I need to obtain an ITIN for my wife and stepson who are both from the Philippine and are not living with me at the moment are they required to be presently here for it

[alejandroa2332]

I was informed that they need to be here in person in order for me to be able get them an ITIN but I don't know how to go about getting them one

[ToddL]

They are not required to be here personally. The following explains how to apply for an ITIN. The same process applies to your stepson, except the "spouse letter" is not necessary for him

You can file a joint U.S. tax return with your non-resident spouse and she can be treated as a U.S. resident for U.S. Federal Individual Income Tax purposes. She will have to obtain an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) using Form W-7, you will have to file your return by mail (along with the Form W-7) and you will have to include a statement, signed by both of you, declaring that one spouse was a nonresident alien and the other spouse a U.S. citizen or resident alien on the last day of your tax year, and that she chooses to be treated as U.S. resident for the entire tax year.

How do I apply for an ITIN? Use the latest revision of Form W-7, Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number to apply. Attach a valid federal income tax return, unless you qualify for an exception, and include your original proof of identity or copies certified by issuing agency and foreign status documents.

See Instructions for Form W-7

Because you are filing your tax return as an attachment to your ITIN application, you should not mail your return to the address listed in the Form 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ instructions. Instead, send your return, Form W-7 and proof of identity and foreign status documents to:

Internal Revenue Service ITIN Operation

P.O. Box 149342
Austin, TX 78714-9342 

For additional information, see the IRS web article Nonresident Spouse Treated as a Resident

Finally, and very important: You can't prepare and print a tax return inTurboTax without an ITIN or SSN for any dependents.

The work-around for this situation is to use "Dummy" SSN/ITINs for your dependents. to prepare the return. You can use your own SSN/ITIN with different last numbers. 

Or use "305-44-0001, 0002, 0003 etc.", a dummy number we use for training.

This should allow you to get through the Smart Checks and Reviews and print your return for filing by mail. "Erase" or white-out the dummy SSN/ITINs and replace with "Applied For".