Any one that is in one of the following categories and does not have, never has had or is ineligible for a U.S. Social Security Number:
Note: If UW students are employed while studying, they must apply for a Social Security Number. A form from the Social Security Administration showing denial of a Social Security Number is required before attempting to obtain an ITIN. Alternatively, UW students who will not be working while studying in the U.S. will not have to apply for an SSN. Those students will need a letter from the ISS office stating that they will not be securing employment while in the U.S.
No! It is only used by an individual for identity purposes with the IRS.
Yes, but with difficulty. The process is described in IRS Publication 1915.
IRS offices outside the United States that can assist in the process are located in Bonn, Germany; London, England; Mexico City, Mexico; Paris, France; Rome, Italy; Singapore and Tokyo, Japan.
By mail to Austin, TX with original documents or documents certified by the issuing agency of the foreign country, or documents certified by a notary at a US Consulate or Embassy. There are normally monetary charges for the agency certifying the documents. If original documents are submitted, they are out of the possession of the individual for six to nine weeks or more. There is also the possibility of loss of the documents.
ITIN's can also be applied by visiting one of the IRS's delegated offices listed on the website http://www.irs.gov/localcontacts/article/0,,id=98343,00.html.
The UW is a Certified Acceptance Agent with a contract with the IRS. Authority is delegated to persons assigned as responsible parties. These individuals can be reached by e-mail to itin@u.washington.edu.
Appointments to process W-7s are required. It is preferable that you schedule one at least 48 hours in advance, by sending an e-mail requesting a date and time to itin@u.washington.edu. This will help assure that one of the responsible parties are available at the time you need an appointment. You will receive a reply to your email letting you know whether the time is available, where the applicant will need to go and what documentation they will need to bring.
If you have a large group arriving at the same time, it may be possible for one or more of the responsible parties to come to a location outside of their office. The only requirement is pre-arrangement and a readily available copy machine.
Service is free to the department and applicant. At this time we are only processing individuals who have a direct connection with the UW (students or employee dependents, NRA lecturers, consultants, etc)
The actual meeting with the applicant takes ten to fifteen minutes, due to making copies of all documents. Having the application paperwork completed as much as possible before the appointment will help speed up the appointment.
The application must be submitted to the IRS within five days. The responsible party will normally mail the application to the IRS either the same day as the meeting, or the next business day to the IRS.
Please allow six to nine weeks for the IRS to process the application. If after nine weeks an individual has not received their letter or if any information on it is incorrect, the applicant needs to contact itin@u.washington.edu for assistance.
For ITIN's processed through the University of Washington, send email to itin@u.washington.edu.
