Overview
A resident of Kenya needed an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) for U.S. tax reporting connected to a remote job with a U.S. company. Applying from abroad is hard, mainly because the standard process asks for original identity documents to be mailed overseas. In50States handled it as a Certifying Acceptance Agent, so the passport never left her hands.
The challenge
- Risk to the passport. The standard Form W-7 process asks applicants to send an original passport, or a copy certified by the agency that issued it, to the IRS. For someone abroad, mailing the main identity document can mean delay or loss.
- Strict IRS standards. Applications with the wrong certification or the wrong reason code can be rejected or take months longer.
- Timing. She needed a quick turnaround so that the tax reporting linked to her job would not be held up.
What we did
1. Passport verification
As an IRS Certifying Acceptance Agent, we examined her original Kenyan passport and certified it, and attached the Certificate of Accuracy (Form W-7 COA) that confirms her identity and foreign status. She did not have to mail the passport.
2. Form W-7
We prepared Form W-7 for a nonresident applicant who needs an ITIN for U.S. tax reporting, and checked that the supporting documents met IRS requirements, to reduce the chance of the IRS asking for more evidence.
3. Submission and follow-up
We sent the application to the IRS ITIN unit in Austin, Texas, and followed it until the IRS issued the ITIN.
The result
The IRS issued the ITIN about six weeks after the application, and the applicant kept her original passport the whole time. She could then use the ITIN on her U.S. federal tax filings.
An ITIN is for federal tax reporting only. It does not change immigration status or give permission to work in the United States. Timing varies from case to case.
What we delivered
- The Form W-7 package with the Certificate of Accuracy
- The IRS notice (CP565) confirming the ITIN assignment
