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jmpaget · Joined: 05 Sep 2007 Posts: 1195 Location: UK

Does anyone know anything about the validity of the letter yet? Doesnt appear to have been answered yet (or if it has could someone kindly point me in that direction?).

Under Exception 1(d) we require a 'signed' letter or document on Official Letterhead.

Without the correct documentation from SS, there's no point starting the process.

You advice on this matter would be appreciated so those that wish to go ahead with the ITIN application can.

naturespixel · Posted: Thu May 28, 2009 8:49 am

I have no problems getting this ITIN number or any other for that matter...

i have even filled in my forms aready to take it down to my local MP office to get passport copy signed etc...

what i DONT have is the letter from shutterstock....

and im not only one.. i CAN NOT move forward with out that email/ letter

domencolja · Joined: 14 Oct 2007 Posts: 178 Location: Slovenija

Same here, no problem whatsoever to fill the W7/W8 papers or get a notarized copy of ID documents, but I would love to get a legally valid form of document from Shutterstock Images LLC giving proof to my applications (or receive words if such documents are not necessary).

I wouldn't like to get my applications rejected because of missing papers after a month of wait.

Thanks in advance for the clarifications.

stefaniemohr · Joined: 23 Feb 2008 Posts: 768 Location: Nuremberg, Germany

*bump*

anyra · Joined: 09 Aug 2006 Posts: 17

i'm not very familiar with all this financial stuff, can you please tell me what is "federal income tax return"? and where can i get it?
and how about that letter? I don't see where is required. :-s sorry but i'm just exhausted and i want to do this as fast as possible and everything is very blurry for me...

mackin43 · Site Admin Joined: 20 Mar 2008 Posts: 427

The "signed letter" is the email we sent you. You can simply print that out and that will fulfill the 1(d) exception for the W7.

-jm

farbled · Joined: 12 Aug 2006 Posts: 361 Location: Vancouver, BC

anyra · Joined: 09 Aug 2006 Posts: 17

galaxyphoto · Joined: 14 Oct 2008 Posts: 2

naturespixel · Posted: Thu May 28, 2009 3:17 pm

galaxyphoto · Joined: 14 Oct 2008 Posts: 2

I have read some minutes ago in the other brach of forum, that if somebody haven't received letter yet, he will get it at the nearest future. By the words from SS admin.

Best regards, Andrei.

mackin43 · Site Admin Joined: 20 Mar 2008 Posts: 427

Correct.

mackin43 · Site Admin Joined: 20 Mar 2008 Posts: 427

You should get the email soon.

thanks

patrickwang · Joined: 07 Feb 2009 Posts: 59 Location: London, UK

I haven't got such email yet. All I have in the past few days are submission confirmation and status emails. Can you please send it again? thanks,

PaulCowan · Joined: 24 Feb 2005 Posts: 4182 Location: Evolving

I'll copy and paste this here, because I think it is important and it may stand a better chance of getting answered in a shorter thread:

Mackin - do you have written confirmation from the IRS that an e-mail to contributors is sufficient to satisfy their requirements? If so, can you e-mail us all a scan of it.

If you don't have written confirmation of this from the US authorities, how can you imagine anybody is going to spend hundreds of unrecoverable dollars submitting forms, knowing that the official IRS statement on the forms says that a signed, headed letter is required (which is not an e-mail that can be spoofed or forged)?

It is not enough just for your lawyers to say "an e-mail should do", it must come, in writing, from the IRS, and we need copies of it to append to the applications. Then you can guarantee it will not be a problem, rather than observing that it "should not" be a problem.

Try to imagine the venom that is going to land on your heads in these forums if 1,000 people spend $500 each on paperwork only to be told to do the same again because your e-mail was not good enough.

.... come to think of it, this could even become a legal problem for you, if you are giving contributors an assurance that the e-mail is sufficient and it turns out not to be. 1,000 people with a $500 loss is enough to turn into a "class action", isn't it? So it is in your interests, as well as ours, for us to see the IRS assurance.

mackin43 wrote:
1. The letter is the email we sent you. You can print it and use that.

2. See #1. This shouldn't be a problem.

-jm

mundoview wrote:
Dear Shutterstock,

You state that we are required to include a letter sent to us on the 27 May 2009 with our W7 form.

1) Where is this letter?

2) If this is the email you sent to me on the 28 May 2009, this "letter" is addressed to myself and doesn't appear to fulfill the requirements outlined in the W7 form explanation.

Shutterstock, your handling of this situation is appalling. ASAP you need to set up a page on the site providing detailed descriptions of what is required and examples of the completed forms.

Thank you,

SSE