You get an ITIN by filing Form W-7 with the IRS together with documents that prove your identity and foreign status, usually a valid passport. There are three ways to submit it: by mail to the IRS in Austin with original documents or agency-certified copies, in person at an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center, or through a Certifying Acceptance Agent who verifies your documents so the originals stay with you. The IRS then allows about 7 weeks to decide, 9 to 11 in the January 15 to April 30 peak or when you apply from outside the US.
What is Form W-7 and what does it ask?
Form W-7, Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, is a one-page form with a two-page set of boxes and a long set of instructions. It asks for your legal name exactly as your passport shows it, your name at birth if different, a mailing address where the IRS letter can reach you, your date and place of birth, your country of citizenship, a foreign tax identification number if your country issues one, your US visa details if you have a visa, and the reason you need the number.
The reason is the part people get wrong. It is a set of lettered boxes, a to h, and the box you tick has to match your situation and your documents: a non-resident alien required to file a US return is one box, a non-resident claiming a treaty benefit is another, a dependent or spouse another. Tick the wrong one and the application is read against the wrong rules. A Spanish-language version, Form W-7(SP), exists and is processed the same way.
You sign it. If the applicant is a dependent, the instructions set out who may sign instead. A Certifying Acceptance Agent signs a separate Certificate of Accuracy when the application goes through them.
Do I need to attach a US tax return?
In general, yes: the W-7 is filed with the federal return that needs the number. The instructions list five exceptions under which you may apply without a return, each with its own required evidence. Exception 1 covers income such as interest, dividends, rents and royalties with third-party withholding or tax treaty benefits. Exception 2 covers other income such as wages, scholarships or gambling winnings subject to reporting. Exception 3 covers mortgage interest reported by a third party. Exception 4 covers dispositions of a US real property interest by a foreign person. Exception 5 covers reporting under Treasury Decision 9363.
Which exception, if any, fits a founder depends on what US income or reporting exists in their name. This is exactly the pairing the IRS checks: the reason box, the exception, and the supporting documents all have to agree. We check that pairing before anything is filed. We do not give tax advice on which return you should file; that is a question for your tax adviser, and we say so.
Which documents does the IRS accept?
The W-7 instructions list 13 acceptable documents. Every document must be current, meaning not expired when you submit, and at least one must carry your photograph unless the applicant is a young dependent. The IRS accepts original documents or copies certified by the agency that issued them. Copies certified by a notary are not accepted; that single detail is behind many rejections.
A valid passport is the only document that proves both identity and foreign status on its own (IRS, Obtaining an ITIN from abroad). Everything else works in combination.
| Document | Notes from the IRS list |
|---|---|
| Passport | Stand-alone: proves identity and foreign status |
| US Citizenship and Immigration Services photo identification | Identity and foreign status |
| Visa issued by the US Department of State | Identity and foreign status |
| US driver's license, US state identification card, US military identification card | Identity only |
| Foreign driver's license, foreign military identification card | Identity only |
| National identification card with name, photograph, address, date of birth and expiry date | Identity and foreign status |
| Foreign voter's registration card | Identity and foreign status |
| Civil birth certificate | Foreign status and identity, required for dependents under 18 without a passport |
| Medical records, school records | Dependents only, with age limits set in the instructions |
What are the three ways to submit the W-7?
The IRS publishes a comparison of the options. The differences that matter to a non-US founder are two: where your passport goes, and whether someone competent reviews the form before the IRS does.
| Route | Where | Your passport | Cost | What the IRS says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IRS ITIN Operation, Austin, Texas | Mailed to the IRS as an original or an agency-certified copy; originals returned within 60 days | $0 plus postage or courier both ways | Available from anywhere in the world | |
| IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center | By appointment, in the US only | Stays with you; staff authenticate it on the spot | $0 | Reviews the W-7 and authenticates documents |
| Certifying Acceptance Agent | In the US or abroad | Stays with you; the agent authenticates it and certifies the copy | The agent's fee | Helps complete and reviews the W-7, authenticates documents |
| Acceptance Agent (not certifying) | In the US or abroad | Must still go to the IRS: the agent cannot certify documents | The agent's fee | Helps complete and reviews the W-7 only |
How long does an ITIN take?
The IRS asks you to allow 7 weeks for a notice about your application, and 9 to 11 weeks if you apply between January 15 and April 30 or from overseas. Those figures are the IRS's, checked in September 2026, and nobody can shorten them: a service that promises a faster ITIN is describing its own preparation time, not the IRS's decision time.
The IRS also publishes what it is working on. On September 11, 2026 its processing status page showed Forms W-7 received in August 2026 being processed, in line with the 7-week figure. If the timeframe passes without a notice, the IRS asks you to contact it; there is no online tracker for an ITIN application.
The decision arrives by mail: a CP565 notice assigns the number, a CP566 asks for more information and gives you 45 days to answer, and a CP567 rejects the application and tells you why.
Where do applications fail?
Three places, in our experience and in the IRS's own rejection reasons. First, the documents: a notarised copy instead of an agency-certified one, an expired passport, a scan the IRS cannot read. Second, the pairing: a reason box that does not match the exception claimed or the return attached. Third, the form itself: a name that does not match the passport, a missing signature, a mailing address that will not be yours three months later.
A CP567 is not an appeal process; you fix the problem and file a complete new W-7, and the clock starts again. The CP567 guide covers each reason and the fix.
What happens after the number arrives?
Keep the CP565 letter. It is the only document the IRS issues for the number, and banks ask to see it. Use the ITIN on the W-8BEN or other forms a bank or platform hands you, and on every US return you file. Keep it in use: an ITIN left off federal returns for three consecutive tax years expires on December 31 of the third year and has to be renewed before it can be used again (W-7 instructions).
Then the rest of the base can be built on it: the company's paperwork a bank accepts, the accounts opened in person, the cards. The order that works is its own guide.
How we do it
You complete one form, upload a high-quality scan of your passport and present the original in a live video session. Our team prepares the W-7, checks the reason box, the exception and the documents against the IRS requirements, has the application prepared and certified through an IRS Certifying Acceptance Agent so your original passport is never mailed, files it, and tracks it until the CP565 lands. Everything runs by email. The price is $399, once. You can cancel for a full refund at any time before we file; after filing, the IRS decides the timing and the fee is not refundable.