Obtaining
a Social Security Number for a Foreign-Born Adopted
Child
Note from the Alliance For Children:
Some social security offices request proof of
citizenship in order to issue a social security
number. If they will not accept the documents
listed below and you have not yet received your
Certificate of Citizenship, then please contact
us at Alliance for Children to write an appeal
letter explaining the urgency of the situation.
In most cases, the social security office will
issue a number with this letter in hand.
[Excerpt from www.ssa.gov]
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.
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