Can I get a Social Security card while I am still incarcerated?

Maybe. If you never had a SSN, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will not assign you a new SSN or issue you an “original” Social Security card while you are incarcerated. You will have to wait until you get out.

However, if you were given a SSN at some point in the past, the SSA may issue you a replacement card with your original number on it while you are incarcerated—under limited circumstances.[46] See the next question (PG. 39) to learn how to get a replacement card while incarcerated.

  1. 46

    Soc. Sec. Admin., Program Operations Manual System, RM 10225.125 Replacement SSN Cards for Prison Inmates Covered by a Memorandum of Understanding (February 27, 2014). ↑