[lawrence1111]

Hi,
My case:
I am a US citizen. Got married on Jan 09, 2012. My wife is still in China. I-130 has been sent for three weeks.
How can I apply a ITIN for her? Can I apply a ITIN at a local IRS office without her attending?
Please help!

Thanks

[AtlantaTaxExpert]

NOTE: ALL below applies for 2012 tax year, so it will be done NEXT year, in 2013. I failed to notice that the marriage was last MONTH, NOT last year!

Yes, you CAN apply for an ITIN for her.

No, it CANNOT be submitted to the local IRS office.

The Form W-7 (with a notarized photocopy of her passport that is authenticated by the Chinese government with a document known as an apostille) must be submitted with your joint tax return. BOTH the W-7 and the tax return MUST be signed by your wife, and the tax return MUST be signed by you (ORIGINAL SIGNATURES in both cases).

This can be a drawn-out process, but it CAN be done. I do it EVERY year with multiple clients, both with them submitting the documents DIRECT to the IRS or through me as a Certifying Acceptance Agent.

If you want my professional help, double-click on my title above and scroll down to my profile/signature. You will find my email address and websites there.

[lawrence1111]

To Atlanta TaxExpert

First, thank you for your respond. I have couple more questions here. Just like what I wrote on my topic. I got married with my wife on Jan 9, 2012. Am I able to do the tax return with her for the past year 2011? She has never been to the US before.

Except W-7 and my tax return, is there anything else I have to have attaching together? For example, the proof of our marriage.

Please help! I appreciate it.

[AtlantaTaxExpert]

I just edited my original comment to note that the advice applies for the 2012 tax year, so it will apply NEXT year, not now.