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International Expansion

ITIN Application

An ITIN is the number the IRS issues to a person who has a US tax obligation but cannot get a Social Security Number, which describes almost every Pakistani owner of a US company. You need one to file a personal US return, to claim a treaty rate on tax withheld from you, and to satisfy a bank or a platform asking for a US taxpayer number. The application is paper only, and it is refused for small documentary reasons far more often than for substantive ones.

Start a projectWhat’s included

Scope

What'sincluded

Everything below is in the standard engagement. Anything outside it is agreed in writing before the work starts, never after.

  • Eligibility checked against the IRS reasons for applying, before anything is prepared
  • Form W-7 completed with the correct reason code and its supporting explanation
  • Identity and foreign status evidence assembled, with a valid passport as the single sufficient document
  • The federal tax return or exception documentation the W-7 has to be attached to
  • Submission to the IRS ITIN Operation, and the correspondence handled if they write back
  • Renewal of an existing ITIN that has expired through disuse

Who this is for

Built for three situations

  • Owners of a US LLC or corporation
  • People with US tax withheld from them
  • Anyone asked for a US taxpayer number

Process

How thisactually runs

  1. Eligibility

    We confirm you actually need an ITIN and establish which of the IRS reason codes applies to you. A wrong code is the single most common reason a W-7 comes back unprocessed.

  2. Documents

    Passport and supporting evidence checked against what the IRS accepts, and the certification route agreed so that you do not have to post your original passport out of the country.

  3. Filing

    Form W-7 lodged together with the return or the exception documentation it must accompany, since a W-7 submitted on its own is not a complete application.

  4. Follow-through

    IRS correspondence answered and the assignment letter delivered to you, with the number recorded wherever your bank, your accountant and your platforms need it.

Deliverables

What you end up holding

  • A completed and lodged Form W-7 with its full supporting pack
  • Certified copies of the identity documents used
  • The IRS notice assigning your ITIN
  • The return or exception documentation filed alongside the application

What we need from you

Documents required

  • A valid, unexpired passport
  • Proof of the US tax reason: your LLC documents, a platform notice or a withholding statement
  • Your US entity’s EIN letter, where the application is connected to a company
  • A prior ITIN letter, if you are renewing rather than applying

Missing something? Tell us anyway. We can usually work around a gap, and it is better to know before we start.

Next step

Tell us your situation and we will scope it.

Talk to us about it

Scope, fee and dates confirmed in writing before anything starts.

Questions

AboutITIN Application

  • Do I have to post my original passport to the IRS?

    Not if the copies are certified for you. A Certifying Acceptance Agent verifies the passport and certifies it to the IRS, and the issuing authority can also certify a copy. Both routes keep the original in your hands, which matters, because the IRS holds original documents for the duration of processing.

  • How long does the IRS take?

    The IRS runs to roughly seven weeks outside peak season and nine to eleven weeks during it, measured from the day a complete application reaches them. An incomplete application restarts rather than continues, which is the whole case for getting it right the first time.

  • Is an ITIN the same thing as an EIN?

    No. An EIN identifies a business to the IRS and is issued to your company. An ITIN identifies a person and is issued to you. A US LLC needs an EIN; you may separately need an ITIN if you have to file a personal US return or claim a treaty benefit.

  • Does an ITIN give me the right to work or live in the US?

    No. It is a tax processing number and nothing more. It confers no immigration status, no work authorisation and no entitlement to social security benefits, and the IRS says exactly that on the assignment letter.

  • My ITIN has stopped working. What happened?

    An ITIN that has not appeared on a federal return for three consecutive years expires. It is renewed on the same Form W-7, marked as a renewal, and we handle a renewal the same way as a first application.

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