Originally Posted by
AtlantaTaxExpert
To Dilipnarayanan:
1) You MUST wait until you file your 2008 tax return before you can submit Form W-7 for an ITIN (unless your wife has a special need for the ITIN, such as to attend school).
If you return to India before you can file the 2008 tax return in January 2008, you will simply need to file the tax return and the W-7 FROM India.
I do this all the time for clients in India, and with email and PDF copies of the forms, and possible efiling, it is not as hard as you would think.
Advice: If you DO return to India prior to filing the tax return, keep your U.S. bank account open. That way, the refund from the IRS (and probably from the state) will be able to be direct deposited. Neither the IRS nor any state will direct deposit into a foreign bank account.