Get an EIN Without an SSN: the Fax + 147C Phone Playbook (2026)
Every US bank and payment platform wants your EIN — and if you have no SSN or ITIN, the IRS's online tool won't take you. There is exactly one working path for international applicants: fax Form SS-4, then know how to chase. This is the playbook, including the phone-menu keys nobody writes down.
Why you can't apply online
The IRS online EIN application requires the responsible party to have an SSN or ITIN. Without one, the official route is faxing Form SS-4 to the IRS's international unit. No fax machine? An online fax service (eFax or similar) works exactly the same.
Fill the SS-4 with the company name exactly as it appears on your formation documents, and write “Foreign” where the SSN field asks — the mismatch-free version of this form is what every later document gets checked against.
After you fax: what to expect
- Include a return fax number — the IRS quotes about 4 business days for the faxed-back approval letter. Without one, you're on the mail track: roughly 4 weeks.
- The faxed-back letter is immediately usable. It carries your EIN, and Stripe and Mercury accept it — you do not need to wait for the paper CP575.
The paper CP575 — and why not to wait for it
The CP575 is the original confirmation notice, mailed once. For overseas founders it has to reach a US mailing address and then get forwarded — slow, and it does get lost. Your registered agent's address works as the mail destination (most RA plans include receiving and forwarding a few letters a year, no separate Form 1583 needed). Treat the CP575 as an archive document, not a blocker.
30+ days of silence: the 147C phone chase
If a month passes with nothing, call the IRS international line and ask for a 147C letter — the replacement EIN confirmation, equal in force to the CP575.
The call
- ☎️ +1 267-941-1099 (US Eastern, Mon-Fri 6:00-23:00)
- Menu keys: 1 → 1 → 4
- Ask the agent to fax the 147C while you're on the line — never choose mail (7-15 more days, and it can vanish again)
Have ready (the agent verifies each item)
- Company legal name, exactly as on the SS-4
- State of formation and formation date
- Your name (matching the SS-4 spelling)
- The company's US address
- Whether you hold an SSN or ITIN (answer: no)
- Your home address and date of birth
Don't count on a Mandarin interpreter being available. A more reliable trick: turn on your phone's Live Caption (English) + live translate (built into Android/Chrome; on iPhone under Settings → Accessibility → Live Captions) and read along in your language. You can still ask “I need a Mandarin interpreter, please” — just don't build the plan on it.
After the EIN: what's still owed
The EIN is the beginning of your US compliance, not the end. A foreign-owned single-member LLC still owes Form 5472 + pro-forma 1120 every year (the penalty for missing it starts at $25,000) and the BOI report. DIY what you can measure; hand the rest to an agent you trust — a cheap EIN followed by a missed 5472 is not a saving.
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About the author
ApplyRight is a done-for-you concierge service that has helped 100+ clients open US business bank accounts over the past 2 years. This guide reflects what we learn from real applications — not just banks' published policies. We update it as 2026 policies change.
Sources
- IRS documentation on EIN applications for international applicants (SS-4 fax route), timelines as officially quoted
- IRS international line 147C procedure (compiled 2026; menus and hours can change)