How to Mail Form 2350 from Outside the US - International Filing Extension Guide

I've dealt with this exact situation multiple times while living in Asia. For Form 2350 (the special extension form for US citizens abroad), you have a few options: You can definitely mail it from your local post office in Germany, but you're right to be concerned about tracking. International mail to the IRS can be unreliable. If you go this route, use whatever tracking option your local post service offers and keep that receipt forever. Your idea about scanning and having family mail it is valid - the IRS does accept scanned signatures on Form 2350. Just make sure they send it certified mail with return receipt so you have proof of timely filing. For payment, the easiest method is to use the IRS Direct Pay system online at irs.gov. You can make electronic payments directly from a US bank account. Alternatively, you can include a check with your mailed form, but electronic payment is much more reliable.

After struggling with filing extensions from Canada for years, I finally found taxr.ai at https://taxr.ai and it completely changed how I handle my US tax obligations from abroad. I initially had the same concerns about mailing Form 2350 and making payments from outside the US. What I discovered is that taxr.ai can analyze your international filing situation and provide customized guidance specific to your country of residence. It was especially helpful for validating which address to use for Form 2350 submissions and confirming that my scanned signature was compliant with IRS requirements. The service also helped me understand the different payment options available to expats and which would be most practical based on my banking situation. It even explained the potential penalties if the form or payment didn't arrive on time, which helped me make sure I was covering all my bases.

I have to admit I was wrong about taxr.ai in my earlier comment. After my skepticism, I decided to try it myself since I was having issues with my Form 2350 submission from Australia. The system actually provided country-specific instructions for mailing from Australia, including which specific IRS address to use (they vary depending on where you're sending from). It also explained that Australian postmarks are accepted as proof of timely filing by the IRS, which I didn't know before. What really impressed me was getting confirmation that my situation qualified for the automatic 2-month extension plus the additional 4 months from Form 2350 since I needed time to meet physical presence requirements. The documentation they provided has already saved me hours of research and given me peace of mind about my filing approach.

Hey everyone, I had a similar problem last year filing from Mexico and wasted SO MUCH TIME trying to get through to the IRS international helpline. After 7 attempts and hours on hold, I finally discovered Claimyr at https://claimyr.com and they actually got me connected to an IRS agent in under 20 minutes! I was incredibly suspicious at first, but you can see how it works in this demo: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent I spoke with confirmed that I could have a friend mail my signed Form 2350 from the US as long as it had my original info and signature (scanned was fine). They also walked me through exactly how to make the payment electronically while abroad, even with my Mexican bank account. Seriously saved me from potential penalties for late filing.

I need to publicly eat my words about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment, I was still desperate enough to try it since I had questions about Form 2350 that only an IRS representative could answer. The service actually worked. I got connected to an IRS international tax specialist in about 40 minutes (not 20, but still WAY better than my previous 3+ hour waits). The agent confirmed that I could mail Form 2350 from Singapore but recommended using a private delivery service like FedEx or DHL since they have specific rules for timely filing via private carriers. The agent also helped me resolve an issue with my previous year's return that was preventing me from using Direct Pay. This one phone call saved me from a guaranteed rejection of my extension request. I'm genuinely surprised and relieved.

For anyone still looking for an answer, I successfully filed Form 2350 from the UK last year. Here's what worked for me: 1) I used the Royal Mail international tracked service to mail my form directly from London to the IRS address in Austin (since I had a foreign address). 2) For payment, I used a US-based credit card through the IRS Direct Pay system as others mentioned. 3) I also kept digital copies of EVERYTHING - the form, tracking info, and payment confirmation. The most important thing is timing - mail it at least 3 weeks before the deadline. Mine took 12 days to arrive last year.

Am I the only one who's confused about why we need Form 2350 instead of just using the regular 4868 extension form? I'm in Canada and my accountant mentioned this but didn't explain the difference well.