Passport sent with W7 Itin application

[Afghanguy 6]

hi all,

 

i want to apply for a ITIN # for my wife..has anyone sent in their real passport with the application if so how long did it take to get approved and get your passport back?

 

thanks

[Crazy Cat 41,143]

**Moved to Tax and Finances During US Immigration****

[JeanneAdil 6,398]

u can only file w7 with tax returns 

Have u done the IRS to extend your returns?

If not u need 1040x

and i would not send original passport /i would get a certified copy done and send that

 

Original documents you submit will be returned to you at the mailing address shown on your Form W-7. You don’t need to provide a return envelope. Applicants are permitted to include a prepaid Express Mail or courier envelope for faster return delivery of their documents and to ensure the secure delivery of valuable documents, such as passports. The IRS will then return the documents in the envelope provided by the applicant. If your original documents aren’t returned within 60 days, you can call the IRS (see Telephone help, earlier). If you will need your documents for any purpose within 60 days of submitting your ITIN application

[top_secret 2,275]

My wife's certified passport copy disappeared into an IRS black hole for like 5 months with no traceability and only generic answers as to when it would be returned.  It was eventually returned via ordinary first class mail without tracking, like a whole month after the ITIN was issued.   Things are allegedly better now than they were a couple of years ago and for us it was no big deal because it was a certified copy.  But, I would still be highly hesitant to do it with a real passport while in the middle of any type of immigration process.

[TVQT1993 20]

We got her passport back promptly. Timeline:

 

1/23/2023: Mailed package to IRS ITIN processing center in Austin Texas via USPS certified mail. Package included Form 1040 married filing jointly (With my SSN as primary, and her SSN/ITIN field blank), a statement that we are making an election under IRC 6013(g) to treat my wife as a resident alien for the purpose of our U.S. tax return, Form W-7 applying for ITIN, and her foreign passport.

 

1/27/2023: Package received and signed for by IRS Austin.

 

3/8/2023: Received Notice CP565, dated 3/3, assigning my wife an ITIN.

 

3/13/2023: Received Notice 14433 Return of Documents and her passport back.

 

4/6/2023: IRS transcripts showed our Form 1040 was posted. Refund was approved and scheduled to go out on 4/13.

[oldgreg 3]

Got a letter today from the IRS saying they need a certified copy or original passport by July 18th. Problem is that I don't have a trip planned to Costa Rica to see her til end of July. The difference in taxes married jointly and separately is almost $5500. 

 

She is looking into getting a certified copy. If not I will fly down to get her passport because I do not trust their postal system, nor ours as a matter of fact. That becomes problematic, as we have a trip planned in Sept. 

 

Question is this. I saw the returned timeline you posted above, thanks. Anyone else have a timeline on the IRS? 

Secondly, how hard is it to get a certified copy of one? I imagine each country is different. 

 

Thanks,

Greg

[top_secret 2,275]

On 6/8/2024 at 10:53 PM, oldgreg said:

Got a letter today from the IRS saying they need a certified copy or original passport by July 18th. Problem is that I don't have a trip planned to Costa Rica to see her til end of July. The difference in taxes married jointly and separately is almost $5500. 

 

She is looking into getting a certified copy. If not I will fly down to get her passport because I do not trust their postal system, nor ours as a matter of fact. That becomes problematic, as we have a trip planned in Sept. 

 

Question is this. I saw the returned timeline you posted above, thanks. Anyone else have a timeline on the IRS? 

Secondly, how hard is it to get a certified copy of one? I imagine each country is different. 

 

For the Philippines it is very easy to get a certified passport copy and that's what we used successfully for the ITIN.  We were married in Costa Rica but no first hand knowledge of how passports work there. However, for Costa Rica it mentions "Certificación de Pasaporte" here. Under "Información Importante:"
https://www.migracion.go.cr/Paginas/Pasaportes-y-Permisos-de-Salida.aspx
It seems it is initiated by e-mail so perhaps they might be able to answer questions. certificaciondepasaporte@migracion.go.cr 

The IRS has their official timeframes here under "Other forms" https://www.irs.gov/help/processing-status-for-tax-forms

[bck86 20]

On 6/5/2024 at 1:23 AM, TVQT1993 said:

We got her passport back promptly. Timeline:

 

1/23/2023: Mailed package to IRS ITIN processing center in Austin Texas via USPS certified mail. Package included Form 1040 married filing jointly (With my SSN as primary, and her SSN/ITIN field blank), a statement that we are making an election under IRC 6013(g) to treat my wife as a resident alien for the purpose of our U.S. tax return, Form W-7 applying for ITIN, and her foreign passport.

 

1/27/2023: Package received and signed for by IRS Austin.

 

3/8/2023: Received Notice CP565, dated 3/3, assigning my wife an ITIN.

 

3/13/2023: Received Notice 14433 Return of Documents and her passport back.

 

4/6/2023: IRS transcripts showed our Form 1040 was posted. Refund was approved and scheduled to go out on 4/13.

I calculate 5 weeks from your delivery to CP565. I’m currently waiting for my CP565, which was delivered on May 3. There’s no indication on the IRS website that they even received my tax return, I only have my delivery confirmation to indicate it was delivered on 5/3. I’m a little nervous about it.

[bck86 20]

On 6/11/2024 at 11:20 PM, top_secret said:

 

For the Philippines it is very easy to get a certified passport copy and that's what we used successfully for the ITIN.  We were married in Costa Rica but no first hand knowledge of how passports work there. However, for Costa Rica it mentions "Certificación de Pasaporte" here. Under "Información Importante:"
https://www.migracion.go.cr/Paginas/Pasaportes-y-Permisos-de-Salida.aspx
It seems it is initiated by e-mail so perhaps they might be able to answer questions. certificaciondepasaporte@migracion.go.cr 

The IRS has their official timeframes here under "Other forms" https://www.irs.gov/help/processing-status-for-tax-forms

Thanks for sharing the processing status link, I hadn’t seen it before. I now see they’re currently processing W-7s from April and seeing as how mine was delivered in May, I’m feeling better.

[JKLSemicolon 388]

Read the W-7 instructions carefully, there are other options besides just a passport. We sent in a state ID and a certified copy of a birth certificate instead.

[oldgreg 3]

After scheduling an appointment with the IRS, I booked a flight to see the wife. Drove two hours to Atlanta to hop on a "quick" flight to Costa Rica to get my wife's passport. Spent a day down there and returned.

Went to my appointment in Huntsville to present her passport to get this squared away. The lady says we can't help you. I said ma'am you are asking for her passport, I have it. Sorry Austin needs to deal with this. I asked if she could take a copy or let Austin know this is legit. She told me sorry. Great. I asked her turn around time to get passport back, minimum 8 weeks. I am supposed to go to Argentina with my wife for our delayed honeymoon in September, 8 weeks doesn't work. Sorry once again. So wasted another day there. Called the airlines to see if the tickets were refundable and to give them a sob story. Sadly nope, 200$ each to change and price differences. Cancelled that trip, had to eat 1800$ in plane tickets.

I called the wife and said let's just wait til all the dust settles and do our Honeymoon another time. 

The government is frustrating, this whole thing is frustrating and I haven't even had the fun of dealing with USCIS.

[JKLSemicolon 388]

On 7/11/2024 at 3:37 PM, oldgreg said:

After scheduling an appointment with the IRS, I booked a flight to see the wife. Drove two hours to Atlanta to hop on a "quick" flight to Costa Rica to get my wife's passport. Spent a day down there and returned.

Went to my appointment in Huntsville to present her passport to get this squared away. The lady says we can't help you. I said ma'am you are asking for her passport, I have it. Sorry Austin needs to deal with this. I asked if she could take a copy or let Austin know this is legit. She told me sorry. Great. I asked her turn around time to get passport back, minimum 8 weeks. I am supposed to go to Argentina with my wife for our delayed honeymoon in September, 8 weeks doesn't work. Sorry once again. So wasted another day there. Called the airlines to see if the tickets were refundable and to give them a sob story. Sadly nope, 200$ each to change and price differences. Cancelled that trip, had to eat 1800$ in plane tickets.

I called the wife and said let's just wait til all the dust settles and do our Honeymoon another time. 

The government is frustrating, this whole thing is frustrating and I haven't even had the fun of dealing with USCIS.

 

Was the appointment at one of the Taxpayer Assistance Centers that provide in-person ITIN document review listed here? https://www.irs.gov/help/irs-taxpayer-assistance-centers-providing-in-person-itin-document-review
 

Even if it was, my understanding when looking into this a few years back was that the completed tax return and ITIN application would only be accepted in person if the applicant (in this case, your wife) were present.

[oldgreg 3]

2 hours ago, JKLSemicolon said:

 

Was the appointment at one of the Taxpayer Assistance Centers that provide in-person ITIN document review listed here? https://www.irs.gov/help/irs-taxpayer-assistance-centers-providing-in-person-itin-document-review
 

Even if it was, my understanding when looking into this a few years back was that the completed tax return and ITIN application would only be accepted in person if the applicant (in this case, your wife) were present.

It was at one of those centers. The lady made mention that if my wife was there, she could help. I told her I wish my wife was here but the gov't will not allow her. I do not understand the difference, my thoughts were that this appointment was to merely verify the passport. What difference does it make if my wife is present or not? Anyway, I sent the passport in, cancelled the honeymoon, ate the non-refundable airline tickets and now sit here angrily typing. C'est la vie