Documents acceptable for identification include the passport, or two of the other documents listed at http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96287,00.html (e.g., National ID, driver's license, birth certificate). Note that these must be the original documents, or notarized copies. Since China is not a party to the Hague Convention, a copy of the document must be notarized either at a Consulate, or here in the US. Originals may be mailed in (they will be returned, although this is not recommended), or may be taken to an IRS office. Apply using Form W-7, Application for IRS IndividualTaxpayer Identification Number, which must be attached to an income tax return and mailed to the ITIN Operation Service Center in Austin, TX. Use this address for both the W-7 and the return instead of the one listed in the instruction book. For your first year filing jointly, you will want to get a copy of Publication 519, U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens, particularly if the foreign spouse has income in China that needs to be reported. The First Year Choice may allow you to declare your spouse a nonresident alien for part of the year, and a resident for the rest, which can have big advantages if your spouse has substantial reported income in China. As long as you are married on Dec 31 of that year, you should be able to file married filing jointly, even if your spouse is classified a non-resident alien for the entire year. This is usually the best option for those of us whose spouses have had no reportable income for the tax year. This option allows you to file a married filing jointly return with no complications except for the ITIN. From Publication 519: The notation: was added to the W-7 instructions in March, 2009. At last report, the Beijing Embassy and Shanghai consulates were willing to notarize "true copies", Guangzhou was not. Thank you so very much for the insight. I was trying to get them to certify the passport itself. My mistake.
