What is IRS Form 6166?
IRS Form 6166 is a letter printed on US Department of Treasury paper that verifies that a person or business is a US resident for the fiscal year listed on the Form.
Why is it Needed?
Form 6166 is required for businesses conducting business in other countries to collect income tax treaty and other tax benefits. When a person or business organization claims income tax treaty advantages, many U.S. tax treaty partners need verification of U.S. residence from the IRS. Form 6166 can also be used to obtain an exemption from a foreign country's VAT (Value Added Tax).
What Needs to be Done?
Taxpayers must fill out IRS Form 8802 to request Form 6166, which verifies their tax residence in the United States. Form 8802 can only be signed by authorized representatives of a corporate entity, such as officials, executives, or partners. For certain types of businesses, the IRS additionally wants special paperwork. Make a request for an IRS Form 6166.
The IRS Form 6166 Must be Authenticated via Apostille or Legalization
This is the procedure of placing various signatures or seals on a legal or public document to validate the document's provenance and the authority of any signatures or seals. If the nation where your Form 6166 will be used is a signatory to the Hague Convention (Hague Convention of 5 October Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents), you can utilize the Apostille procedure, which is a more simplified version of the legalization process. The criteria of the destination country's Consulate complicate any request for an Apostille or Authentication.
There is no margin for error with the Authentication or Apostille process. If mistakes are made, both your time and money will be wasted and you'll have to start all over again. If you want to look into outsourcing this part of preparing to studying abroad to someone with experience, please email me at jared@apostillellc.com or call 848-467-7740 to request my services or learn more.
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