EIN & ITIN Guide for Non-US Founders

Here is the full picture for founders outside the United States:

The two get confused constantly, so start with the distinction: an EIN identifies your business, and an ITIN identifies you as an individual taxpayer. Most non-US founders need the first and not the second. You apply for an ITIN only when you personally have a U.S. tax filing obligation and are not eligible for a Social Security Number.

Here is how it usually falls out by situation:

Whether you owe U.S. tax personally is a question for a qualified tax professional, since it depends on your facts. CORPBOLT can prepare and submit the applications, but it does not decide your tax position for you.

An EIN, or Employer Identification Number, is the nine-digit federal tax ID the IRS assigns to a business. It is what U.S. banks, payment processors like Stripe, and the IRS use to identify your company. For a deeper walkthrough, see what an EIN is and how to get one as a non-resident.

The short version for non-residents: you cannot use the instant online tool, because it requires the responsible party to have an SSN or ITIN. Instead you apply on Form SS-4 by fax, which usually returns the EIN in about four business days, or by mail, which takes roughly four weeks. The EIN itself is free.

An ITIN, or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, is a nine-digit number the IRS issues to a person who needs a U.S. taxpayer ID for federal tax purposes but is not eligible for a Social Security Number. In the IRS's words, you need one if you "need a U.S. taxpayer identification number for federal tax purposes, but you aren't eligible for a Social Security number."

That wording matters. An ITIN is tied to a personal tax purpose. If you have no personal U.S. filing obligation, you generally do not need one, even though your company has an EIN. It is also limited on purpose: an ITIN does not authorize you to work in the U.S., does not change your immigration status, and is not an ID outside the federal tax system.

You are likely to need an ITIN if you personally must file a U.S. return, have U.S.-source or effectively connected income to report, or want to claim a tax-treaty benefit. You are unlikely to need one if your only U.S. footprint is a foreign-owned LLC whose reporting is handled at the company level.

An ITIN exists for people who cannot get a Social Security Number, so the real question is whether you are eligible for an SSN at all. That turns on US work authorisation, not on owning a company:

• You have US work authorisation (for example, you are in the US on a work-authorised visa). You are generally SSN-eligible, and an SSN covers both tax filing and work, so apply for the SSN rather than an ITIN. An ITIN is only a fallback when an SSN is genuinely unavailable.

• You have no US work authorisation (the usual case for a founder running the company from abroad). You cannot get an SSN, so an ITIN is your route, but only once you actually have a personal US filing obligation. Until then you need neither.

One boundary catches founders out: being a visitor is not work authorisation. Someone in the US on a B-1/B-2 visitor visa can legally form a US company and obtain its EIN, but cannot work for that company or draw a salary from inside the US, and would use an ITIN, not an SSN, for any personal filing. Owning a US company and being allowed to work in the US are two separate things. Immigration status is genuinely complex and case-specific, so confirm your own position with an immigration attorney. Whatever your status, the company's EIN is separate, and you obtain it by entering "Foreign" on the SS-4. For how the three IDs line up side by side, see EIN vs ITIN vs SSN vs tax ID.

An ITIN is applied for on Form W-7, and the process is more involved than the EIN:

1. Complete Form W-7 and, in most cases, attach it to a valid federal tax return. The IRS issues ITINs for a tax purpose, so a return is the usual trigger unless you meet a documented exception.

2. Prove identity and foreign status. Your passport is the one document that does both. You either mail the original or a certified copy, or use a Certifying Acceptance Agent who verifies it so you do not have to mail your passport.

3. Submit and wait. The IRS asks you to allow about seven weeks, and nine to eleven weeks during tax season (mid-January to the end of April) or when you apply from abroad.

This is where the EIN and ITIN line up against your actual filing duties. A foreign-owned single-member LLC generally must file IRS Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 each year, and that filing uses the company's EIN, not your personal ITIN. Whether you also have a personal return to file, which is what would require an ITIN, depends on your own facts, including whether you have income that is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business.

Those are tax determinations, not administrative steps. CORPBOLT is a formation service and does not give tax advice. For where that line sits and when to bring in a professional, see whether CORPBOLT provides legal or tax advice.

Most day-to-day tasks run on the company's EIN. A personal ITIN, or the right withholding form, only comes up in specific situations. Here is the quick map:

The forms matter because, without the right one, a US payer may have to withhold tax: 24% backup withholding from a US person who does not provide a W-9, or 30% on US-source income paid to a foreign person who has not claimed a treaty benefit on a W-8BEN. None of this changes the basic rule that the LLC runs on its EIN, and a personal ITIN is the exception rather than the default.

On banking specifically, providers usually want the EIN, the LLC's formation documents, and a passport, and sometimes a US address. Traditional banks often expect an in-person branch visit, while fintech providers built for startups onboard non-resident-owned LLCs remotely. Approval still depends on the provider, your country, and the documents you can show.

Sequencing saves weeks. The path that works for most non-US founders is:

1. Form the LLC by filing with the state. This is the administrative step in the full company-formation guide for non-residents.

2. Apply for the EIN right away, because it gates everything that follows.

3. Open the bank account and payment processor with the EIN, which is usually all they need to start.

4. Apply for an ITIN later, only if a personal U.S. filing obligation actually arises. Most founders reach this step at tax time, if at all.

By far the most common confusion we see from non-US founders is treating the ITIN as a required part of company formation. People apply for an ITIN they do not yet need, attach it to no return, and then wait weeks while their banking stalls, when an EIN alone would have let them move. The reverse mistake is paying a service for the EIN as if the number had a cost. It does not. Get the EIN, get moving, and let the ITIN follow your personal tax situation rather than the other way around. A few smaller errors cost time too: naming the formation company or registered agent as the responsible party instead of a real owner, putting a company name on the SS-4 that does not match the state filing, or sending a Form W-7 with no tax return and no documented exception attached. Each one usually means starting that application over.

Do I need both an EIN and an ITIN?

Usually not. Most non-US founders need an EIN for the business and do not need an ITIN unless they personally have a U.S. tax filing obligation and cannot get an SSN.

Are the EIN and ITIN free?

Yes. The IRS charges no fee for an EIN on Form SS-4 or for an ITIN on Form W-7. Any fee you pay a service is for handling the application, not for the number.

How long does each take?

For non-residents, an EIN is typically about four business days by fax or four weeks by mail. An ITIN takes about seven weeks, and nine to eleven weeks during tax season or from abroad.

Can I get an EIN without an ITIN or SSN?

Yes. A foreign responsible party with no SSN or ITIN applies on Form SS-4 and enters "Foreign" on the responsible-party line. You do not need an ITIN first.

Do I need an ITIN to open a U.S. bank account or Stripe?

Usually no. Banks and payment processors generally identify the business by its EIN. Some may ask for more, but the EIN is the standard requirement, and approval is always the provider's decision.

Do I need an SSN to form a US LLC or get an EIN?

No. You do not need a Social Security Number to form a US LLC or to get its EIN; a foreign responsible party enters "Foreign" on the SS-4. An SSN only enters the picture if you personally have US work authorisation, in which case you would use it instead of an ITIN for any personal filing.

Which tax form do I give a US client that pays my LLC?

As a non-US person you generally give the US payer a Form W-8BEN, which certifies your foreign status and lets you claim any tax-treaty benefit, reducing the default 30% withholding on US-source income. A US contractor you pay gives you a W-9 instead. The LLC itself is still identified by its EIN.

• IRS: Employer Identification Number (EIN)

• IRS: Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)

• IRS: About Form W-7 (ITIN application)

• IRS: About Form 5472 (foreign-owned U.S. entities)

CORPBOLT prepared this guide to clear up the EIN-versus-ITIN confusion for founders outside the United States and to help them apply in the right order. The definitions, eligibility, the ITIN limitations, the Form W-7 process, and the timelines are drawn from the IRS sources linked above. It is written as plain-language education, reviewed for accuracy and for honesty about which steps a formation service handles and which are tax questions for a professional, and refreshed when the IRS changes its EIN or ITIN process. This article is general information, not legal or tax advice.

Setting it up: CORPBOLT forms your Wyoming LLC with a U.S. business address from $349/year; Launch ($599) adds the EIN and a digital mailbox. See how CORPBOLT does this →

Approval note: Eligibility and approval decisions are made by each bank, fintech, and payment processor. Requirements can vary by provider, country, business model, and account history.