---
title: Social Security Number (SSN) Card in the United States
country: "united-states"
service: "social-security-number"
category: identification
difficulty: moderate
estimated_time: "Most applications can be started online in 15-30 minutes; if an office visit is required, allow extra time for scheduling. The card arrives by mail in 5-10 business days after the application is approved."
cost_range: $0
last_verified: 2026-05-29
canonical: https://publicservices.guide/united-states/social-security-number/
status: current
confidence: low
tags:
  - ssn
  - "social-security"
  - identification
  - "first-week"
  - "work-authorization"
  - newcomer
sources:
  - https://www.ssa.gov/ssnumber/ss5doc.htm
  - https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10096.pdf
  - https://www.ssa.gov/number-card
  - https://www.ssa.gov/number-card/request-number-first-time
  - https://www.ssa.gov/news/en/advocates/2026-02-23.html
  - https://www.ssa.gov/ssnvisa/
  - https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/cfr20/422/422-0107.htm
  - https://www.usa.gov/social-security-card
---

# Social Security Number (SSN) Card in the United States

**Country:** 🇺🇸 United States  
**Last verified:** 2026-05-29  
**Estimated time:** Most applications can be started online in 15-30 minutes; if an office visit is required, allow extra time for scheduling. The card arrives by mail in 5-10 business days after the application is approved.  
**Cost:** $0

## Required documents

- **Work-authorisation or immigration-status document**
  - Required: At least one document establishing lawful status and permission to work: the I-94 Arrival/Departure Record (or an admission stamp in an unexpired foreign passport showing a work-permitting class of admission), the I-766 Employment Authorization Document (EAD, the work permit), or the I-551 Lawful Permanent Resident card (the green card, or a machine-readable immigrant visa in the passport).
  - _Note:_ An original SSN is available only to people with Department of Homeland Security permission to work. This document is what proves that permission.
- **Age document**
  - Primary: A birth certificate is the primary proof of age.
  - Fallback: If a birth certificate cannot be obtained within 14 business days, a foreign passport, a US military record, or a religious record showing the date of birth may be accepted instead.
- **Identity document**
  - Accepted: A driver's licence, state-issued ID card, passport, school record, medical record, marriage record, or other Department of Homeland Security-issued document can establish identity.
  - _Note:_ A single document such as a passport can often serve more than one category, so a recent arrival with a passport plus an immigration document frequently satisfies all three from a small set.

## Costs

- **Original SSN and card:** 0 USD — The Social Security Administration does not charge for the number, the card, or the standard application.
- **Application processing:** 0 USD — Applying for a Social Security number and card for yourself or your child is free.

## Steps

### 1. Confirm Eligibility and Gather Originals

- Confirm you have Department of Homeland Security permission to work: an EAD, a green card, or an admission class that permits work. An original SSN is available only to people with this permission.
- Assemble documents proving three things — your immigration or work-authorisation status, your age, and your identity (see the What You Need section).
- Check that every document is an original or agency-certified, and that none have expired.

> **Tip:** The agency requires that you present originals or copies certified by the issuing agency — photocopies and notarized copies are not accepted; all documents must be current and unexpired. Generally at least two documents are needed to establish identity, age, and status.

### 2. Start the Application Online

- Go to the Social Security Administration's Social Security Number and card page; it asks a short set of questions to determine the best way for you to apply.
- Use the first-time-request landing page if you have never had an SSN — it is the entry point for original numbers.
- Answer the questions about your status and documents so the agency can route you correctly.

> **Tip:** Starting online is the current default for many applicants. It captures your information up front, which makes any in-office visit shorter if one turns out to be required.

### 3. Follow the Path the Agency Gives You

- After you submit, the agency either processes the application fully online, or guides you to schedule an appointment at a local Social Security office or a Social Security Card Center.
- If prompted to schedule, you self-schedule using an email-and-password login.
- If you are processed online, no office visit is needed.

### 4. Attend the Appointment If One Is Required

_Applies when: If the agency directs you to a Social Security office or Card Center_

- Bring the original documents you gathered earlier.
- The agency reviews and returns the originals at the visit; it does not keep them.
- Because you started online, the visit is shorter as your information is already on file.

### 5. Receive the Card by Mail

- Once the application is approved, the card is mailed to the address on the application.
- It arrives in 5-10 business days after approval.
- If you do not have a US mailing address, select the country where you live and contact that country's Federal Benefits Unit rather than using the standard domestic path.

> **Tip:** If you applied for an immigrant visa abroad, you may have requested the card with your visa, in which case it often arrives shortly after entry with no separate visit.

## FAQ

### Can a newcomer without work authorisation get an SSN?

No. Only noncitizens with Department of Homeland Security permission to work can apply for an original SSN. If you are NOT eligible for an SSN because you have no work authorisation, you likely need an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) instead, which is issued by the Internal Revenue Service for people with a US federal tax purpose who cannot get an SSN. The two are not interchangeable. See the ITIN guide for that path.

### Is there a fee?

No. Applying for an original Social Security Number and card is free, both for yourself and for a child. The Social Security Administration does not charge for the number, the card, or the standard application.

### Do I have to visit a Social Security office?

Not necessarily. Under the current streamlined process you start the application online; the agency either completes it online or schedules you for an office visit if one is needed. Starting online shortens any required visit because your information is already captured.

### How long until the card arrives?

The card arrives by mail in 5-10 business days after the application is approved. That window runs from approval, not from when you start, so if you are routed to an office visit the overall timeline also depends on how soon an appointment can be held.

### What documents do I need?

Generally at least two documents establishing your immigration or work-authorisation status, your age, and your identity. For example an I-766 EAD or I-551 green card, a birth certificate or passport, and an identity document. Everything must be an original or a copy certified by the issuing agency, and current and unexpired. Photocopies are not accepted.

### Can I get the SSN when I apply for my immigrant visa?

Yes. When applying for an immigrant visa with the US Department of State you can request the SSN card at the same time, with no separate visit to the Social Security Administration. The number and card are issued through the visa process and mailed to your US address.

### Who issues the SSN and under what law?

The Social Security Administration, a federal agency, issues it nationwide. The program exists by statute under the Social Security Act, section 205(c)(2), and the evidence and procedure rules are set out in the federal regulations at 20 CFR 422.107.

## Local tips

- The SSN card is not a photo ID and is not meant to be carried daily. Its only job is to evidence the number when an employer, bank, or agency requires it. Store the card safely and memorize the number rather than carrying the card around.
- The number is permanent and follows you for life, across jobs, states, and changes in immigration status. You do not get a new number when you change employers or move.
- If you applied for an immigrant visa abroad, you can usually request the SSN card at the same time, so it arrives by mail soon after you enter the country with no separate visit needed.

## Sources

- [Social Security Administration](https://www.ssa.gov/ssnumber/ss5doc.htm) — accessed 2026-05-29 — _T1_ — Per 20 CFR 422.107, evidence must be originals or copies certified by the issuing agency — photocopies and notarized copies are not accepted, and all documents must be current and unexpired. At least two documents are generally required to establish identity, age, and lawful immigration status. Accepted status documents include the I-94, the I-766 EAD, and the I-551 green card; a birth certificate is the primary age document with foreign passport, US military record, or religious record as fallbacks.
- [Social Security Administration](https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10096.pdf) — accessed 2026-05-29 — _T1_ — Only noncitizens who have permission from the Department of Homeland Security to work in the United States can apply for an original Social Security Number. A newcomer without DHS work authorisation is not eligible for an original SSN, and for a US federal tax purpose should obtain an ITIN from the Internal Revenue Service instead.
- [Social Security Administration](https://www.ssa.gov/number-card) — accessed 2026-05-29 — _T1_ — The Social Security Number and card page asks a short set of questions to determine the best way to apply and walks the applicant through each step; the agency either processes the application online or schedules an in-office appointment when one is needed.
- [Social Security Administration](https://www.ssa.gov/number-card/request-number-first-time) — accessed 2026-05-29 — _T1_ — The first-time-request landing page is the entry point for people who have never had an SSN. Applying is free, and the card arrives by mail in 5-10 business days after the application is approved.
- [Social Security Administration](https://www.ssa.gov/news/en/advocates/2026-02-23.html) — accessed 2026-05-29 — _T1_ — In February 2026 the agency introduced a streamlined online process so that many applicants can start, and in some cases complete, the application online rather than visiting an office in person as the default first step. Applicants routed to an office self-schedule using an email-and-password login, and starting online shortens any required in-office visit.
- [Social Security Administration](https://www.ssa.gov/ssnvisa/) — accessed 2026-05-29 — _T1_ — When applying for an immigrant visa with the US Department of State, the applicant can request the SSN card at the same time, with no separate visit to the Social Security Administration; the number and card are issued through the visa process and mailed to the US address provided. An original or replacement SSN can also be requested during a US Citizenship and Immigration Services application by completing the Social Security section of the relevant form.
- [Social Security Administration](https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/cfr20/422/422-0107.htm) — accessed 2026-05-29 — _T1_ — The Social Security Number program is established by statute under the Social Security Act at section 205(c)(2), which gives the Social Security Administration its authority to issue numbers and maintain records. The detailed evidence and procedure requirements — what documents prove identity, age, and status, and how an application is adjudicated — are set out in the federal regulations at 20 CFR 422.107.
- [USA.gov](https://www.usa.gov/social-security-card) — accessed 2026-05-29 — _T1_ — Applying for a Social Security number and card for yourself or your child is free, and the Social Security Administration is the issuing authority. The application is available online and in person. An applicant without a US mailing address selects the country where they live and contacts that country's Federal Benefits Unit rather than applying through the standard domestic path.

---

Verification pending — see the canonical page for the latest trust state.
Canonical: https://publicservices.guide/united-states/social-security-number/