Getting into your IRS online account from abroad: ID.me without a US phone number

The short version. You can verify with ID.me and open your IRS online account from Japan without a US phone number — but you have to route around the defaults. Pick an authenticator app or passkey for MFA instead of SMS, choose “I don’t live in the United States” on the address screen to unlock the international document flow, and be ready for a live video call where an agent inspects your original passport and Social Security card. The two things that sink most overseas users are address mismatches and foreign-language documents without an English translation. Some people only ever succeed with a real US number — which is exactly why I’m keeping mine.

I’m Jin. I spent four years working in the US in manufacturing, and I write about the money side of moving between the US and Japan from my own research and experience — not as a licensed advisor. This one is research-led: I set up ID.me while I still had a clean US setup, but I dug into the overseas-verification path carefully because I’ll need it after I move back. Confirm anything here against the official IRS and ID.me pages before you act on it.

Why the IRS online account is worth the pain

Losing access to your IRS account from abroad isn’t a minor inconvenience. The account is the fastest — sometimes the only remote — way to do things you will genuinely need:

What you unlock	Why an expat needs it
IP PIN retrieval	The 6-digit Identity Protection PIN must go on your return, or a fraudulent filing can beat you to it. The account’s Profile tab is the fastest self-service way to get or renew it each year.
Tax transcripts	Free to download; needed for loan, mortgage, or visa applications and to confirm the IRS actually received a return.
Digital notices & ID-verification letters	If you get a Letter 5071C or 5447C (the IRS suspects a fraudulent return), online resolution is far faster than international phone or mail.
Payments & installment plans	Set up or modify agreements, pay up to 365 days ahead, view AGI, W-2s, and 1099s.

The cost of not having access is measured in weeks. The IRS Identity Protection line (1-800-908-4490) means long international holds and possible redirects, and there are no Taxpayer Assistance Centers outside the US. If a 5071C letter lands and you can’t verify online, resolving it by mail from Japan can stall a refund for months. That’s the real price tag.

The MFA trap — and how to skip it

ID.me defaults to sending a code to a phone number. From abroad, this is where people get stuck: international numbers often fail silently, and Google Voice and Skype numbers are generally rejected outright. (I’ve written more on why VOIP fails 2FA in /en/blog/google-voice-vs-real-us-number-2fa/.)

Set up a non-phone method before you ever hit the phone step:

• Passkey — a biometric or PIN on your own device. ID.me recommends setting up at least two MFA methods; passkey is one of the listed options alongside authenticator apps and SMS — not specifically designated as the fallback when phone MFA fails. (ID.me MFA options)
• Authenticator app — a TOTP code from Google Authenticator, Authy, or similar. Also accepted.

Do this during account creation, not after. If you let it default to SMS and the code never arrives, you can end up bounced in a loop. Add the passkey or authenticator first, and the phone step stops mattering.

The international document flow, step by step

1. Go to your IRS online account → “Sign in with ID.me” → create or log into an ID.me Wallet.
2. At the address screen, select “I don’t live in the United States.” This single choice unlocks the international flow. Skip it and the system hunts for a US state and auto-fails you.
3. You still need an SSN. The international IRS path requires it — the non-SSN route (for non-US persons) does not open IRS account access.
4. Provide your documents. Either two primary documents (e.g. US passport + a foreign national ID) or one primary + one secondary (utility bill, pay stub, bank statement, W-2).
5. Match the address. Your address-proof document must show the same international address you typed in. A bank statement, electric bill, foreign driver’s licence, or pay stub all work.
6. Translate anything not in English. A foreign-language document must be submitted with a side-by-side translation showing both the original and the English — a translation on its own is rejected.
7. Join the video call. After document review (you’ll see an estimated wait), a live agent verifies your details and inspects your original documents on camera. Photos and scans are not accepted during the call. Interpreters are available in 240+ languages on request.

Where overseas users actually get rejected

Rejection point	The fix
Address mismatch	The system wants a near-exact match. Type your address to match your proof document character-for-character.
Foreign-language ID, no translation	Always attach the side-by-side English translation.
Foreign IP address	Some report higher automated-selfie failure from non-US IPs. A US VPN may help the upload step but is not officially endorsed — use judgement.
Copies during the video call	Have the physical originals in hand.
Expired ID / writing on the document	Any expired or annotated ID is void. Check expiry dates before you start.
Phishing links	Fraudsters send fake “ID.me” video-call links. Only use links ID.me sends you directly.

Decision guide: which path is yours?

• If you have an SSN, a valid US passport, a Social Security card, and an address-matching document → run the international flow above with an authenticator app or passkey. This tends to be the cleanest route and works for most people.
• If your only “US number” is Google Voice or Skype → don’t rely on it. Set up passkey/authenticator, and consider a real US number for everything else US-linked (banks and brokerages fail the same way — see /en/blog/locked-out-us-bank-from-abroad/).
• If the video flow keeps rejecting you → the honest truth is experiences vary. Multiple expat reports say some users only succeed with a real US phone number (not VOIP) for MFA. That’s the single most reliable fallback.
• If nothing online works → note that Form 15227 (the mail-in IP PIN application) is not a clean alternative for overseas users without a US phone number: the IRS calls you by telephone to verify your identity as part of the process, so telephone access is a stated eligibility requirement. If you lack a reachable US number, your remaining options are verifying in person at a US TAC on your next trip back, or working with a tax professional. Confirm the current rules directly on IRS.gov — they change.

The prep that makes all of this a non-event

Almost every failure above traces back to something you could have locked down before leaving. Two things matter most:

Keep a real US number. This is the fallback that works when ID.me’s flow doesn’t, and it’s not just for the IRS — your US banks, brokerages, and credit cards are all tied to it. I go deep on this in /en/blog/keep-us-phone-number-2fa-after-leaving/ and on porting the number out before you move in /en/blog/port-us-number-before-moving-abroad/.

This is exactly what I’m doing. My US accounts — banks and brokerages — are all tied to my number, and I’ve decided that 2FA without it would be genuinely crippling. My plan is to carry my US number to Japan on Tello, a US MVNO that runs on T-Mobile’s network, issues a real US number, supports eSIM, and costs roughly $5/month to keep alive. My wife has run her US line on Tello ($30/month unlimited) the whole time we’ve been here, and it’s been solid — so I already trust it for the job. (Full disclosure: the Tello links here are a referral — you and I each get $10 in Tello credit if you sign up through Tello. I’d point you there regardless; the credit is a bonus.)

Keep clean US documents. A consistent US mailing address on file reduces mismatch failures everywhere, not just at ID.me. And gather the physical originals — unexpired US passport, Social Security card, an address-matching statement — before you leave, because you’ll need them in hand for the video call.

FAQ

Can I open an IRS online account with only a Japanese phone number?

Yes, if you set up an authenticator app or passkey for MFA instead of relying on SMS, and you complete the international document flow with an SSN. The phone number itself isn’t the blocker — the default of SMS verification is. Add the non-phone method during account creation and a Japanese number (or no number) is fine.

Do I really need to keep my US number, then?

Not strictly for ID.me if the passkey path works for you. But a real US number is the most reliable fallback when the video flow rejects you, and it’s near-essential for your US banks and brokerages, which fail VOIP the same way. Keeping one on a cheap US MVNO is cheap insurance against being locked out across your whole US financial life.

What if ID.me rejects me no matter what?

Experiences genuinely vary — foreign IPs, address formatting, and document quirks trip people up unpredictably. Try a real US number for MFA first. If that fails, be aware that Form 15227 (the mail-in IP PIN application) requires the IRS to reach you by telephone for identity verification — so it is not a usable fallback for overseas users who lack a reachable US number. Your remaining options are verifying in person at a US Taxpayer Assistance Center on your next trip back, or engaging a tax professional. When your first filing year is also in play, my notes in /en/blog/first-tax-year-after-leaving-us/ may help you sequence things. None of this is tax advice. Confirm the current rules on IRS.gov and hire a professional when it gets complicated — but get the account open first. Being locked out of it is the part that takes months.