DOCUMENTS REQUIRED TO OBTAIN A SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER AND CARD OR A REPLACEMENT CARD

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SOCIAL SECURITY CARDS: DOCUMENTS REQUIRED TO OBTAIN A SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER AND CARD OR A REPLACEMENT CARD

The following information is from the U.S. Social Security Administration’s web page at: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10120.html.

TO OBTAIN A NEW SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER AND CARD , you will need to provide at least two documents to prove age, identity, and U.S. citizenship or current immigration status .

TO OBTAIN A REPLACEMENT CARD , you must prove your identity. Proof of U.S. citizenship and age are not required if they are already in Social Security’s records.

To prove identity: If you are a U.S. citizen, Social Security must see:

U.S. driver’s license; or
State-issued non-driver identity card; or
U.S. passport.

If you do not have these specific documents or cannot get a replacement for them within ten days, Social Security will ask to see other documents, such as:

Employee ID card;
School ID card;
Health insurance card (not a Medicare card);
U.S. military ID card; or
Adoption decree.

To Prove Age: Documents that Social Security accepts for proof of age include:

Birth certificate;
Hospital record of your birth (created at the time of your birth);
Religious record established before age five showing your age or date of birth;
Passport;
Final Adoption Decree (must indicate birth data from original birth certificate)

To prove U.S. citizenship: Under recent changes in law, only certain documents can be accepted as proof of U.S. citizenship. These include:

U.S. birth certificate;
U.S. passport;
Certificate of Naturalization; or
Certificate of Citizenship.

To prove immigration status: If you are not a U.S. citizen, Social security must see your current U.S. immigration documents. Acceptable documents from the Department of Homeland Security include:

Form I-551 (includes machine-readable immigrant visa with unexpired foreign passport);
I-94 with unexpired foreign passport; or
Work permit card (I-766 or I-688B).

All documents must be either originals or copies certified by the issuing agency. Social Security cannot accept photocopies or notarized copies of documents or receipts showing you have applied for a document.

TO FIND THE NEAREST SOCIAL SECURITY OFFICE LOOK IN CONNECTICUT'S COMMUNITY RESOURCES DATABASE:
Search by Service Name: Social Security Numbers.

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SOURCE: U.S. Social Security Administration: “New Rules For Getting A Social Security Number And Card.”
PREPARED BY: 211/rj
CONTENT LAST REVIEWED: February2008