Apply for Your
ITIN

Get your IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. Fill out the intake form below and our team will prepare and file your W-7 application.

What an ITIN is for

The five reasons people apply

The IRS issues ITINs for tax purposes only. But the downstream uses extend further than 'filing US taxes', which is why non-residents who never file US taxes still need one.

File a US tax return

You have US-source income (rental, royalties, partnership distributions, Form 1099-NEC from US clients as a non-employee), or you owe US estate/gift tax. Filing without an ITIN/SSN is not possible.

Claim a tax treaty benefit

Your home country has a tax treaty with the US (Germany, Italy, UK, France, Spain, and ~65 others). To claim treaty-reduced withholding on US-source dividends, royalties, or service income, you need an ITIN on Form W-8BEN.

Open a US bank account

Most US banks accept ITIN-holders for personal accounts. Without an ITIN you're restricted to non-resident-friendly fintechs (Wise, sometimes Mercury for personal). With an ITIN, the full US retail banking system is available: Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Chase, etc.

Apply for US credit cards

See /services/itin-credit. An ITIN unlocks the US credit-card system for non-residents. Roughly half of US issuers underwrite ITIN-only applicants in 2026, with Capital One and Discover the most consistent.

Be listed on a US LLC tax return

If you're a member of a US multi-member LLC that files Form 1065 (partnership return), the K-1 issued to you requires an ITIN. Same applies to non-resident owners of US S-Corp interests (rare) and certain trust distributions.

How the W-7 application actually flows

From submit to ITIN letter in 7–11 weeks

These are the actual mechanical steps. We handle most of them; the bits we don't are flagged.

1
Intake
You complete the form above. We confirm which W-7 reason code applies to your situation (a-h on the form, where the wrong code is the most common cause of W-7 rejection). ~24 hours.
2
Document review
The IRS requires either (a) your original passport, (b) a certified copy from the issuing authority, or (c) a passport copy certified by an IRS-approved Certifying Acceptance Agent (CAA). Option (c) is what most non-residents use because it doesn't require mailing the original passport to Austin, Texas. We work with a CAA network so you can use this path.
3
W-7 preparation
We draft your Form W-7 with all required attachments (treaty letter, supporting tax return if applicable, identifying documents). We don't outsource this to a tax prep mill. Every form is reviewed by a human who has filed thousands.
4
CAA certification
If you go the CAA route: an in-person or video meeting with the CAA who examines your passport in real time and signs Form W-7 (COA) certifying the document. You keep your passport. Cost USD 50–200 paid to the CAA directly.
5
Filing with the IRS
The complete package (W-7 + certified ID + supporting tax return if required + CAA certification) is mailed to the IRS ITIN Operations unit in Austin, TX. The IRS does not accept e-filed W-7 applications.
6
IRS processing: 7 to 11 weeks
Off-peak (May–November) typically lands at 7 weeks. Peak season (January–April) stretches to 11 weeks or longer. We track the case via the IRS taxpayer-advocate route if it goes past 14 weeks.
7
ITIN letter (CP-565) arrives
The IRS mails the ITIN letter to the address on your W-7. PDF copy back to you within 48 hours. You're now in the US tax system. Use the ITIN anywhere an SSN would be requested for tax purposes.

Why W-7s get rejected

The IRS rejection patterns we see month after month

The IRS does not call to clarify. They mail the application back six weeks later with a CP-566 letter explaining the defect, and you start over. These are the most common defects.

⚠

Wrong reason code (a–h)

Picking "h" (other) when you should have picked "b" (non-resident filing US tax return) gets the application rejected without review. We pick the right one based on your situation.

⚠

Missing supporting tax return

Most ITIN applications require an attached tax return showing the ITIN need. Treaty-only and certain banking applications are the exceptions, and most do-it-yourself applicants pick the wrong exception, causing a CP-566.

⚠

Photocopy without CAA certification

A photocopy of your passport with no certification is auto-rejected. The IRS requires either the original, a copy certified by the issuing authority (your home country's passport office), or a CAA-certified copy.

⚠

P.O. box as foreign address

The W-7 asks for your foreign address. A P.O. box is rejected. Must be a physical address.

⚠

Expired passport

An expired passport, even with a clear photo and biometric page, is not accepted as identifying ID. Must be valid on the date of the W-7 filing.

⚠

Name mismatch across documents

Your name on the W-7 must match your passport exactly. "Alessandro Specchio" on the passport but "Alex Specchio" on the W-7 = rejection. We sanity-check before we file.

Real numbers

What an ITIN application actually costs

Item	Amount
BCA ITIN advisory + W-7 preparation one-time	USD 500
IRS filing fee IRS does not charge for ITIN applications	USD 0
CAA passport certification (optional) only if you cannot mail the original passport, paid directly to the CAA	USD 50–200
Supporting tax return preparation (if needed) only if your W-7 reason requires an attached return and you don't already have one	USD 200–500
Certified mail to IRS Austin shipping	USD 10–25
Estimated total	USD 360–1,075

Most clients (those who can use the CAA path and don't need a new US tax return prepared) land at USD 410–610 total.

Boundaries

Who doesn't need an ITIN

If you have an SSN (US citizen, permanent resident, or work-authorized visa holder): you don't need an ITIN. SSN holders are explicitly disqualified from receiving an ITIN.

If your only US-related activity is owning a US LLC that has no US-source income: you don't need an ITIN for the LLC itself. The LLC has its own EIN and files Form 1120 + Form 5472 using the EIN. You only need an ITIN if you personally need to file a US return or be on a K-1.

If you're only investing in US-listed stocks via a non-US broker: your broker handles W-8BEN with your foreign tax ID; no ITIN required for this alone.