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When To Apply

If you need to replace a lost Social Security card, change the name shown on your card, or request a replacement card, you will need to complete an application to receive a Social Security card.

How To Apply

You will need to complete Form SS-5. You can obtain form SS-5 by:

If you are living outside the United States, there is a different form, the Application for a Social Security Card (SS-5-FS).

What You Need

In addition to completing the form you need to furnish identification:

  • To get a replacement card, you usually need one identifying document. Your replacement card will have the same number as your old card. Some documents that we can accept as proof of identity are:
    1. Driver’s license
    2. Marriage or divorce record
    3. Military records
    4. Employer ID card
    5. Adoption record
    6. Insurance policy
    7. Passport
    8. Health Insurance card (not a Medicare card)
    9. School ID card

  • For a name change on your card, you also need documentation that shows your old name and your new name. Your new card will show your new name but will have the same number as your old card. We cannot accept your old Social Security card as evidence of identity.
  • For a new card, you will need to provide documents that show your age, citizenship or lawful alien status, and who you are; for example, a birth certificate and a school record. If you have downloaded the form, additional examples are listed.
  • You will also need an in-person interview if you are age 12 or older and are applying for an original number. If you were born in the U.S. and are age 12 or older, you must explain why you do not already have a Social Security number.

NOTE: We cannot accept photocopies of documents. You must submit original documents or copies certified by the custodian of the record. Notarized copies are not acceptable.

If you were born outside the United States, you also generally must show proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful alien status.

A Publication

For information on your Social Security Number, its use and misuse, and what the numbers mean, refer to our publication, Social Security: Your Number.

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