Something to think about with a Foreign EIN is that when you are getting your EIN, you are getting a United States EIN. So when you are filling out the Form SS-4, remember that the questions are geared towards the domestic person.

For example, when it asks how many employees will your company have, it is not saying how many employees you currently have in your country, but rather how many are you going to have in the USA.

When the form asks when did your business start, it is not asking when you started your business in your country, but when did you start dealing with your business in the USA.

I have found a lot of foreign people, when filling out the Form SS-4 think it is talking about when they started the business in their country.

If you are not starting a business in the USA, but are lets say getting an EIN because Amazon requires it, or because you have a customer in the USA, this is like starting a new business in the USA. (At least as far as the Form SS-4 is concerned.) In reality you are not, but you don't want to be taxed for something you are not doing, right?

So when it asks some of the questions, think of it as if you are starting your business in the United States.