Well, since my application for an ITIN seems to have gone AWOL, I’ve tried again. On Wednesday, I made it to London and the US embassy in person.
Access to the embassy wasn’t as painful as it might have been. When I told the uniformed security guard outside I wanted IRS, she directed me to the shortest and fastest-moving of three queues to go through security. The security itself was indeed paranoid: for example, they made members of the american family in front of me go through separately, and made me take my belt off (yes, that’s a perfectly normal belt, whose purpose is to hold my trousers up). But noone got shot or otherwise attacked while I was there.
I started explaining the saga to the IRS man, who was deeply suspicious and hostile. But when I pointed out that I was actually presenting him an entirely new application form together with the required supporting documents, he became friendly and helpful. Evidently he’s much happier accepting a routine form than chasing stray paperwork. He happily accepted the form, but told me I now have to wait another twelve weeks for the ITIN itself. Strewth!
I left London from Victoria station, heading for Brighton (blog entry coming), passing Buckingham Palace on the way. They were doing something touristy involving clearing the road of both people and traffic, so I had to wade through hordes of gawping tourists crowded into a stretch of pavement altogether too narrow for the purpose. Bah, Humbug.
Brighton Festival « niq’s soapbox said
[...] Posted May 21, 2007 Apart from seeing the parents and visiting the US embassy, I got three nights out last week at Brighton Festival [...]
ITIN at last! « niq’s soapbox said
[...] at last! Just three months after my second application, which I travelled to make in person, I finally have an ITIN. That is, a US Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. So finally my [...]
LH said
Just wondered, when you went to the embassy in person did they keep your passport? I’m trying to do the same thing!
niq said
It was fine – he just took a photocopy of the business end of the passport, and the other supporting documentation.
LH said
brilliant niq, thats what I hoped, but trying to find an answer on the embassy website is like swimming in fudge.
I really appreciate you taking the time to reply!
Hard work gets tax refund! « niq’s soapbox said
[...] foreign pensions and benefits(!), and I could just deduct the costs of it (notary’s fee and travel to the US embassy) from the sum I entered. It’s even OK to enter the actual £ sums from my bank statement, [...]