If you are applying for an E-2 visa, one of the requirements is that you set up an entity in the U.S. After you set up an entity, you will need to apply for an EIN. EIN is a number that is assigned to the business by IRS for identification.
How do I apply for an EIN?
If you have a U.S. Social Security Number, you can apply for an EIN online. A big advantage of applying for an EIN online is that the EIN is issued immediately and you don’t have to wait several weeks to get it.
If you do not have a Social Security Number, you can apply for an EIN by completing SS-4 form by fax or mail. This is a common issue many E-2 applicants have: because some of them have never been to the US/have never worked in the U.S. before, they don’t have a SSN, so their only option is to apply for the EIN by fax/mail.
When can I apply for an EIN?
You can apply for an EIN as soon as your U.S. business entity is set up (this usually only takes couple of days).
How long does it take to get EIN?
This will depend on how you apply for the EIN. As mentioned above, if you apply online, you will get the EIN immediately. If you apply by fax or mail, it currently takes around 2 months to get an EIN (but the processing timelines often change, so the process may speed up). Once IRS reviews and approves the application, they will mail an approval letter with the EIN to the address you put in the form.
What information I need to put in the EIN application?
You will need to input information such as the name of the company, address of the company, name of the responsible party, type of entity, date the business started, type of business, or amount of employees you plan to hire in the next year.
Please read our blog post on whether you can set up a second business on an E2 visa here.
Please see our blog post that goes over the difference between the E-1 and E-2 visa here.
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