Can You Get an EIN Without SSN or ITIN?
Short answer: yes. Long answer: you apply with Form SS-4 by phone, fax or mail instead of the online tool. Here's how it actually works.
The short answer is yes — and you don't need either of them.
The reason people get confused is that the IRS's online EIN application requires an SSN or ITIN. So if all you know is "I tried to apply online and it asked me for one I don't have," it can feel like the door is closed. It isn't. The online tool is just one channel. Applicants whose business is based outside the U.S. can apply with Form SS-4 by phone, fax or mail.
How the international process works
You fill out Form SS-4 (carefully — see below) and either call the IRS international EIN line (+1 267-941-1099, Monday–Friday, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern), fax it (+1 304-707-9471 from outside the U.S.), or mail it to the IRS EIN International Operation in Cincinnati. The IRS's targets are generally 4 business days for fax and about 4 weeks for mail; without follow-up, faxed applications from outside the U.S. can take 1–3 months because the IRS often replies by mail, while checking the status with the IRS usually gets the EIN within 1–2 weeks. Check the current Instructions for Form SS-4 before you apply — the IRS changes numbers without notice.
The line people get wrong
Line 7b asks for the responsible party's SSN, ITIN or EIN. If the responsible party doesn't have, and isn't eligible for, an SSN or ITIN, the IRS instructions say to enter "foreign" or N/A. Leaving it blank or inventing a number is a common reason applications stall.
What about ITIN first?
Some founders ask whether they should get an ITIN before applying for the EIN, thinking it'll simplify things. Usually it doesn't. An ITIN isn't required for an EIN, and an ITIN application (Form W-7) needs original or certified identity documents and has its own processing time. You may need an ITIN later for personal U.S. tax filings — that's a question for a tax professional, not a prerequisite for the EIN.
When the EIN itself is unavailable to you
There's one situation where this gets harder: when no responsible party can be identified at all. The IRS requires a real human being to be the responsible party on the SS-4 — not a foreign corporation, not a trust, not "the LLC itself." If your structure has only foreign-entity owners with no identifiable individual at the top, you'll need to identify the individual who ultimately owns or controls the structure before you can file — nominees can't be the responsible party.
For the full process and how we prepare the SS-4 for applicants without an SSN or ITIN, see getting an EIN without an SSN or ITIN.