Form SS-4, line by line, for founders without a US SSN.

Form SS-4 is the application your LLC files with the IRS to get an Employer Identification Number, or EIN. It is short, mostly self-explanatory, and completely ordinary for a US-resident applicant. It is line 7b specifically that trips up almost every foreign founder, because the form was clearly written with a US applicant in mind first.

What line 7b actually asks

Line 7b asks for the SSN, ITIN, or EIN of the "responsible party" named on line 7a, the individual who controls, manages, or directs the entity and its funds. A US applicant fills this with their social security number without a second thought.

If you are a foreign individual with no SSN and no ITIN, the IRS instructions for Form SS-4 are explicit: write "Foreign" in that field. Not blank. Not N/A. The literal word "Foreign." Leaving it blank is one of the most common reasons a paper or faxed SS-4 gets kicked back or delayed.

The lines that matter alongside it

• Line 9a (type of entity): for a single-member LLC, check the LLC box and indicate the number of members. Do not check "sole proprietor," which is a different classification.
• Line 10 (reason for applying): "Started new business" is almost always the correct choice for a fresh formation.
• Line 18: the question about whether the entity has ever applied for an EIN before. Answer honestly; a "yes" here with no record can create its own back-and-forth.
• Third-party designee section: if a formation service is calling the IRS on your behalf, this section authorises them to do so, but only temporarily.

The third-party designee window closes fast

If someone else, such as your formation provider, is designated to receive the EIN and answer questions about the SS-4 on your behalf, that authority is not permanent. It generally ends the moment the EIN is assigned. If a follow-up question comes from the IRS after that point, the designee usually cannot act for you anymore without a separate, properly filed power of attorney (Form 2848), which itself generally requires a licensed attorney, CPA, or enrolled agent to file. Get the SS-4 right the first time; the safety net is thinner than people assume.

How foreign applicants actually file it

The IRS's online EIN assistant is not available to applicants without an SSN or ITIN. That leaves phone and fax as the realistic routes. Fax is generally the more predictable of the two for a foreign responsible party, since the phone line operates in US Eastern hours and getting through can take persistence. Whichever route you use, a handwritten signature is required; the IRS does not accept an e-signature on this form from a foreign applicant.