Opening in Fort Lee as a foreign company

What changes when the owner or parent company is based abroad. Fort Lee has 3 filings on this. None of them has a fixed government fee, 1 fee is set by the space or the business and 2 filings are free.

Updated October 21, 20263 filingsSources: the agencies' own sitesSources checked October 21, 2026

Fees and timelines at a glance

Filing	Agency	Government fee	How long
Application for Employer Identification Number (EIN)	Internal Revenue Service	Free	Fax: about 4 business days. Mail: about 4 to 5 weeks. Phone: issued on the call.
Business formation and tax registration	NJ Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services	Varies	Not listed
Create/Update Importer Identity Form	U.S. Customs and Border Protection	Free	Up to 5 business days.

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.

File on the agency's site How to fill it
Business formation and tax registration

NJ Division of Revenue and Enterprise ServicesNew Jersey

Form or register the company, then register for state taxes.

Fee
Varies
Filed
Filed online

File on the agency's site How to fill it
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.

File on the agency's site How to fill it

Guides for each business in Fort Lee

Every filing links to the agency's own page, and every fact comes from an official form or agency page. Agency requirements change; check the agency's page before you file. How we source and check these guides

Get the plan for your business in Fort Lee

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
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