What types of noncitizens can get a social security number and card?

In general, only noncitizens authorized by the federal government to work in the U.S. can obtain a Social Security Number.[3453] Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR), certain visa-holders, refugees/asylees, DACA recipients, and people with temporary protected status (TPS) are generally permitted to apply for and obtain a Social Security Number and card.[3454] The application for noncitizens to get a Social Security Number and card requires different documentation depending on your specific immigration status.

If you are eligible, you can apply for a SSN at your local Social Security office. In most cases, you will be required to show proof of your ability to work in the U.S., as well as official documents from your country of origin that prove your identity and/or age (such as a Birth Certificate or Passport).

The document requirement is more relaxed for two classes of noncitizens:

    Refugees and asylees, many of whom may not have official documents from their country of origin. In this case, the Social Security Administration will accept evidence of refugee status instead.[3455]DACA participants who don’t have birth certificates from the country in which they were born. In this case, the Social Security Administration may accept a state-issued ID or driver’s license.[3456]

For more information on the eligibility and documentation requirements for Social Security Numbers and cards, see PG. 38.

  1. 3453

    SSA, “Social Security Numbers for Noncitizens,” available at https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10096.pdf. ↑

  2. 3454

    SSA, “Social Security Numbers for Noncitizens,” available at https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10096.pdf; “Social Security Number and card – DACA,” available at https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/deferred_action.pdf; “Int’l Students and Social Security Numbers,” available at https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10181.pdf. See also SSA POMS RM 10211.185. ↑

  3. 3455

    SSA POMS RM 10211.185. ↑

  4. 3456

    SSA, “Social Security Number and card – DACA,” available at https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/deferred_action.pdf. ↑