Applicant onboarding guide
What to expect in the guided ITIN (Form W-7) application flow — from confirming eligibility, through documents and payment, to your tracking link and final interview appointment.
Who this guide is for
You're applying for an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) and want to understand the flow before you start. This page walks through every screen you'll see, the documents you'll be asked to upload, and what happens after you click submit. If you're new to ITINs entirely, the What is ITIN Applications? overview is a better starting point; come back here when you're ready to apply.
Before you start
The application takes most applicants 15–30 minutes if you have your documents and payment method ready. You can save your progress and return on the same device.
- Eligibility: ITINs are issued by the IRS to individuals who need a U.S. taxpayer identification number but are not eligible for a Social Security Number. Confirm the criteria on the IRS ITIN page before you start.
- Identification documents: You will be asked to upload proof of identity and foreign status (typically a valid passport, or a combination of national ID + birth certificate + visa where applicable). Originals or certified copies are required at the final in-person verification step — the upload here is for our review, not the IRS.
- Payment method: A credit or debit card. The exact fee in your currency is shown on the Pricing page and again on the Pay & Submit screen before you confirm.
- Email address you control: All status updates and your tracking link are emailed to the address you provide. Use one you check, not a throwaway.
If you're unsure whether you actually need an ITIN, or whether a CAA / IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center route is right for you, see ITIN filing options for a neutral comparison.
The 9-step application
The application form is a 9-step guided wizard. Each step validates before letting you continue, and you can go back to edit earlier answers from the review screen.
- Why? — Tell us why you need an ITIN: a new application or a renewal. This determines which downstream questions are relevant to you.
- Eligibility — A short series of yes/no questions that confirms your eligibility based on your tax situation (e.g. visa type, U.S. residency status, dependent vs. primary filer). Wrong answers here don't trap you — the form will tell you if a different IRS path fits you better.
- Documentation — Review and prepare the required supporting documents. You'll see exactly which documents the IRS expects for your specific eligibility path so you can gather them before continuing.
- Person Details — Enter your personal information (legal name, date and country of birth, mailing address, etc.) exactly as it appears on your identification documents. Mismatches between the form and your documents are the #1 reason applications get bounced back, so take this step slowly.
- Review — A read-only summary of every answer so far. Edit anything that looks wrong before you continue — once you submit, edits go through your agent rather than the form.
- Pay & Submit — The exact platform service fee is shown in your local currency. After payment, your application is submitted and you'll receive a confirmation email with your tracking ID — save this; it's how you check status on Track Application.
- Upload Docs — Securely upload your identification documents (PDF or image, up to 10 files, 10 MB each). This is for our team's review; the IRS will see originals or certified copies at the final in-person step.
- Doc Verification — Our agents review and verify what you uploaded. If anything needs to be re-uploaded (e.g. a page was cropped or unreadable), you'll receive an email asking for the correction, and the tracking page lets you upload again without re-doing the whole application.
- Appointment — Schedule your in-person or video interview to finalize and validate your application. This is where original documents (or IRS-certified copies) are reviewed and the package is submitted to the IRS on your behalf.
After you submit
Your tracking ID is the link between the email confirmation you received and the Track Application page. Bookmark it; you'll need it for every status check.
- Status updates by email: You'll get an email at each milestone — documents received, documents verified, appointment scheduled, application submitted to the IRS, and (eventually) ITIN issued.
- If your agent needs something: The Track Application page surfaces an "additional documents" upload whenever your agent has requested them. You'll get an email when this is needed.
- IRS processing time: Once submitted to the IRS, processing typically takes 7–11 weeks per current IRS guidance — we don't control that timeline. The Track Application page will update once we have the IRS response.
- Receiving your ITIN: The IRS mails the ITIN to the address on the W-7. We'll also record the last four digits on your tracking page so you can confirm the number matches when the IRS letter arrives.
Common questions
The FAQ covers the questions we get asked most often (eligibility edge cases, document substitutions, what to do if a document is in a non-English language, etc.). If your question isn't there, Contact & support has the email address that reaches our team directly.
Privacy & data handling
Your documents are stored encrypted at rest and only accessible to the agent assigned to your case. The Data handling & compliance overview describes how long documents are retained, what's deleted after IRS submission, and how to request deletion. The Privacy Policy and Terms of Service are the binding versions.
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