John and Mary are married nonresident living abroad. John has a rental house in the U.S. has ITIN but Mary does not to file return and has no ITIN. I have the following questions:

[1] Why state E-file with MFS status requires spouse tax ID? John file 1040-NR with the filing status "other married nonresident". Since John is married, he has to file MFS on state, no?

[2] Is there a workaround for the E-file restriction besides paper filing?

[3] If answer is no for [2], is it possible to apply for ITIN for Mary just for state E-filing? Mary has no other reason to obtain ITIN since she does not need to file and nonresidents cannot file jointed.

[4] If I have to file on paper, what is the best way to get confirmation that they have received and accepted the return when there is no tax owed and no refund. I am thinking to add a donation, but want to know if this is a good idea. If the return filed late, and donation is considered tax owed and will be charged penalty and interest?