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Free checklist

ITIN document checklist for non-U.S. applicants

Six things to have ready before you file Form W-7 — including the tax return or exception documents the W-7 has to come with. Read it below or get a copy by email.

Get the ITIN checklist by email

One email with the checklist. No follow-ups unless you reply.

What's inside

The six checklist items

  1. A valid passport (the one document that does it all)

    A current passport is the only document that proves both your identity and your foreign status on its own. Through a Certifying Acceptance Agent, the original is reviewed on a video call and a certified copy goes to the IRS — you don’t mail your original passport.

  2. No passport? Two documents, one with a photo

    Without a passport you need at least two of the documents the IRS accepts, such as a national ID card and a birth certificate, one with a photo. Copies must be certified by the agency that issued them — notarized copies are not accepted.

  3. The U.S. tax return, or your exception documents

    Form W-7 is attached to a federal tax return, such as Form 1040-NR. If you don’t need to file one yet, you need the documents for your exception instead — for example a letter from a bank or withholding agent, or the relevant excerpt of your LLC or partnership agreement.

  4. Your reason for applying

    Which W-7 box fits you: a nonresident filing a return, a treaty claim, a spouse or dependent, a student or researcher, or another reason. For a treaty claim, note the treaty country and article number.

  5. Your addresses, written out in full

    A mailing address where IRS letters reliably reach you, and your full foreign home address. Country names are written in full, not abbreviated — and any treaty country must match your foreign address.

  6. Visa, U.S. entry date and any earlier ITIN

    Your U.S. visa details and date of entry if you have them (or “Never entered the United States”), any tax number from your home country, and any ITIN or IRSN you had before — renewals must include the old ITIN.

Not sure what goes on each line? Read our Form W-7 line-by-line guide or see how you can get an ITIN without mailing your passport.

Illustration of a clipboard checklist with a passport, a tax return, an ID card and an envelope, three items ticked

Prefer to skip the DIY route?

If you’d rather have a Certifying Acceptance Agent prepare your W-7, certify your passport and file it for you, we can do that. The checklist is helpful either way.

Start your applicationTalk to a specialist

Or email support@itinnumber.io

  • Reply within one business dayA specialist reviews your case and outlines a clear plan.
  • Free resubmissionPriority and Complete include one free resubmission if the IRS rejects your application.
  • Refund before filingChange your mind before we file your W-7? Full refund, no questions.

Two clocks apply to every ITIN. Ours: we prepare and certify your application within 1–3 business days of receiving your documents and completing the video verification. The IRS’s: it says to allow 7 weeks, or 9–11 weeks from January 15 to April 30 or when you apply from abroad — and nobody can speed that up. We track your application through the IRS wait, follow up once the IRS window has passed, and tell you as soon as your ITIN is assigned. All prices are listed in USD with no hidden fees, and payments are made securely by debit or credit card through Razorpay. The IRS charges nothing for the ITIN itself.