How long permits take in Chicago
How long each agency takes, so you can plan the opening date.
Application for Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Internal Revenue ServiceUS federal
Owners with an SSN or ITIN apply online. A company whose responsible party has neither (most China-based owners) faxes or mails Form SS-4, or calls the IRS international line.
- Fee
- Free
- Filed
- Paper form, faxed or mailed
- Takes
- Fax: about 4 business days. Mail: about 4 to 5 weeks. Phone: issued on the call.
Illinois business registration (sales tax)
Illinois Department of RevenueIsrael, national
Register before your first purchase, sale or hire: online in MyTax Illinois (Register a New Business, Form REG-1), by mail or at an IDOR office. You get a certificate of registration and a taxpayer ID; Chicago's food license application asks for the Illinois Business Tax number.
- Fee
- Varies
- Filed
- Filed online
- Takes
- About 1 to 2 business days online; 4 to 6 weeks on paper.
Create/Update Importer Identity Form
U.S. Customs and Border ProtectionUS federal
Sent to CBP (usually through your customs broker), or created in the ACE portal. Needed before your first entry as importer of record.
- Fee
- Free
- Filed
- Paper form, mailed
- Takes
- Up to 5 business days.
Customs Bond
U.S. Customs and Border ProtectionUS federal
Bought from a CBP-approved surety, usually through your customs broker, who files it electronically. A continuous bond covers a year of entries.
- Fee
- Varies
- Filed
- Filed on the agency's portal
- Takes
- At least 5 business days for review.
- Renews
- Continuous bonds renew yearly.
Chicago retail food establishment license
City of Chicago, Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, with the Department of Public HealthChicago
Chicago's business license for any fixed place that serves, stores or sells perishable food, at a properly zoned, non-residential address. Apply online or at the Small Business Center, City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St., Room 800, with the lease, Illinois Business Tax number, FEIN, ownership details and photo ID; the place must pass a public health inspection before the license is issued.
- Fee
- Varies
- Filed
- Filed online
- Takes
- Chicago doesn't publish a standard processing time; the license is issued after zoning approval, payment and any required inspections, then mailed to your business.
- Renews
- Every 2 years.
Guides for each business in Chicago
Agency requirements change. Check each agency's page before you file.
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Get the plan for your business in Chicago
This guide covers the city. Your exact address decides the county, the health district and the zoning. Placetta maps every filing for it, fills the official forms from your details, adds the deadlines and puts them up for your approval.
- The full list for your address, in filing order
- The official forms, filled line by line
- Renewal and inspection reminders