Does my Canadian husband need a TIN number in order for me to file my 2013 taxes as "married filing jointly"?

He is a Canadian citizen (and a French citizen) and a resident of French Polynesia. He works part time in French Polynesia but does not need to file taxes in the US. I am a US citizen and a resident of French Polynesia and will begin collecting my pension in 2012.

If he needs a Tax Identification Number (TIN) , how does he get one?

Thank you for all your help!!

Kathy

If he is a Canadian citizen, then he should already have social insurance no. SIN; which is all he needs to file.

Tickle,

The SIN is for the Canadian tax return.

The ITIN is needed for non-resident alien spouses of U.S. Citizens who want to file jointly. To apply for an ITIN, the spouse needs to submit Form W-7 with the tax return.

That's the easy part. The HARD part is submission of identity paperwork. Notarized photocopies of the passport is no longer good enough. The photocopy has to be CERTIFIED AS A TRUE COPY by either the government that issued the passport or by a U.S. consulate or IRS official.

The alternative is to submit the actual passport.