Getting an EIN for a US LLC is free from the IRS. As a non-resident with no SSN, the online tool is closed to you, so you file Form SS-4 by phone, fax, or mail. On line 7b you write foreign, and you do not need an ITIN first.
The IRS says you never have to pay a fee for an EIN. Any charge you see is a service fee, never a government charge for the number.
Without an SSN or ITIN and a US address, you cannot use the online EIN Assistant. You apply by phone, fax, or mail instead.
If the responsible party has no SSN or ITIN, enter foreign on line 7b. A foreign owner does not need an ITIN first.
Does your Wyoming LLC need an EIN?
An EIN is the tax ID the IRS assigns to your business. For a foreign-owned Wyoming LLC, you will need one in practice for two reasons. Banks ask for it before they open a business account, which is a bank policy rather than a tax law. You also need it to file Form 5472, the information return a foreign-owned US LLC must submit. Our guide on whether your LLC needs an EIN covers the edge cases.
Form your LLC first, then apply
The order matters. Form the entity through the state before you apply for the EIN. The IRS Get an EIN page tells you to have your legal entity in place first, because the SS-4 asks for the exact legal name and formation date. If you apply before the state approves the LLC, the details may not match. Our walkthrough of the Wyoming LLC for non-residents covers that formation step.
Why the IRS online tool will not work for you
The IRS online EIN Assistant looks like the easy route, but it is closed to most non-residents. The tool requires the responsible party to have an SSN or ITIN, plus a US legal residence or principal place of business. A founder abroad with no US tax ID meets neither condition. So the online application cannot issue you an EIN, however many times you try. Applicants in that position must apply by phone, fax, or mail instead.
Before you file: what to have ready
Gather these details before you complete Form SS-4, so one filing goes through without a follow-up from the IRS.
Your LLC's exact legal name and formation date, matching the state approval. Line 1 wants the legal name exactly as it appears on your formation document.
A responsible party who is a natural person, usually you as the owner, with an SSN or ITIN if that person has one.
Your line 7b entry. If the responsible party has no SSN or ITIN and cannot get one, you write foreign or N/A there.
The entity type. A single-member LLC treated as a disregarded entity checks Other on line 9a and writes disregarded entity.
A mailing address for the IRS to send the EIN and any notices. The SS-4 accepts a foreign address, and many non-residents use their US business address.
The channel you will use, phone, fax, or mail, plus a return fax number if you fax the form.
The three ways a non-resident applies
Every channel starts from the same one-page Form SS-4. The difference is how you send it and how the IRS sends the EIN back. The table compares the three, with the contact detail, who may use each, and the turnaround the IRS states.
Channel | Contact detail | Who may use it | IRS-stated turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
Phone | 267-941-1099, not toll free, 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern, Monday to Friday. | International applicants only. | No fixed IRS figure. Confirm on the live SS-4 instructions. |
Fax | 855-215-1627 within the US, or 304-707-9471 from outside the US. | Any non-resident filing Form SS-4. Provide a return fax number. | Generally within 4 business days when a return fax number is given. |
Internal Revenue Service, Attn: EIN International Operation, Cincinnati, OH 45999. | Any non-resident who prefers post. | Approximately 4 weeks. |
Treat every number, address, and timeframe in this table as the IRS's current figure. Verify each one on the live IRS Instructions for Form SS-4 before you file, because the IRS updates them without much notice. None of these is a promised turnaround.
Filling out Form SS-4
The form itself is one page, and the IRS Instructions for Form SS-4 walk through every line. A few lines trip up non-residents, so here is what each one needs.
Lines 7a and 7b name the responsible party and give that person's SSN or ITIN. If the responsible party has no SSN or ITIN and cannot get one, write foreign or N/A on line 7b. A foreign owner does not need an ITIN first. Our guide to getting an EIN without an SSN covers this line in depth, and we explain how an EIN, ITIN, SSN, and tax ID differ separately.
Line 9a asks the entity type. A single-member LLC that is a disregarded entity but still needs an EIN checks Other and writes disregarded entity on the line.
The signature is given by a responsible and duly authorized member or officer of the LLC. That wording is the LLC option, not the option for a corporation.
The Third Party Designee section lets you authorize a service to answer SS-4 questions and receive the EIN for you. That authority ends once the EIN is assigned. You stay the responsible party on lines 7a and 7b.
Who the responsible party must be
The IRS responsible parties and nominees rules require the responsible party to be a natural person who ultimately owns or controls the entity. It cannot be a company, a registered agent, a formation service, or a nominee. The only exception the IRS makes is for government entities, which will not apply to your LLC. For a foreign-owned single-member Wyoming LLC, that person is you. Nominees cannot apply, so do not name your agent here.
What it costs
The EIN is free from the IRS. The agency states plainly that you never have to pay a fee for an EIN, and it warns against sites that charge for one. If you pay anything, you are paying a preparer to complete and file the SS-4, not the IRS for the number.
After you get the EIN
When the IRS assigns your EIN, it sends a CP-575 notice confirming the number. Keep it in your permanent records, because the IRS does not issue a duplicate original. If you lose it, you request a Letter 147C, a substitute confirmation that banks accept as written proof of your EIN.
The EIN is also the key to your first federal filing. A foreign-owned US LLC treated as a disregarded entity must file a pro forma Form 1120 with Form 5472 attached. You need the EIN to file it, and the penalty for missing it is steep.
Frequently asked questions
Can a non-resident apply for an EIN online?
No, in most cases. The online EIN Assistant only works if your principal place of business is in the US or a US territory and the responsible party has an SSN or ITIN. A non-resident who meets neither test applies on Form SS-4 by fax, mail, or the international phone line instead.
How much does it cost to get an EIN for an LLC?
Nothing, if you go straight to the IRS. The EIN is free, and the IRS warns against sites that charge for the number. A fee only pays a preparer to file Form SS-4 for you.
Can I get an EIN for my LLC without an SSN?
Yes. Enter foreign on line 7b of Form SS-4 and file by phone, fax, or mail. A foreign responsible party does not need an ITIN first.
How long does it take to get an EIN as a non-resident?
The IRS gives general figures of about 4 business days by fax and roughly 4 weeks by mail. Treat these as current estimates, not promises, and verify them on the live SS-4 instructions.
Do I need to form the LLC before I apply for the EIN?
Yes. The IRS asks you to have the legal entity in place first, because the SS-4 uses the exact legal name and formation date. Form the Wyoming LLC, then apply.
Can my registered agent or formation service be the responsible party?
No. The responsible party must be a natural person who owns or controls the LLC. An agent or service can act as a Third Party Designee, but you stay the responsible party.
Is an EIN the same as the FinCEN beneficial ownership report?
No. The EIN is your IRS tax ID. The FinCEN beneficial ownership information report is a separate filing with a different agency, and it is not covered here.
How do I recover or verify my own EIN?
If you lost the CP-575 notice, ask the IRS for a Letter 147C, the official replacement it sends on request, which banks accept as proof of your EIN. That is different from looking up another company's EIN, and our Letter 147C guide explains both.
Does a small LLC need an EIN?
A foreign-owned LLC needs one in practice, because banks ask for it and a foreign-owned US LLC files Form 5472 under it. The rules differ for domestic single-member LLCs, so our guide on when a small LLC needs an EIN covers those cases.
What if my LLC makes no money in its first year?
You may still have to file. A foreign-owned LLC counts its formation, capital contributions, and owner transactions as reportable, so a year with no income can still trigger a filing. Our Form 5472 and pro forma 1120 guide explains it.
Is an EIN the same as a federal tax ID?
Yes. The IRS calls an EIN a federal tax ID number for your business, so the two terms mean the same thing. It is separate from a personal SSN or ITIN, which our EIN, ITIN, SSN, and tax ID comparison explains.
How this article was prepared
The application rules, channels, and figures here are drawn from the IRS Instructions for Form SS-4, the IRS Get an EIN page, the IRS responsible parties and nominees page, and the IRS where-to-file page for Form SS-4. The CP-575 details come from the IRS CP575 notice page, and the Form 5472 stakes from the IRS Instructions for Form 5472. Last reviewed July 2026. This is general information and not legal or tax advice, and CORPBOLT is a formation service, not a law or accounting firm. Treat every IRS phone number, fax number, address, and timeframe as the agency's current figure, so verify them on the live IRS pages before you rely on them.
A quick note on CORPBOLT: CORPBOLT forms and maintains Wyoming LLCs for non-residents from $349/year (Foundation). The EIN is included from $599/year (Launch) or as a $199 add-on, prepared and filed for you as the third-party designee while you remain the responsible party. The EIN is free from the IRS, so that fee covers the filing service, not the number. Start your US LLC.
Official references
IRS: Instructions for Form SS-4 (channels, line 7b, line 9a, international fax and phone)
IRS: Get an Employer Identification Number (form the entity first; apply by phone, fax, or mail)
IRS: Where to file your taxes for Form SS-4 (fax and mail addresses)
IRS: Instructions for Form 5472 (foreign-owned US disregarded entity)
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.
