To apply for a Social Security number for your child, you need to complete Form SS-5 which is available for download at http://www.ssa.gov/online/ss-5.html. Or you can obtain Form SS-5 by calling 1-800-772-1213 or visiting your local Social Security office. These services are free. You will need to submit evidence of age, identity, and U.S. citizenship or lawful alien status for your child and evidence of your identity.

For more information, visit the SSA page.

Age: We prefer to see your child's birth certificate. If you do not have a birth certificate for your child, we can accept other evidence showing your child's date of birth, such as the adoption decree, your child's passport, or the document issued to your child by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.
 

Identity: We need to see a document of recent issuance to establish your child's and your continued existence. We can generally accept a current document that has enough information to identify you and your child (e.g., name as well as age, date of birth, parents' names). A birth certificate is not an identity document.
 

Some documents we can accept as proof of identity for a child are:
 

• Adoption record
   

• A U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) document
   

• Doctor, clinic, hospital record
   

• Religious record (e.g., baptismal record)
   

• Daycare center, school record
   

Some documents we can accept as proof of identity for an adult are:
 

• Driver's license
   

• Employer ID card
   

• Passport
   

• Marriage or divorce record
   

• Health insurance card (not a Medicare card)
   

• Military record
   

• Life insurance policy
   

• School ID card
   

U.S. Citizenship/Lawful Alien Status: If your child has documentary evidence of U.S. citizenship (a Certificate of Citizenship or a U.S. passport), please submit it.

Certain foreign-born children who are adopted and permanently residing in the U.S. automatically acquire U.S. citizenship. However, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which is generally responsible for issuing documentation of citizenship, is still working to streamline the process of issuing Certificates of Citizenship for foreign-born children adopted by U.S. citizens. In the meantime, parents of these children can apply to the Department of State for a U.S. passport which is also proof of citizenship.

If you do not yet have proof of your child's citizenship, we can still assign a number based on the documentation issued to your child by the Immigration and Naturalization Service upon arrival in the U.S. When you receive documentation of your child's citizenship, please bring it to SSA and we will update your child's record. Your child will not be disadvantaged in any way because the Social Security number will not change.

All documents need to be originals or copies certified by the issuing agency. We cannot accept photocopies of documents. We need original documents or copies certified by the custodian of the record. Notarized copies are also not acceptable.

Mail or bring the application and evidence in person to your local Social Security office. You can find that office at http://www.ssa.gov/locator/. Your documents will be returned to you.

You will receive your child's card within two weeks of the date we have all the information we need to process your request. If you have not received your child's card within this time frame, contact the Social Security office where you applied for a number.