Translation agency asking for national ID card? Thread poster: Jorge Rodríguez Rodríguez
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Dear colleagues, I am wondering if any of you are going through the same issue as me. An US based translation agency that I already did a job in December and that paid to me on time is asking me now for a photo of my Spanish ID card. They explain that it is due a new law in the US and that every single linguist in their database has to send their ID card if they want to stay in their database The email has been sent for their legit email address. It is not ... See more Dear colleagues, I am wondering if any of you are going through the same issue as me. An US based translation agency that I already did a job in December and that paid to me on time is asking me now for a photo of my Spanish ID card. They explain that it is due a new law in the US and that every single linguist in their database has to send their ID card if they want to stay in their database The email has been sent for their legit email address. It is not a case of phishing or whatever. In my case, I am awaiting their invoicing period to invoice the second job I did for them a couple of weeks ago. I am only wondering if I should send the photo to them because I have read in Facebook or here, in the Proz's forums, that it is not normal. May it be linked to the war in Ukraine? This is the only American agency I work with and I would like to know if your clients based in the US are also asking you for that information. Thank you. Jorge ▲ Collapse | | | No request received | Mar 2, 2022 |
I have clients in the USA and until now no request for my ID card received. | | | Sounds strange... | Mar 2, 2022 |
Ask them for the name of the law. | | | Steve Robbie United Kingdom Local time: 09:03 Member (2017) German to English + ... Seems strange that they ask for an ID card ... | Mar 2, 2022 |
.... given that they don't have those in the United States. | |
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Kevin Fulton United States Local time: 04:03 German to English Have you filled out a W-8 form? | Mar 2, 2022 |
Translators working outside the US have to file a W-8 form with American agencies which remains with the agency. Basically the form certifies that you are not subject to withholding tax in the US, and is used in case the agency is audited by the Internal Revenue Service. I can't imagine why an agency would request a copy of the national ID, except perhaps to identify fraudulent translators. As other have pointed out there is no American national ID. An inquiry to the PM (as a reply ... See more Translators working outside the US have to file a W-8 form with American agencies which remains with the agency. Basically the form certifies that you are not subject to withholding tax in the US, and is used in case the agency is audited by the Internal Revenue Service. I can't imagine why an agency would request a copy of the national ID, except perhaps to identify fraudulent translators. As other have pointed out there is no American national ID. An inquiry to the PM (as a reply to an email from him/her to avoid possible email address hijacking) might clear things up. ▲ Collapse | | | Michael Newton United States Local time: 04:03 Japanese to English + ... National ID card | Mar 3, 2022 |
There is no such "new" law in the US. Avoid them. | | | dkfmmuc Local time: 10:03 Member (2009) German to English + ... Unreliable workflow during onboarding | Mar 3, 2022 |
Dear Jorge Rodriguez, my personal experience is that an unreliable (or too demanding) workflow during onboarding is one of the more visible early warning indicators that this customer is not the most reliable one. The harmless version of that is that he needs hundreds of images of his suppliers to use for his advertisements. And by the way: You are the one going into risk by providing your services and get paid later. Another "half scam" version wo... See more Dear Jorge Rodriguez, my personal experience is that an unreliable (or too demanding) workflow during onboarding is one of the more visible early warning indicators that this customer is not the most reliable one. The harmless version of that is that he needs hundreds of images of his suppliers to use for his advertisements. And by the way: You are the one going into risk by providing your services and get paid later. Another "half scam" version would be to trick you into one of the non regulated wallets just to get the new customer referral bonus. The already described form for tax purposes is the onboarding requirement. And naturally a bank specialized on international payments to avoid your local savings bank may bill hefty fees. But not a copy of your ID. Best regards Gerd
[Edited at 2022-03-03 09:54 GMT] ▲ Collapse | | | RobinB United States Local time: 03:03 German to English
Jorge, As others have pointed out, there is no "new law" in the U.S. None of the existing laws in the U.S. require companies to obtain any sort of photo ID of their suppliers, whether in the U.S. or located overseas. But as Kevin did point out, you do have to send them a W-8 every couple of years. You should certainly ask for clarification! Robin | | | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Translation agency asking for national ID card? TM-Town | Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business
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