Funstuie

Hi all

So I submitted by tax return and I am being asked to send in passports for my 2 kids who do not have an ITIN.

For reference we went to the irs tax assistance office 2 times and they would not issue ITIN for the kids as they claimed they did not meet the criteria for days spent in the us. I argued for days but they would not accept that they qualify even when presented with the legal ruling from the my tax lawyer and from the irs guidelines. And the British consulate no longer issues certified copies of passports for ITIN.

So I am left with no other option to send them the original passport. Has anyone done this?

theOAP

You might seek the services of an "IRS ITIN Certified Acceptance Agent". To find an agent in your locality, start here:

https://www.irs.gov/Individuals/Acce...-Agent-Program

They handle verification, for a fee, I believe.

EDIT TO ADD:

Here is a list of TACs (Taxpayer Assistance Center) that verify documents. You may, or may not, have been to one of these offices.

https://www.irs.gov/uac/TAC-Location...on-is-Provided

Noorah101

I would never send an original. Send a photocopy.

Rene

Moses2013

Agree. You should never send any original documents, no matter where you live. You can either scan and email, or send copy of passport in the post.

mrken30

what about a notarized copy?

theOAP

From the Frequently Asked Questions from the 1st link above:

"What is the difference between a "certified" and a "notarized" document?

A certified document is one that the original issuing agency provides and certifies as an exact copy of the original document and contains an official stamped seal from the Agency. These documents will be accepted.
...............
A notarized document is one that the taxpayer provides to a public notary who bears witness to the signing of the official document and affixes a seal assuring that the document is legitimate. These documents will not be accepted for ITIN applications. Note there are some applicants who are exempt from this change. This exemption is described in a previous question."
[Bold Mine]

https://www.irs.gov/Individuals/ITIN...sked-Questions

Funstuie

They don't accept copies at all.

Funstuie

Thanks for the link regarding the ITIN acceptance folks. I will call some local ones and see what's what.

We have been to the TAC twice now and the issue is we have to bring the kids with us which is a hassle especially when it's all for nothing.

Wibblypig

We refused to send the passports and had to take the kids out of school for a day as the nearest office that could verify the passports was 1.5hrs each way!

We couldn't get ITIN's for the first tax return due to not being in the US long enough. When we were eligible for them, the first tax return was amended or something like that. I leave that to my husband and the accountant at the time.

Funstuie

So I have spoken to 2 different acceptance agents and they can't certify dependent passports. I have to send the original.

I was advised to send it registered tracked and include a prepaid envelope with tracking etc.

It seems I don't have much choice.

Marc_ely

We had to do the whole ITIN thing this year.
We sent notarized visas and passports via mail. They rejected them.

I tried the tax advocate place, but they simply never answer the phone and there is no email address.

Eventually we HAD to go to an IRS office that was able to deal with ITIN's. Ours was in Santa Ana, CA.
We could not make an appointment, so our whole family (all 6 of us) turned up at 8am. We were 40 people into the queue. The whole experience took over 6 hours. Eventually we saw a helpful lady who took our passports, and officially i.e. IRS notarized them. They went into the system and a month later we had the ITIN's.

I would not send an original passport. The organisational skills of the IRS makes the DMV look good. I would not trust them not to lose it.
Lookup the nearest ITIN approved IRS office instead. Think of the visit as a rite of passage. Or some sort of masochistic excursion.

Funstuie

Thanks. The only issue is I have to get this sent back to them by Dec 18 or it starts all over again!

Cook_County

Acceptance agents cannot certify passports for children. Why do the children not qualify for US SSNs? Does it save money to have ITINs for the children? Why not file without the ITINs and amend the returns next year when they have SSNs?

MarylandNed

Procedural changes were implemented effective January 2013 but it looks like they don't help you in terms of your kids' ITIN applications.

https://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/Upd...nges-Announced

The IRS heard from stakeholders that it was difficult in some instances for individuals to be without documents such as passports for extended periods of time. As a result, the IRS determined that other outlets will be available to review original documentation. As part of this effort, while original documents or copies certified by the issuing agency are still required for most applicants, there will be more options and flexibility for people applying for an ITIN. These options provide alternatives to mailing passports and other original documents to the IRS.

The Certifying Acceptance Agent (CAA) program will remain but will be modified. CAAs will be required to review original identification documents or copies certified by the issuing agency from applicants, spouses, and dependents. CAAs will be able to certify and then forward proof to the IRS that they have verified the authenticity of the documents supporting the ITIN application for applicants and spouses. This means they will not need to mail original documents such as passports to the IRS, a step previously required under the interim procedures. However, ITIN applications for dependents submitted to the IRS by CAAs will continue to require original documents or copies certified by the issuing agency.

Funstuie

Thanks for the advice all. We are going to try the waters at the IRS office one more time. As I am only asking for them to certify the passports and I will have the kids with me hopefully it will work this time.

I am also hoping that the office is not rammed this time of year as we can't get their till early afternoon. Wish us luck.