Check the responsible party and application method before assuming a personal ITIN is required.
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Form SS-4 instructs an eligible foreign responsible party who lacks and cannot obtain an SSN or ITIN to use “foreign” or N/A on line 7b.IRS That is a specific filing route, not permission to invent a personal number or bypass the online tool’s requirements.
Nolly.com is based in Toronto and works with people worldwide, including people living in the U.S. without an SSN.
Use the Nolly.com EIN service when the next step is the business tax number. Tell us whether you already have a company and whether an EIN has been assigned. That keeps a formation request separate from an EIN request for an existing business.
A U.S. tax ID for your company, even without an SSN.
Includes:
The entity needs an EIN, but the application also asks about a responsible party. If you have no SSN, start with that distinction rather than assuming the business cannot apply.
Identify the legal applicant and the person who controls it. Keep the ownership record with the formation evidence. If someone else prepares the paperwork, confirm they are the preparer or designee rather than automatically making them the responsible party.
A business EIN and a personal ITIN are different identifiers. Do not use an owner’s other company EIN as a personal number, and do not create a guessed SSN to fill an online field.
The IRS online application has principal-business-location and responsible-party tax-ID requirements.IRS A foreign owner should assess those conditions before entering the company details.
Use the actual operating location. A formation provider’s U.S. address does not necessarily describe where your business is run. Explain the agent address, mailing address and operating address separately to the preparer.
If your facts do not fit the tool, keep the business records and use the applicable IRS alternative. Do not repeatedly change the same information in the hope of getting a different answer.
If you already received an online reference error, retain the full message and read the EIN reference-number guide. A failed online attempt is not evidence that you need to buy an unrelated personal number.
The line 7b foreign entry applies where the responsible party lacks and is ineligible to obtain an SSN or ITIN.IRS Have the preparer check the actual condition rather than turning it into a rule that every missing number can be ignored.
Bring the entity’s legal name, formation record, owner details, actual activity and reliable mailing information. Keep any personal tax-number evidence available for the review, without entering a foreign tax ID into a U.S. personal-ID field.
Check whether the business already has an EIN before requesting another one. A missing assignment letter and an unassigned number are different problems. Gather the earlier application and correspondence if someone has already handled the request.
If you authorize a third-party designee, complete the signature area. The authorization lets that person answer SS-4 questions and receive the newly assigned EIN; it ends when the IRS assigns and releases the number.IRS
The IRS still mails the EIN notice to the taxpayer. Confirm that the entity’s mailing address works before submitting, even if the designee receives the number through another method.IRS
If the designee’s address or telephone matches the taxpayer’s, the SS-4 instructions require a mailed or faxed application. International telephone applications also depend on the applicant’s location facts and an authorized caller.IRS
Use one application method for the entity. The IRS limits issuance to one EIN per responsible party per day across online, telephone, fax and mail requests.IRS Switching methods does not remove that limit.
If you also need a personal ITIN, review that need separately. Form W-7 normally accompanies a federal return unless a documented exception applies.IRS An unsuccessful EIN screen is not, by itself, that exception.
Tell the reviewer about personal U.S. income and any filing requirement, rather than only the company bank request. Ask which return or exception supports a personal application before choosing an ITIN plan.
For a company, explain its classification and reporting purpose. Foreign-owned U.S. disregarded entities can have related-party information-reporting duties.IRS Receiving the EIN identifies the business; it does not complete those filings.
Use the actual ownership and control, not only the person answering the application questions.
IdentitySeparate a missing document from a missing number. Confirm eligibility before using the foreign entry.
Personal IDUse your real business location and the method that fits the requirements. Keep a copy of the submitted application.
SS-4Keep the assignment notice with the entity record and review any separate personal application or company reporting.
Follow-upThere is an applicable Form SS-4 route for eligible foreign responsible parties without an SSN or ITIN. Check the conditions before filing.IRS
Do not treat a foreign tax ID as a U.S. personal number. Use the instructions for the actual field and responsible-party facts.
Not automatically. Check online eligibility and the reference message before choosing the alternative IRS route.
No. Review classification and ongoing filing duties separately from the number request.
More questions? See the full Nolly.com FAQ.
Every IRS fact on this page comes from IRS.gov or the other official pages listed below and was checked on October 3, 2026. Nolly.com's own prices are the only exception. Nolly.com is a private company and is not part of the IRS.
Nolly Services Inc, d/b/a Nolly.com, appears on the IRS page Acceptance agents – Canada. Nolly.com is a private company and isn't part of the IRS.
Checked against IRS.gov on October 3, 2026. General information, not tax advice.
Tell us about the company and we can help with the EIN request.
