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Apply for your Social Security Number While Applying 

for Your Work Permit

If you currently reside in the United States and plan to apply for work authorization from 

the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), you will also need a Social Security 

Number (SSN) to allow employers to report your earnings to the U.S. government

To save you a trip to the Social Security Office you can now apply for your SSN and card

(SSN card) on the same application form you will use to apply for permission to work 

legally in the United States (U.S.). That application is the Department of Homeland 

Security’s (DHS) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Form I-765, 

Application for Employment Authorization. If USCIS approves your application to work in 

the U.S. and you completed the section on the application to request an SSN card, then 

USCIS will send SSA the data we need to issue your SSN card. If you already have an 

SSN and you requested an SSN card on the I-765 application, we will issue you a 

replacement SSN card. 

If USCIS approves your application, you will receive two documents – your Employment 

Authorization Document (EAD), also known as the “USCIS I-766 card” or “work permit”,

and in another envelope your SSN card. We will mail your SSN card to the address you 

listed on your I-765 application. You should receive your SSN card no later than 7

business days after you receive your EAD from USCIS.

If You Do Not Receive Your SSN Card that You Requested on Your I-765 – Visit an 

SSA Office

Please call or visit an SSA office if you do not receive your SSN card within 7 business 

days after receiving your EAD. Please bring this flyer and your EAD as it may help us 

answer your questions. 

How to Locate an SSA Office 

To locate an SSA office you may visit our website: https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp, or 

call our toll-free number 1-800-772-1213 to ask for an SSA office near you.

If You Did Not Request an SSN While Completing Your I-765 – Visit an SSA Office

If you did not request an SSN card on your I-765 application, “Application for 

Employment Authorization”, you must visit a Social Security office to apply for your
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Social Security number and card after you receive your Employment Authorization 

Document (Form I-766) from USCIS.

When you visit an SSA office to apply for a Social Security card, please bring the 

following original documents with you (we do not accept photocopies or notarized 

documents):

 Your Form I-766 to prove your immigration status and that you can work in the U.S.

 Your birth certificate to prove your age. If you do not have a birth certificate or you 

cannot obtain it in 10 business days, we may accept your foreign passport, U.S. 

military record, or religious record showing your age or date of birth.

If You Need Help Completing the Social Security Number Application (SS-5)

If you need help filling out the SS-5, a Social Security representative will help you.

Timeline for Receiving Your SSN Card If You Visited an SSA Office

You should receive your SSN card within 2 weeks after we have everything we need to 

process your application, including verification of your immigration document with the 

USCIS. If we are unable to immediately verify your immigration document with the 

USCIS, it may take 2 additional weeks to receive your card.

Your Information and Privacy

Sections 205(c) and 702 of the Social Security Act authorize SSA to collect information 

to assign you a Social Security number (SSN) and issue you a Social Security card. The 

information you furnish is voluntary. However, failure to provide the requested

information may prevent us from issuing you an SSN and Social Security card. The 

information you provide us is confidential. This means that we do not share your 

information except as permitted under the law. For example, we may share 

information with other government agencies as allowed by the Privacy Act. SSA will 

maintain the information used to assign you an SSN and issue you a Social Security 

card in SSA's system of records Master Files of Social Security Number (SSN) Holders 

and SSN Applications, 60-0058. Complete lists of approved routine uses for the 

information used to assign you an SSN and issue you a Social Security card are 

available in the System of Records Notice 60-0058, available at http://www.ssa.gov. 

For more information about this, please contact us.