Streamlined Sales Tax (SSTRS) — how do I register if I have no SSN or FEIN?

The Streamlined Sales Tax Registration System (SSTRS) is the single-application registration portal for the 23+ Streamlined member states. SSTRS expressly accommodates foreign sellers without a US tax ID: when filling out the registration, select 'Other' as the identification-number type. SSTRS then assigns you an internal identifier and proceeds with registration. This works even when you have no SSN, no ITIN, no EIN, and no US business mailing address. Most foreign-owned LLCs don't know this option exists because the state-by-state portals usually require a US tax ID, making registration look impossible.

If you already have nexus in several SST states and don't want to learn each portal's tax-ID gate, we partner with doola — they handle sales-tax registration for foreign-owned LLCs, including the SSTRS 'Other' identifier path that covers the 24 member states in one application.

The SSTRS registration form requires: entity type (LLC, corporation, individual, etc.), legal name and DBA if applicable, the 'Other' identification type with your alternative identifier (passport number, foreign tax ID, or just a self-assigned ID), NAICS industry code, state of organization (your home country if you don't have a US LLC, or the US state if you do), business and mailing addresses (your foreign address is acceptable), contact information, expected start date, and which states you've already registered in. Most SST member states process the registration within about 15 days; some request additional officer or organizational information before approving.

SSTRS covers the 23+ SST full-member states plus Tennessee (associate member). The full list includes: Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, plus Tennessee. Non-SST states (CA, TX, FL, NY, etc.) require separate direct registration with each state's revenue department. So SSTRS is a partial solution — useful for the 24 covered states but doesn't eliminate the need to register directly in non-SST states where you also have nexus.

Three important limitations: (1) SSTRS does NOT erase prior liabilities — registering now doesn't resolve past unfiled obligations in states where you should have been registered earlier; voluntary disclosure programs are separate; (2) SSTRS is registration only — you still need to file returns and remit tax to each state, either directly or through a Certified Service Provider (CSP); (3) SSTRS doesn't handle foreign-qualification with each state's Secretary of State — that's a separate corporate-law filing. Many foreign-owned LLCs new to US sales tax mistakenly think SSTRS is a 'one stop shop' — it covers registration in 24 states, nothing more.