Step-by-step for taxpayers living outside the United States. Once the account is verified and linked to the IRS, the refund can be released and everything can be followed directly.
| Which type of account? | Individual. Never Business. Never Tax Professional. |
| Where do you live? | I don't live in the United States. Never Self-Service. Never Video Call. |
| SSN? | If there is none, leave it blank and use the ITIN. |
| Which address? | The same as on Notice CP565, letter for letter. |
Do not write on or mark the documents: that invalidates them. If a translated document is used, the original and the translation must appear side by side in the same photo.
Go to irs.gov/account. If the site asks which type of account is needed, choose Individual. Never choose Business or Tax Professional.
Then click Sign in with ID.me.
Click Create an ID.me account, enter an email address and a password, and confirm the email through the link ID.me sends.
International phone numbers are accepted, but text messages often fail. A passkey or an authenticator app (Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator) works better.
This is the most common mistake. Do not click Self-Service or Video Call. Select the link I don't live in the United States (or I don't have the above documents), then Get started.
Under Current Address, select the country and fill in the address. It must match the address on Notice CP565 and on the proof of address exactly; if it does not, the account is not approved.
Leave the SSN fields blank, tick Continue by entering your Individual Taxpayer Number (ITIN), enter and confirm the ITIN, and click Continue. If you have an SSN, enter the SSN instead.
Select the documents to be used. On each screen, read the yellow box at the top: it says what must be visible on the document. Check that the details typed match the documents.
Take Photo: enter a mobile number and ID.me sends a secure link to take the photos. Choose Image: upload files from the computer. Photograph the original document, whole, straight, with no glare and nothing cropped.
Once the documents are approved, a queue opens; the estimated wait is shown on screen. If waiting is not possible, click Save & Exit or book a time. When ready, click Join Video Call.
The agent confirms name, date of birth, address and ITIN and asks to see the documents. Have the originals to hand; copies and photos are not accepted.
An interpreter can be requested from the agent. ID.me supports more than 240 languages.
After the video call, go back to irs.gov/account, sign in with ID.me and click Allow. Without this, the account is not linked to the IRS.
There is no need to start again. Look for these links on the next screens: I don't have a US Phone Number (phone), I don't have a US address (address) and I don't have a Social Security number (SSN, to use the ITIN).
Done? Go back to your tracker link and upload a screenshot of the home page of your account at irs.gov/account (Account home, with your name at the top).
Sometimes the IRS holds a return and sends a letter asking the taxpayer to confirm they filed it. This is normal and does not mean anything is wrong. Without this confirmation, the refund is not released.
That way the hold on the return is known and the case can be followed up.
Go to idverify.irs.gov and sign in with the same ID.me login. Do not create another account.
Enter the 14 digits exactly as they appear on the letter.
The IRS asks about the return it received, for example income and tax withheld. Copy the answers from the copy of the return. Do not guess.
At the end, answer yes, the return was filed by you (it was filed on your behalf, with your authorisation). The IRS then releases the return for processing.
If the site rejects the details, do not keep trying. Stop and contact us.
The IRS never requests this verification by email, text message or WhatsApp. It always starts with a paper letter. Only use addresses ending in .gov.
Based on ID.me's official step-by-step for ITIN holders (help.id.me), checked in October 2026. The screens are illustrations; ID.me's appearance may vary.