings the same formation down to roughly $143 — and the EIN you receive is identical.
Want the EIN handled for you?
Northwest filed ours alongside the formation. doola offers a similar service for non-residents.
What to do once your EIN arrives
Once your EIN without SSN is issued, the IRS sends back an assignment notice — keep it. Banks ask for it by name, and it is the document that proves the number belongs to your entity.
With an EIN without SSN in hand, the next steps open up:
- Open a US business bank account. Fintech providers onboard foreign-owned LLCs remotely. Ours took 48 to 72 hours with the formation documents, the EIN letter, and a passport — see our US business banking guide.
- Set up payment processing. Stripe and similar platforms verify the entity through the EIN.
- Understand your filing obligations. Foreign-owned single-member LLCs generally have a Form 5472 requirement with substantial penalties for non-compliance. This is the point to involve a cross-border accountant.
Frequently asked questions
Can I really get an EIN without an SSN?
Yes. There is no citizenship or residency requirement. File Form SS-4 by fax or mail rather than using the online assistant, which requires an SSN or ITIN to submit.
How long does an EIN without SSN take?
Ours arrived in roughly two weeks by fax. IRS processing times vary with workload, and mailed applications take considerably longer than faxed ones.
Does the IRS charge for an EIN without SSN?
No. The EIN itself is free. Any fee is charged by a third-party service filing on your behalf — we paid $200 for that convenience, and it is entirely optional.
Do I need an ITIN before applying?
No. This is the most common misconception. An ITIN identifies you personally and is only required if you have a US tax filing obligation. The EIN identifies your company and is independent of it.
EIN without SSN: what do I write in the SSN field?
Foreign applicants without an SSN or ITIN enter “Foreign” rather than leaving the field blank. A blank field looks like an incomplete form; “Foreign” explains it.
Can I open a bank account with just the EIN?
Yes. Business banking is tied to the company’s EIN, not to a personal tax ID. You will typically need the EIN confirmation letter, your formation documents, and a passport.
