How Non-Residents Get an EIN Verification Letter

An EIN verification letter is the IRS document that confirms your Employer Identification Number and the legal name attached to it. For non-resident founders, the practical question is which letter you actually receive, because the IRS issues two different documents depending on how you applied. This guide walks through both, the order in which they arrive, and what to do when your US LLC was formed without an SSN.

What is an EIN verification letter?

An EIN verification letter is an official IRS notice that states your Employer Identification Number alongside your entity's exact legal name and mailing address. There are two versions: the CP 575, which the IRS sends once when your EIN is first assigned, and the 147C, which the IRS issues later if you need a replacement confirmation. Banks, payment processors, and accountants accept either one, so the goal is simply to have a current copy on file.

The distinction matters because the CP 575 is never reissued. If you lose it, the IRS does not print another original. Instead it produces a 147C letter, which serves the identical verification purpose. Many non-resident founders only learn this after they have misplaced the first notice, so it helps to know the path before you need it.

What is the difference between a CP 575 and a 147C?

The CP 575 and the 147C both verify the same EIN, but they are generated at different moments and by different processes. The CP 575 is the automatic confirmation notice the IRS produces the moment your EIN is assigned. The 147C is a letter you must request from the IRS afterward, and it exists specifically because the agency will not reprint the CP 575.

• CP 575: issued once, automatically, when the EIN is granted. It arrives by mail to the address on the application. You cannot ask for a duplicate.
• 147C: issued on request, as a replacement confirmation. The IRS sends it by mail or by fax to the entity's authorized contact after a phone call.

For everyday purposes the two letters are interchangeable. A bank reviewing your file does not care whether it is looking at a CP 575 or a 147C, only that the EIN, legal name, and entity type line up with the rest of your documents. The one practical difference is speed and effort: the CP 575 simply shows up after you file the SS-4, while the 147C requires an identity-verified phone call to the IRS. If you keep a clean digital copy of the CP 575 from day one, you may never need to request a 147C at all.

How does a non-resident get the EIN and its confirmation letter?

A non-resident gets an EIN by filing IRS Form SS-4 without a Social Security Number, and the confirmation letter follows from how that form is submitted. Because you have no SSN or ITIN, the online IRS EIN assistant will reject your application. Non-resident founders file the SS-4 by fax or by mail instead, listing the responsible party and writing "Foreign" in the field that asks for an SSN or ITIN.

Here is the sequence in the order it actually happens:

1. Form your US entity first. The SS-4 asks for the legal name of the LLC, so the company must exist before you apply for the number.
2. Complete Form SS-4, naming a responsible party who is a real individual, not a company.
3. Submit the SS-4 by fax to the IRS number for applicants with no US legal residence, or by mail.
4. Wait. By fax the IRS typically takes a few weeks to assign the number and return the confirmation; by mail it is longer. No one can promise a date, because the IRS controls the timing.
5. Receive the CP 575 notice. Save it as a PDF and store the original. This is your first EIN verification letter.

The EIN itself is free. The IRS never charges for an EIN or for the confirmation notice. You only pay a provider to prepare and file the paperwork correctly, never for the number. The value of getting help is in avoiding the errors that cause re-filing: a wrong responsible party, an entity name that does not match the formation documents, or a fax that never reaches the right IRS unit. Each of those can add weeks to a process the IRS already controls the clock on.

Getting your EIN without an SSN

If you are forming a US company from abroad and have no Social Security Number, the cleanest route is to have your entity, EIN application, and US presence handled together so the names and addresses match across every document. Mismatches between your formation paperwork and your SS-4 are the most common reason a confirmation letter gets delayed or a bank later rejects the file.

CORPBOLT is a U.S. business formation service for non-resident founders that forms a Wyoming LLC for founders abroad and prepares the EIN, registered agent, and US address. Plans start from $349/year, with the EIN included from $599. (corpbolt.com)

Forming the Wyoming LLC, preparing the SS-4, providing the registered agent, and supplying a US business address from one place means the legal name on the EIN application matches the name on file with the Wyoming Secretary of State, and the mailing address the IRS uses to return your CP 575 is one you actually monitor. That alignment is what makes the verification letter usable later, when a bank or processor asks for it.

How do you replace a lost EIN verification letter?

You replace a lost EIN verification letter by requesting a 147C from the IRS, because the original CP 575 is never reissued. The 147C is the official substitute and is accepted everywhere the CP 575 is. The request is made by phone to the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line, and the agent verifies your identity before releasing the letter.

For a non-resident founder the steps look like this:

• Call the IRS line that handles international business callers. The general Business and Specialty Tax Line operates during US Eastern business hours, so plan the call around your own time zone.
• Be ready to confirm the legal name, the EIN if you have it, the responsible party, and the address on file. The IRS will not give the letter to someone it cannot verify against its records.
• Ask for the 147C to be sent by fax if you can receive one, which is faster than mail. International mail delivery of IRS letters can take a long time.

Consider a founder in Lagos, Nigeria whose CP 575 was posted to a US mail address she had stopped checking. The number existed and was valid, but the paper letter was effectively lost. A single verified phone call to the IRS produced a 147C by fax within the same week, and her account application moved forward. The human step, getting a real person on the IRS line and answering the identity questions correctly, is what unblocked the file. A confirmed US address that you genuinely receive mail at prevents the problem in the first place.

Why do banks and processors ask for the EIN verification letter?

Banks and payment processors ask for the EIN verification letter because it is the IRS's own confirmation that the EIN belongs to the exact legal entity named on the document. Self-reported numbers on a form are not enough for their compliance checks. The CP 575 or 147C ties the number, the legal name, and the entity type together in a single government-issued record they can rely on.

This is also why name consistency is not a formality. If your Wyoming LLC is registered as one name with the Wyoming Secretary of State, and a slightly different name appears on the EIN letter, the reviewer has to reconcile the difference before approving anything. A missing "LLC" suffix, a swapped comma, or an abbreviation that does not match the formation record is enough to stall a compliance review. Getting formation and the EIN done together keeps that name identical from the start, which is one less thing a reviewer can flag.

To be precise about what a formation service can and cannot do here: a provider can prepare you to open an account by getting your documents in order, but it does not open accounts or introduce you to a bank. The bank or platform always decides. Preparation means your EIN letter, formation documents, registered agent, and US address are assembled and consistent, which is what these reviews check.

What information appears on the letter, and how should you store it?

An EIN verification letter shows the nine-digit EIN, the entity's full legal name, the mailing address the IRS has on record, and the form the entity is expected to file. For a single-member LLC owned by a non-resident, the letter reflects the name exactly as it was entered on the SS-4, which is why precision on that form matters so much.

• Store a digital copy. Scan or photograph the CP 575 the day it arrives and save a clear PDF. You will be asked for it repeatedly.
• Keep the original safe. Because the CP 575 is one-time only, treat the paper as a record you do not want to lose.
• Note the exact legal name. Reuse that spelling, punctuation, and capitalization everywhere, on bank applications, on processor onboarding, and on tax forms.
• Confirm the address. If the address on the letter is one you no longer use, fixing it early avoids future mail going somewhere you cannot reach.

FAQ

Can I get an EIN verification letter without a Social Security Number?

Yes. A non-resident with no SSN files Form SS-4 by fax or mail, writing "Foreign" where the form asks for an SSN or ITIN, and the IRS returns the CP 575 confirmation by mail. The lack of an SSN does not prevent the EIN or its verification letter; it only rules out the online application.

How long does the EIN confirmation take by fax?

By fax the IRS typically takes a few weeks to assign the EIN and return the confirmation, though the IRS controls the exact timing and no provider can promise a date. Mail is slower, especially for international delivery, which is why fax is the common route for founders abroad.

Is the CP 575 or the 147C the official EIN verification letter?

Both are official. The CP 575 is the original notice sent once when the EIN is assigned, and the 147C is the replacement confirmation the IRS issues on request. Banks and processors accept either as proof of your EIN.

Does it cost money to get the EIN or the verification letter?

No. The EIN and its confirmation letter are free directly from the IRS. Any fee you pay to a formation service is for preparing and filing the application and the surrounding documents, never for the number itself.

What should I do if the legal name on my EIN letter is wrong?

If the legal name on your EIN verification letter does not match your Wyoming LLC's registered name, correct it with the IRS before using the letter, because banks reconcile the EIN letter against your formation documents. Keeping formation and the EIN application aligned from the start is the simplest way to avoid the mismatch.

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