EIN Application from India: Complete Step-by-Step (Form SS-4)
Vikram Desai
April 13, 2026
Every Indian founder who forms a Delaware C-Corp or Wyoming LLC hits the same wall within 48 hours: the IRS online EIN application asks for a Social Security Number, which you don’t have. This guide tells you exactly what to do instead - Form SS-4, fax submission, and how to get your EIN in 4 business days without ever touching US soil.
Answer Capsule: Indian founders can get a US Employer Identification Number (EIN) without an SSN by completing IRS Form SS-4 and faxing it to +1-267-941-1099. The IRS issues EINs to non-US residents via fax within 4 business days or by mail within 4 weeks. The application is free. No visit to the US is required.
What Is an EIN and Why Does Your US Entity Need One?
An EIN (Employer Identification Number) is a 9-digit tax identification number - formatted as XX-XXXXXXX - issued by the US Internal Revenue Service to identify a business entity for federal tax purposes. It is the US equivalent of India’s CIN or TAN, but broader in scope.
Your Delaware C-Corp or Wyoming LLC cannot function without one. You need an EIN to open a US business bank account (Mercury, Relay, Brex), process payments through Stripe or PayPal, file federal tax returns (Form 1120 for C-Corps, Form 1065 for multi-member LLCs), hire US employees, and apply for business credit. Formation agents like Stripe Atlas and Doola build EIN acquisition into their onboarding because they know it’s a blocker.
The real question is not whether you need an EIN - you do - but how to get one from India without the documents US residents use. The IRS online portal at irs.gov requires the responsible party to have an SSN or ITIN. Since most Indian founders have neither, the portal is simply not an option.
There is no workaround for the online portal. You must go the Form SS-4 route.
Who This Guide Is For
This guide is written for Indian founders and SaaS builders who have already incorporated a US entity (or are planning to) and are based in India without a US Social Security Number. If you are a US citizen or green card holder, you can use the online EIN application and skip this entirely.
If you are an Indian resident who owns or directs a Delaware C-Corp, Wyoming LLC, or any other US legal entity, this is your playbook.
What Is Form SS-4 and How Does It Work for Non-US Residents?
Form SS-4 is the IRS’s official Application for Employer Identification Number. It is a two-page form available as a PDF at irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fss4.pdf. For non-US residents who cannot use the online portal, it is the only path to an EIN.
The form requires basic information about your entity: legal name, entity type (LLC, corporation, partnership), the reason for applying, the date the business started, and the identity of the “responsible party.” That last item is where most Indian founders make their first mistake.
The IRS defines the responsible party as the individual who controls, manages, or directs the entity and the disposition of its funds - in practice, this means a real human being, not another company. If you are the sole founder, that is you. The responsible party section (Line 7a) asks for a name, and Line 7b asks for an SSN, ITIN, or EIN. If you have none of these, you write “Foreign” in that field. This is explicitly permitted under IRS instructions for foreign applicants.
In our experience helping founders across Bangalore, Mumbai, and Delhi, the single most common SS-4 error is founders leaving Line 7b blank or writing “N/A” when they should write “Foreign.” The IRS returns those applications without processing.
How to Complete Form SS-4: Field-by-Field Walkthrough
Download the December 2025 revision of Form SS-4 from irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-ss-4. Open it in Adobe Acrobat, not your browser, or the fields may not save correctly when you print to PDF.
Line 1 - Legal name of entity: The exact name as it appears in your Certificate of Incorporation or Articles of Organization. If your entity is “Zeno Technologies Inc.,” write that exactly.
Line 2 - Trade name: Leave blank unless you operate under a DBA (Doing Business As) name.
Line 3 - Executor/trustee: Leave blank for most corporations and LLCs.
Lines 4a and 4b - Mailing address: You can use your India address here. The IRS will mail your EIN confirmation letter (CP 575) to this address. If you want the letter going to a US address (your registered agent, for instance), use that instead. We recommend using your India address so the CP 575 arrives directly.
Line 7a - Name of responsible party: Your legal name as it appears on your passport.
Line 7b - SSN, ITIN, or EIN: Write “Foreign” if you have none. Do not leave blank.
Line 8a - Is this an LLC? Check “Yes” if you formed an LLC. Then complete 8b (number of members) and 8c (if it was organized in the US, check yes).
Line 9a - Type of entity: For a single-member LLC, select “Sole proprietor.” For a multi-member LLC, select “Partnership.” For a C-Corp, select “Corporation” and write “1120” on the adjacent line. This is counterintuitive for single-member LLCs - you are not actually a sole proprietor, but the IRS treats a disregarded entity this way for tax classification purposes.
Line 10 - Reason for applying: Select “Started a new business.”
Line 11 - Date business started: The date your entity was incorporated or formed, as shown on your state’s certificate.
Line 12 - Closing month of accounting year: December for most founders using a calendar fiscal year. Confirm with your accountant if you plan a different fiscal year end.
Lines 13-15 - Employee and payroll information: Enter “0” for employees expected in the next 12 months if you have no immediate US payroll plans. Leave the payroll date fields blank.
Line 16 - Principal activity: Select the category that best describes your business. For SaaS: “Finance & insurance.” For e-commerce: “Retail & wholesale - products.” For consulting: “Other.”
Line 17 - Description of products/services: One sentence. “Software as a Service subscription platform” or “Digital marketing consulting services.”
Line 18 - Prior EIN applications: Check “No” unless you have previously applied.
Sign and date the form at the bottom. The responsible party (you) must sign it.
How to Submit Form SS-4 from India: Fax vs. Mail
The IRS accepts Form SS-4 from international applicants via two methods: fax and mail. The online portal is blocked to you without an SSN or ITIN. There is also a phone option, but it is impractical for most Indian founders - it requires calling the IRS at +1-267-941-1099 during US Eastern business hours (Monday to Friday, 7am to 7pm ET), staying on hold for 30-90 minutes, and verbally providing all Form SS-4 information to an agent. The fax method is faster, more reliable, and doesn’t require coordinating across time zones.
By fax (recommended): Fax your completed Form SS-4 to +1-267-941-1099. This is the IRS International EIN fax line. The IRS processes international fax applications within 4 business days and faxes your EIN back to the number you provide on the form - or mails the CP 575 confirmation letter if you don’t include a return fax number.
You almost certainly don’t own a physical fax machine. Use an online fax service: eFax, HelloFax, or Fax.Plus all work reliably from India. Pricing runs from $10 to $20 for a one-time send, or around $10/month for ongoing service. When sending via online fax, attach your SS-4 PDF and use +1-267-941-1099 as the destination number. Include a return fax number if you want the EIN faxed back rather than mailed.
By mail: Mail your completed Form SS-4 to:
Internal Revenue Service Attn: EIN International Operation Cincinnati, OH 45999 USA
Mail processing takes 4 weeks from receipt. Given international postal delays from India, the actual wait from sending to receiving your CP 575 letter is often 6-10 weeks. Unless you have no urgency at all, fax is the correct choice.
Cost: The IRS charges nothing for an EIN. The only cost is your online fax service, which is typically $10-$20. Any service charging more than $150 to “obtain your EIN” is marking up a free government process. We have helped dozens of founders skip these fees entirely by faxing SS-4 themselves.
What Happens After You Submit: EIN Timeline and What to Expect
After faxing to +1-267-941-1099, the IRS processes your application within 4 business days. If you included a return fax number on your application, the IRS faxes back a document showing your EIN. This is not the official CP 575 confirmation letter - that arrives by post to your mailing address within 4-6 weeks - but the fax return is sufficient for immediate use. Banks, Stripe, and Brex will all accept it.
If you do not include a return fax number, your only confirmation comes via mail. This creates a 4-6 week gap where you have submitted but have no proof of your EIN. Include a return fax number.
The CP 575 letter is your official IRS EIN confirmation. Keep it permanently. Banks, future CPAs, and IRS correspondence all reference this letter. If you lose it, you can call the IRS Business & Specialty Tax Line to receive a 147-C letter (a replacement confirmation), but it requires another international call and wait time.
One specific scenario to prepare for: if the IRS cannot match your SS-4 information to existing IRS records - which happens when a foreign individual has never filed anything with the IRS before - they may issue a letter (CP 575 or 147-C) requesting clarification. Respond promptly. Delays at this stage can push EIN issuance to 6+ weeks.
Common Mistakes That Cause Rejection or Delay
After structuring 300+ US entities for Indian founders, these are the errors I see repeatedly.
Leaving Line 7b blank instead of writing “Foreign.” This causes the IRS to reject the application as incomplete. “Foreign” is the explicit instruction in IRS Publication 1635 for applicants without a US taxpayer identification number.
Using the wrong entity type on Line 9a. A single-member LLC disregarded for tax purposes should be listed as “Sole proprietor” on Line 9a. Founders who list “Limited liability company” without filling in the LLC-specific boxes (8a, 8b, 8c) correctly create processing confusion.
Not signing the form. The IRS will not process an unsigned SS-4. The responsible party must sign at the bottom of page 2.
Using a formation agent’s address without clarifying the mailing address. If your registered agent’s address is on Line 4, your CP 575 letter goes there. Some registered agents discard mail that isn’t flagged in their instructions. Clarify with your agent that they will hold and forward IRS correspondence, or use your India address.
Applying for a new EIN when the entity already has one. If your formation agent (Stripe Atlas, Doola, Northwest) obtained an EIN as part of their service, you already have one. Check your formation documents before applying. The IRS does not revoke duplicate EINs, but it creates administrative confusion in your tax records.
India-side implication: The EIN is the identifier that connects your Indian ODI (Overseas Direct Investment) filing to your US entity. When you file the Annual Performance Report (APR) with the RBI by December 31 each year, you report your US entity’s financial details using the EIN as the entity identifier. If your EIN application is delayed, your APR filing is blocked. This is why we recommend obtaining your EIN within 30 days of formation - don’t wait until December.
Does Your EIN Situation Trigger Any Indian Compliance?
Getting an EIN does not, by itself, trigger any Indian regulatory requirement. It is a US tax registration, not an investment event. But the act of forming the US entity that requires the EIN almost certainly does trigger Indian compliance under FEMA.
If you are an Indian resident who has invested in a US entity - by paying incorporation fees, contributing capital, or transferring IP - you are required to file an ODI (Overseas Direct Investment) application with your AD (Authorized Dealer) bank. The master direction for ODI is the RBI’s Foreign Exchange Management (Overseas Investment) Directions, 2022 (RBI/2022-23/90). Non-compliance carries a penalty of INR 7,500 flat plus 0.025% of the investment amount per year of delay.
The EIN you obtain will appear in your APR filing. It signals to the RBI that your US entity is active and operating. Filing APR without proper ODI registration on record is a common trigger for RBI scrutiny.
In our experience filing ODI applications for clients, the most common oversight is founders who incorporated in the US, obtained their EIN, opened a bank account, started invoicing - and then discovered two years later that their ODI was never filed. The back-filing and penalty negotiation process is substantially more expensive than a clean upfront filing. File ODI before or immediately after formation, not when you remember.
For a detailed breakdown of ODI filing requirements, see our guide on FEMA compliance for Indian founders with US entities.
What ZenoLedger Handles for You
Getting an EIN is one step in a longer compliance chain. The practical sequence - formation, EIN, bank account, ODI filing, annual tax returns in both countries, APR - has enough interdependencies that doing any single step wrong creates problems downstream.
ZenoLedger manages the full cross-border compliance stack for Indian founders with US entities. We file Form SS-4 on your behalf, coordinate with your registered agent, track the EIN confirmation, and connect it directly to your ODI filing and ongoing RBI compliance.
If you want ZenoLedger to handle your EIN application as part of a complete formation and compliance engagement, book a free consultation. We turn around EIN applications in 4-7 business days and have never had a properly structured SS-4 rejected.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get an EIN number in India? Complete IRS Form SS-4 with your entity details and your name as the responsible party. On Line 7b, write “Foreign” where it asks for an SSN. Fax the completed form to +1-267-941-1099. The IRS issues EINs to international applicants within 4 business days by fax. There is no fee.
Can a non-US citizen get an EIN? Yes. Non-US citizens can obtain an EIN for a US business entity. The IRS online portal requires an SSN or ITIN, but non-residents can apply via Form SS-4 by fax or mail. The responsible party does not need to be a US citizen or resident.
What is Form SS-4? Form SS-4 is the IRS’s Application for Employer Identification Number. It is a two-page form that collects information about your entity - legal name, type, purpose, and the identity of the responsible party. For international applicants, it is the primary method to obtain an EIN. Download it at irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-ss-4.
Do I need an SSN to get an EIN? No. Indian founders without an SSN or ITIN can apply via Form SS-4 by writing “Foreign” in Line 7b. The online portal at irs.gov does require an SSN, which is why international applicants must use the fax or mail method instead.
How long does the EIN application take from India? By fax to +1-267-941-1099: 4 business days. By mail to the IRS Cincinnati office: 4 weeks from receipt in the US, plus international transit time (typically 6-10 weeks total). The fax method is the correct choice for founders who need their EIN quickly to open a bank account or activate a Stripe account.
What happens if I apply for an EIN twice? The IRS will issue two separate EINs. This creates a problem because your formation documents, bank accounts, and tax filings will be associated with one EIN, while the other sits unused. If this happens, call the IRS Business & Specialty Tax Line and request that the duplicate EIN be closed. It does not get cancelled - it simply becomes inactive.
Does getting an EIN require me to visit the US? No. The entire SS-4 process can be completed from India via online fax services. You do not need to appear in person at any US government office. The IRS mails the CP 575 confirmation to whatever mailing address you provide on the form.
What is the difference between EIN, FEIN, and TIN? EIN and FEIN (Federal Employer Identification Number) are identical - the same 9-digit number issued by the IRS. “TIN” (Taxpayer Identification Number) is an umbrella term that includes EINs, SSNs, and ITINs. When a US bank or payment processor asks for your TIN, they mean your EIN.