Get your U.S. ITIN — without mailing your passport

ITINNumber.io is a private online service that works as an IRS-authorized Certifying Acceptance Agent (CAA). We prepare Form W-7 — the IRS application for an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) — verify your passport, certify a copy, and submit everything to the IRS together with your tax return or exception documents. We then follow up until your ITIN is assigned. We are not the IRS or a government agency.

No. An ITIN (often called an "ITIN number") is the tax processing number the IRS issues to people who need one for U.S. federal tax purposes and can't get a Social Security number. An ITIN is a nine-digit number that begins with 9 and is formatted like an SSN (9XX-XX-XXXX). ITINNumber.io is the name of our company, which helps you apply for one. Your ITIN always comes from the IRS.

Not when you apply through us. Our Certifying Acceptance Agent verifies your passport and certifies a copy that goes to the IRS with your W-7. You keep your original passport — you may need it for bank and international KYC checks, or to travel, while the IRS processes your application. You don’t need a certified copy from a U.S. embassy or consulate, or from your passport office — our Certifying Acceptance Agent certifies the copy. For dependents, a Certifying Acceptance Agent can authenticate only the passport and birth certificate; other dependent documents must be originals or certified copies sent to the IRS.

There are two clocks. Ours: we prepare and certify your application within 1–3 business days of receiving your documents. The IRS's: Plan for 6–12 weeks for the IRS to process an ITIN application. The IRS says to allow 7 weeks for an ITIN decision, or 9–11 weeks if you apply during peak season (January 15 – April 30) or from overseas. Nobody — no agent and no paid service — can make the IRS process an ITIN faster. We track your application through the wait and follow up once the IRS window has passed.

Usually, yes. Form W-7 must be attached to a valid federal income tax return unless you qualify for one of the exceptions listed in the W-7 instructions. Exceptions 1–5 cover third-party withholding on passive income (including partnership income and bank interest), tax treaty benefits, mortgage interest reporting, dispositions of U.S. real property (FIRPTA), and TD 9363 reporting obligations. We check which applies to you before anything is filed, and the ITIN Complete package includes the return itself, prepared by an enrolled agent or CPA.

Yes. The IRS charges nothing for an ITIN. You can mail your W-7 with your original documents (or copies certified by the issuing agency) to the IRS in Austin, Texas, or book an appointment at an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center if you are in the U.S. People use a Certifying Acceptance Agent so they don't have to mail their original passport, and to have the W-7 checked first. Applications filed through a Certifying Acceptance Agent were rejected 12.3% of the time, against 27.3% when originals were mailed to the IRS and 18.4% through IRS offices (National Taxpayer Advocate, CY2023 to September 2024).

We review your W-7, documents and exception proof before filing specifically to prevent a rejection. If the IRS still rejects the application (notice CP567), we explain the reason in plain English, and the ITIN Priority and ITIN Complete packages include one free resubmission. If the IRS asks for more information instead (notice CP566), we prepare the reply with you.

We work as an IRS-authorized Certifying Acceptance Agent under an agreement with the IRS — our Verify us page shows how to check that. But ITINNumber.io is a private service: we are not the IRS, not a government agency, and not a law firm, CPA firm, or bank. The IRS charges nothing for an ITIN. Our fee covers preparation, document certification, filing and follow-up.