The ITIN is the key to almost everything financial for people living in the United States without a Social Security number: filing taxes, opening some accounts, getting a credit card and starting to build credit history. You apply with an IRS form, the W-7, and the process isn’t hard, but there are a couple of choices worth getting right so you don’t spend months without your passport.
Quick answer You apply for an ITIN with IRS Form W-7, usually together with your federal tax return, and documents that prove your identity and foreign status. You can mail it, apply at an IRS office by appointment, or go through a Certifying Acceptance Agent. The IRS doesn’t charge for it.
What the ITIN is and what it isn’t
It’s a nine-digit tax processing number that starts with 9. It lets you meet your federal tax obligations, and many banks and card issuers accept it to identify you.
What it does not do: it doesn’t authorize you to work, it doesn’t change your immigration status and it doesn’t make you eligible for Social Security benefits.
The documents you need
- A valid passport: the only document that works on its own, because it proves both identity and foreign status.
- If you don’t have a passport: you need at least two documents from the IRS list, one of them with a photo, such as a national ID card and a driver’s license.
- Originals or copies certified by the issuing agency. Regular photocopies, even notarized ones, are not accepted.
Check the full, current list in the Form W-7 instructions on the IRS website before you gather anything.
Three ways to apply
- By mail to the IRS. You send the W-7, your return and original or certified documents. It’s free, but you are without your passport for weeks until it comes back.
- Through a Certifying Acceptance Agent (CAA). These are IRS-authorized professionals who review your documents and send copies they certify, so you keep your passport. They usually charge for the service; ask the price first.
- At an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center (TAC), by appointment. Some verify documents on the spot and hand them back.
If you need your passport, for travel or as everyday ID, options 2 and 3 are usually worth it.
How long it takes
The IRS estimates about seven weeks from receiving a complete application, longer during tax season, from January to April, or if you apply from abroad. A mistake on the form or a document that isn’t accepted restarts the wait, so check everything twice.
When it expires
An ITIN expires if you don’t use it on a federal tax return for three consecutive years. You renew it with the same Form W-7. If you plan to use it for your credit history, keep it active by filing every year.
Watch out for overcharging
The application itself is free. Be wary of anyone charging a lot to “get you” an ITIN, promising impossible timelines or asking to keep your original documents without being a certifying agent. Be even more wary of anyone offering a number to replace a Social Security number.
After the ITIN
Once you have the number, the order that works is to open an account at a bank or credit union that accepts it, get a secured or starter card that reports to all three bureaus, and use it carefully. In six months you can have your first credit score.
Related articles
Official sources
To check what this guide explains, these are the official references. If a rule changes, the official version always prevails.
- IRS: Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN): who can apply and how it is renewed.
- IRS: Form W-7: the official ITIN application form and its instructions.
- CFPB: credit reports and scores: what is in your report, how scores are used and how to dispute errors.
