Foreign marriage

[leslielushman]

I am married in Panama, but have not registered by marriage with US Government. Does my husband NEED to get a SSN or a ITIN? Can I just file Single?

[LinaJ2018 · Accepted solution]

If you are married, you cannot file single regardless of where you registered.  

If you are filing Married Filing Separate, your spouse does not need an ITIN.  

As IRS does not allow e-filing on returns without an SSN or ITIN, you can still use the TurboTax program to prepare your tax forms and submit them by mail. 

-In the program, as you enter the information, leave the SSN space blank

-After you complete entering all the required information, print out returns and required forms.  Enter “NRA” in the space for the Spouse's identifying number. ( NRA stands for Nonresident Alien) Do not leave the space blank. 

-Submit all the forms and required documents to IRS based on the instructions on your print-out.