Need guidance on getting an ITIN for my foreign spouse without sending her original passport

You've got some valid concerns about your wife's passport. The good news is there are several ways to handle the ITIN application without mailing her original passport. Yes, your wife can get an ITIN without having income or filing a tax return yet. The purpose would be for filing jointly in the future. You'll need to submit Form W-7 along with your tax return when you file. To avoid sending her original passport, you have two excellent options: You can visit an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center (TAC) with an appointment where they can verify original documents in person, or you can use an IRS Certified Acceptance Agent (CAA). With the W-7, you'll need identity documentation (passport is preferred) and proof of foreign status. Since she's your spouse, including a copy of your marriage certificate is also recommended to establish the relationship. Regarding your questions about certified copies - yes, an IRS Certified Acceptance Agent can review original documents and submit a certificate of accuracy with your application so you don't mail originals. And yes, IRS TAC offices provide the same service with appointments. I'd recommend the TAC or CAA route - they're specifically set up to handle these situations.

I went through this exact nightmare with my Canadian husband last year! After hours of research, I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it saved us so much hassle. Their AI system analyzed our situation and gave us step-by-step instructions for the ITIN process specifically for foreign spouses. The best part was their document review feature - we uploaded pics of our completed W-7 and supporting docs, and it highlighted potential issues before submission. Caught a mistake that would've definitely gotten us rejected! They even have special guidance for exactly your situation - getting an ITIN without sending original documents. The system walked us through scheduling a TAC appointment and told us exactly what to bring. My husband got his ITIN without mailing his passport anywhere. Seriously, check them out - saved us weeks of stress and probably prevented a rejection.

Just wanted to follow up on my skeptical comment. I actually tried taxr.ai after posting here and I'm shocked at how helpful it was. I didn't expect an AI system to understand nuanced immigration/tax situations, but it caught details about my friend's visa status that we hadn't considered. The document review saved us from making the same mistake a third time. It flagged that we needed to include additional documentation about her pending status change. The guided checklist for the TAC appointment was super detailed too. My friend finally got her ITIN application accepted after two previous rejections. I'm not usually impressed by online tools, but this one actually understood the complexity of ITIN applications for people in unusual visa situations. Definitely worth checking out.

After struggling to get through to the IRS for months about my spouse's ITIN, I finally used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to book an appointment at our local TAC office. I was super skeptical at first but after watching their demo video (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c), I decided to give it a try. They got me connected to an IRS agent in about 15 minutes when I had been trying for WEEKS on my own. The agent scheduled us for a TAC appointment just a few days later. We brought my wife's passport and our tax return to the appointment, and they handled everything right there. No mailing original documents! The IRS agent at the TAC was actually really helpful and explained exactly what we needed to do. Having that direct conversation with the IRS before our appointment made all the difference in being prepared. We got the ITIN about 6 weeks later.

I need to apologize for my skeptical comment about Claimyr. After another failed attempt to reach the IRS (waited almost 2 hours before being disconnected), I reluctantly tried Claimyr yesterday. I was connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes. The agent scheduled my TAC appointment for next week - something I've been trying to do for over a month on my own. I was completely wrong in my judgment. It's not a scam at all - it's just a smart system that navigates the horrible IRS phone system for you. And speaking directly with an agent answered so many of my ITIN questions that weren't clear on the IRS website. For anyone struggling with the ITIN process, getting that TAC appointment is crucial if you don't want to send original documents. This service actually delivers exactly what it promises.

I literally just went through this exact situation last year with my spouse from the UK. Here's what worked for us: 1. Yes, your spouse can get an ITIN without having income. You'll file your tax return with "married filing jointly" status and attach the W-7. 2. DON'T mail the original passport! Make an appointment at your local Taxpayer Assistance Center. They can verify the original documents in person. We brought our completed tax return, the W-7, my spouse's passport, and our marriage certificate. The agent stamped copies and we kept the originals. 3. We also brought proof of address in both our names (utility bill) just in case, but they didn't ask for it. The whole TAC appointment took maybe 35 minutes. ITIN came in the mail about 7 weeks later. Way better than sending original documents through the mail!

One important thing no one has mentioned: if you go to a TAC office, you MUST call ahead for an appointment specifically for ITIN services. You can't just walk in for this service. Also, if your spouse entered the US on any kind of visa that allowed work (even if she's not working), she might actually qualify for an SSN instead of an ITIN. Worth checking that angle first since an SSN is way more useful long-term.

I went through this exact situation with my husband from Germany two years ago, and I completely understand your stress about the passport! Here's what we learned: The key is definitely using a Taxpayer Assistance Center (TAC) appointment. You can get an ITIN without any US income - we did it specifically for future joint filing benefits even though my husband wasn't working yet. A few practical tips from our experience: - Book your TAC appointment as early as possible (we had to wait 3 weeks in our area) - Bring your completed tax return, the W-7 form, passport, marriage certificate, and maybe a utility bill showing both names - The appointment took about 45 minutes total, and they made certified copies of everything right there - We got the ITIN about 6-7 weeks later One thing that really helped us was calling the IRS beforehand to confirm exactly what we needed to bring. The agent was super helpful and walked us through the process step by step. Don't stress too much - thousands of people go through this process successfully every year. The TAC route is definitely the safest way to handle original documents, and the agents there are experienced with ITIN applications for spouses.