(CNN Spanish) — Your Social Security number is required for work and some government benefits, so it’s important that you know it, don’t give it out unnecessarily, and keep the card in a safe place.
If you need your number and can’t remember it, the most obvious place to look for it is right on your card. If you have lost it, you can easily order a replacement.
The number may also be on certain other documents, for example tax or bank statements, or even forms you previously filed with Citizenship and Immigration Services. You can also consult an employer, as this is precisely the number in which your income for dependent work or self-employment will be recorded.
How to Get a Social Security Number and Card if You’re a Citizen?
To apply for the number and card, you must complete an application known as Form SS-5.
You must show Social Security Administration (SSA) documents that prove your U.S. citizenship, your identity, and your age (you must have the original documents or copies certified by the issuing agencies, as the SSA does not accept photocopies or notarized documents). copies).
Following are the accepted documents:
- to prove US citizenshipU.S. Birth Certificate or Passport, Certificate of Naturalization or Certificate of Citizenship.
- To test age: A birth certificate and, if one does not exist, a religious record made before your 5th birthday containing your date of birth, your birth record from a US hospital, or your passport.
- To prove identity: You will need a document with your name, information that identifies you and preferably a recent photograph. This can be a driver’s license, state non-driver card, or a US passport. If you don’t have any of these documents, it could be an employee card, school card, health insurance card or army card.
The same document can be used to verify two categories, for example age and identity, but you must provide at least two separate documents.
Once you have the application and documents, you can mail them to your local SSA office. From the age of 12, you must also attend an interview in person (even in the case of minors in which a parent or guardian signs the application on their behalf).
Once the SSA has verified the documentation and has the number, the card will be mailed to you.
How to get a card if you are not a citizen?
If you are a citizen or permanent resident, you will be issued a card containing only your name and Social Security number. However, there are two other types of cards that can be generated if you are an immigrant without permanent residence and you have processed the document.
If you are legally permitted to live on a temporary basis and have authorization from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to work, you will be issued a card with your name, number and a statement that says “Only Good for work.” Permission from DHS.
If you have legal permission to live in the United States, do not have work authorization, but need a Social Security number for a valid government reason, you will be issued a card containing your name, number, and the marking “Valid. is not “to work”.
If you are not American, there are some changes to the documentation to submit.
- They will ask you for immigration documents, which may, depending on the case, be a permanent resident card (Form L-551, known as a green card), work authorization card (Form L-766) or an arrival/departure record. With a valid foreign passport (Form L-94).
- You will need to present a foreign birth certificate or passport and green card or Form L-94 to prove your age.
What is the difference between a Green Card and a Diversity Visa in the United States?
How to get a number for your child
The SSA states that it’s a good idea to apply for your child’s birth number, which you can do at the same time you apply for the birth certificate. In that case, the state agency that issued the birth certificate will share the information with the SSA, which will then send you a card with the number in the mail.
You can also apply later to a Social Security office, where you will be asked to provide documents proving the child’s citizenship or immigration status, identity and age, as well as proof of relationship between them.
