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I'm in an e-commerce business, selling products online. Recently, I've contacted several trusted wholesale companies within US, for selling their products online as well. I was required to present them a federal Tax ID for legally selling to me tax free wholesale goods and a Resale Certificate for an approval that my purchases are for business purposes and not personal. As a foreign citizen who lives outside of US and in fact, only connected to the states by e-commerce business, I can only apply for ITIN (please, do correct me if I'm wrong!). When it comes to a Resale Certificate, it's much more complicated since, as I understand, each state provides its own, depends on your residency - which, in my case is none. My questions are:

  1. Is ITIN my substitute for a Tax ID, given my residential status?
  2. If I'm not an American citizen, does it also cover the Resale Certificate requirement or there is other document in my case?
  3. As far as I know, Resale Certificate is reliant upon each state, depends on my residency, which as you already know, is none. If I'm still required to provide such a document as proof that the merchandise was purchased for resale- how can I possibly obtain it?
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Your tax id would indeed be the ITIN.

Re resale certificate - why don't you ask them what exactly is that they want? I'm sure there's some equivalent in your own country. Do you have sales tax in your country? VAT? Any other sales transaction taxation or business regulation authority? That's probably where you get one of these. It may also be that you need to apply with the state in the US where you're buying, but again - ask them what it is that they need exactly.

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