Apply to the IRS, which charges nothing; never pay a site for the number itself. If the company has a US principal place of business and you have an SSN or ITIN, apply online and the EIN is issued immediately. A founder outside the US without either cannot use the online form: fill Form SS-4 for the company, then call the IRS international line on 267-941-1099 (6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern, Monday to Friday), which assigns the EIN during the call, or fax the form to 304-707-9471 and get the EIN back in about 4 business days; mail is the slowest route. Stripe Atlas files for the EIN as part of incorporating a Delaware company and lets you accept payments before it arrives, which is the simplest route from India.
The IRS page for applying for an EIN: free, issued immediately online for applicants with a US principal place of business and an SSN or ITIN, and by phone, fax or mail for everyone else.
The official instructions, including the international phone line (267-941-1099, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern, weekdays) that issues an EIN on the call, and the Fax-TIN route (304-707-9471 from outside the US) that returns one in about 4 business days.
The most popular guided path to a Delaware C-corp for global and first-time founders, with Cooley-drafted templates, EIN, founder stock, and 83(b) handling in one flow. It removes almost all the guesswork.
The attorney-favourite platform for clean, fundable startup paperwork, run by startup lawyers obsessed with avoiding due-diligence problems. Its free founder handbooks are excellent even if you incorporate elsewhere.
