How to get an ITIN if I don't have passport?
"On the IRS site you can find a list of ""acceptance agents"" in your country. Talk to one of them, they'll deal with the IRS on your behalf. If you don't have any in your country, you can contact the big-4 accounting firms or any other agent elsewhere to provide you service. I'd suggest doing this through an agent."
I have never been requested to send a voter registration card. What on earth for? It sounds as if you don't have a credit report available on your SSN, so they're having trouble verifying your identity. But the most I have ever been requested to send to an online bank (ING Direct in my case, and I too didn't have a credit report yet when I opened an account there) was the Social Security card and a driver's license.  Once you have a proper credit report information (a couple of loans and a couple of address changes), they can compile the data into a set of verification questions, which would be used to verify your identity. If you do send stuff - make sure to fax it to their 800 fax number, do not send via email. It may also be that their user database is compromised and someone is phishing you. Make sure they're the ones asking for info (and getting it) by calling their phone number (take the number from their web-site, not the emails). Just tell your bank where you're going so they don't lock your account, and then take your Visa, and take enough cash to survive if something happens to your Visa account (sometimes banks lock them anyways out of idiocy). I usually take about 600 bucks cash for a week excursion (enough for food and a shack, or a mansion if you're in Asia). I figure, I'm carrying my passport which is worth thousands to criminals abroad around my neck. Why worry about carrying a little cash. As far as the Visa goes, just make sure your bank doesn't charge enormous fees for currency conversion. As far as carrying the local currency goes. I don't recommend it. Just figure out the conversion rate, and you'll save about  5% of your money from fees converting to and from. If you're going to Russia, do convert your currency first. Use form W7 to apply for an ITIN. You'll need to qualify for any of the reasons stated there. If you don't qualify for any - you can't get an ITIN. From what you described it looks like your husband is not entitled for ITIN. I've been doing this for years both at Baltimore Airport and Orlando. Why is this news? You've always been able to go to the counter with your traveling party and get a pass, although I've never tried to get a pass without my traveling party, maybe that's what the difference is... Since you're a US citizen, submitting W8-BEN was wrong. If you read the form carefully, when you signed it you certified that you are not a US citizen, which is a lie and you knew it. W9 and W8 are mutually exclusive. You're either a US person for tax purposes or you're not, you cannot be both. As a US citizen - you are a US person for tax purposes, whether you have any other citizenship or not, and whether you live in (or have ever been to) the US or not. You do need to file tax returns just like any other US citizen. If you have an aggregate of $10K or more on your bank accounts outside of the US at any given day - you need to file FBAR. FATCA forms may also be applicable, depending on your balances. From foreign banks' perspective you're a US person, with regard to their FATCA obligations. Whether or not you'll be punished is hard to tell. Whether or not you could be punished is easy to tell: you could. You knowingly broke the law by certifying that you're not a US citizen when you were. That is in addition to un-filed tax returns, FBAR, etc etc. The fact that you were born outside of the US and have never lived there is technically irrelevant. Not knowing the law is not a reasonable cause for breaking it. Get a US-licensed tax adviser (EA/CPA licensed in the US) to help you sort it out. Each country will have different rules. I can only speak about the Netherlands.  There, there are two options as a resident to open an account.  You needed a BSN (Dutch ID number) or a strong reference from an international company sponsoring your residence there at a bank branch that dealt frequently with foreign customers.  It was not possible to open an account as a nonresident although high wealth customers probably get special treatment. Recent US reporting requirements have made European banks very unwilling to deal with US people. I have received a letter from my Dutch bank saying they will continue my current products but not offer me anything new. If I call the bank, the normal staff cannot see anything about my accounts. I need to call a special international department even for mundane questions. Stripe Atlas helps with this. They form US companies for foreign solo entrepreneurs and get them US bank accounts. Another thing to remember with banks though, it doesn't matter what the compliance documents say, money talks. So your troubles will more likely stem from the amount of money you need to put in banks, more so than what the rules are. Normally you could either head down to the office supply store and pick up a copy of a tax program, or you could head over to the IRS office and pick up the instructions and forms. However, in your case you should be talking to a tax lawyer.  The unfiled taxes are bad enough but you own a business outside the USA and most likely have bank accounts also.  That brings you into the realm of FATCA. The IRS' primary reference Pub 519 Tax Guide for Aliens -- current year online (current and previous years downloadable in PDF from the Forms&Pubs section of the website) says NO: Students and business apprentices from India.   A special rule applies .... You can claim the standard deduction .... Use Worksheet 5-1 to figure your standard deduction. If you are married and your spouse files a return and itemizes deductions, you cannot take the standard deduction. Note the last sentence, which is clearly an exception to the 'India rule', which is already an exception to the general rule that nonresident filers never get the standard deduction. Of course this is the IRS' interpretation of the law (which is defined to include ratified treaties); if you think they are wrong, you could claim the deduction anyway and when they assess the additional tax (and demand payment) take it to US Tax Court -- but I suspect the legal fees will cost you more than the marginal tax on $6300, even under Tax Court's simplified procedures for small cases. Speaking from experience, yes (this was 9 years ago though and may have changed due to stricter laws). I lived in London and was moving to NYC and wanted to have a functioning bank account upon arrival. I banked in London with HSBC and asked them if they could set me up. They connected me with the right people in the US and after many forms I had a fully functional US bank account with a foreign address and without having a social security number - and I was (am) just your average person. You will most likely not be able to get a credit card through them because of lack of credit history (unless you are ridiculously rich or go for a secured credit card), but a debit card should be possible.* My advice is to talk to your local bank and see if they can help you, although it will help if they operate in the US. Good luck! *I have heard from various expats that American Express may be willing to issue cards in the states based on their existing relation with clients in other countries, but I digress. If you have an Amex in Switzerland or Sweden I would recommend talking to them. My family business is in Thailand, and I am an Indian citizen, so getting a job in Thailand is not possible. Until I complete Level 1 (if I take the Dec exam), I will have to work in my family business. Then I have will have to shift back to India to find a job while studying for Level 2.   It is highly likely that I will not get a job till I finish Level 2. It is also highly likely I may not complete all 3 Levels in the first attempt. I will not pay any taxes in the Us, since I am not working for an US   company What you will or will not pay is up to you of course, but you definitely should pay taxes in the US, as you're working in the US. Since you mentioned being from Japan, I'll also suggest checking whether you're allowed to perform any work in the US under the conditions of your visa. If you're a F1/J1 student - you'll be breaking the immigration law and may be deported. You might be liable for taxes in Germany, as well, and also in Japan. I'll have to edit this to allow people who downvoted the answer without knowing the legal requirements to change their vote. F1 student cannot be a contractor without a valid EAD. Period. There's no doubt about it and legal requirements are pretty clear. Anyone who claims that you wouldn't be breaking the terms of your visa is wrong. Note, I'm neither a lawyer nor a tax professional, for definite advice talk to a professional. "Can I use the foreign earned income exclusion in my situation? Only partially, since the days you spent in the US should be excluded. You'll have to prorate your exclusion limit, and only apply it to the income earned while not in the US. If not, how should I go about this to avoid being doubly taxed for   2014? The amounts you cannot exclude are taxable in the US, and you can use a portion of your Norwegian tax to offset the US tax liability. Use form 1116 for that. Form 1116 with form 2555 on the same return will require some arithmetic exercises, but there are worksheets for that in the instructions. In addition, US-Norwegian treaty may come into play, so check that out. It may help you reduce the tax liability in the US or claim credit on the US taxes in Norway. It seems that Norway has a bilateral tax treaty with the US, that, if   I'm reading it correctly, seems to indicate that ""visiting researchers   to universities"" (which really seems like I would qualify as) should   not be taxed by either country for the duration of their stay. The relevant portion of the treaty is Article 16. Article 16(2)(b) allows you $5000 exemption for up to a year stay in the US for your salary from the Norwegian school. You will still be taxed in Norway. To claim the treaty benefit you need to attach form 8833 to your tax return, and deduct the appropriate amount on line 21 of your form 1040. However, since you're a US citizen, that article doesn't apply to you (See the ""savings clause"" in the Article 22). I didn't even give a thought to state taxes; those should only apply   to income sourced from the state I lived in, right (AKA $0)? I don't know what State you were in, so hard to say, but yes - the State you were in is the one to tax you. Note that the tax treaty between Norway and the US is between Norway and the Federal government, and doesn't apply to States. So the income you earned while in the US will be taxable by the State you were at, and you'll need to file a ""non-resident"" return there (if that State has income taxes - not all do)." I am wondering weather it is worth it (how taxation works in this   scenario ect.) or not and legally possible to do so ? Whether it is worth it or not is up to you. There's nothing illegal in this, unless of course there's a legal issue in the foreign country. The US doesn't care. Re taxes - it is a bit trickier. If your lender does not provide you with form 1098, you'll have to report the lender's name, address and SSN/ITIN on your tax return in order to claim a deduction. The IRS will then expect the lender to report that interest as income. This is US-sourced income and is taxed in the US despite the fact that the lender is non-resident. See here for more info. If the lender doesn't report the income and doesn't pay the taxes - your deduction may be denied as well for double-dipping. It is easier if this is an investment. Then the deduction is not going to Schedule A, but rather as an expense to Schedule E. The IRS may still require matching, but you won't need to report the SSN/ITIN - just have the expense properly documented. Obviously, the best when it comes to legal issues, is to talk to an attorney licensed in the State in question. Similarly with tax questions - you should talk to a EA/CPA licensed in that State. I'm neither. Panama offers global businessman the chance to get residency, citizenship, and a Panama international ID by making ventures. This is known as the Panama self-monetary solvency visa. It offers three diverse speculation alternatives to meet all requirements for Panama residency. 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