Form SS-5-FS at a glance
What it is: Form SS-5-FS, the Application for a Social Security Card, is for an original card, a replacement card, or a change to your Social Security number record.
Who signs: If you are age 18 or older and are physically and mentally capable of reading and completing the application, you must sign in item 17. If you are under age 18, you may either sign yourself, or a parent or legal guardian may sign for you.
Where and when to file: You can mail this signed application or take this signed application with your documents to any U.S. Social Security office or your Federal Benefits Unit. If you are a military dependent or a U.S. citizen working on a U.S. military post, you may also go to the Post Adjutant or Personnel Office. If you do not want to mail your original documents, take them along with this application to any U.S. Social Security office or your Federal Benefits Unit. The people there will make certified copies of your original documents and mail them to the Social Security Administration along with this application.
A filled-in Form SS-5-FS example: a U.S. citizen replaces a lost card
How to fill out Form SS-5-FS, box by box
Name to be shown on card
You must provide current, unexpired evidence of identity in your legal name. Your legal name will be shown on the Social Security card.
If you are completing this form for someone else, please complete the items as they apply to that person.
Place of birth and date of birth
Date of birth: show the month, day, and full (4 digit) year of birth; for example, “1998” for year of birth. Place of birth (do not abbreviate): City, State or Foreign Country.
Citizenship
For citizenship, check one: U.S. Citizen, Legal Alien Allowed To Work, Legal Alien Not Allowed To Work, or Other. If you check “Legal Alien Not Allowed to Work” or “Other,” you must provide a document from a U.S. Federal, State, or local government agency that explains why you need a Social Security number and that you meet all the requirements for the U.S. government benefit. NOTE: Most agencies do not require that you have a Social Security number. Contact Social Security to see if your reason qualifies for a Social Security number.
Ethnicity and race
Providing race and ethnicity information is voluntary and does not affect decisions on your application.
Parents' Social Security numbers
If you are applying for an original Social Security card for a child under age 18, you MUST show the parents' Social Security numbers unless the parent was never assigned a Social Security number. If the number is not known and you cannot obtain it, check the “unknown” box.
Filed for or received a Social Security number card before
Has the person listed in item 1 or anyone acting on his/her behalf ever filed for or received a Social Security number card before? If Yes, answer questions 12-13. If Don't Know, skip to question 14.
If the date of birth you show in item 4 is different from the date of birth currently shown on your Social Security record, show the date of birth currently shown on your record in item 13 and provide evidence to support the date of birth shown in item 4.
Daytime phone number and mailing address
Show an address where you can receive your card. Do not abbreviate the mailing address: enter the street address, apt. no., PO box or rural route no., city, state or foreign country, and ZIP code. Enter today's date as MM/DD/YYYY and a daytime phone number with area code and number.
Your signature and relationship
If you are over age 18 and cannot sign on your own behalf, generally a legal guardian, parent, or close relative may sign for you. If you cannot sign your name, you should sign with an "X” mark and have two people sign as witnesses in the space beside the mark. Please do not alter your signature by including additional information on the signature line as this may invalidate your application.
Your relationship to the person in item 1 is: Self, Natural Or Adoptive Parent, Legal Guardian, or Other (Specify).
More rules for Form SS-5-FS
Applying for a Social Security Card is free!
To apply for an original card, you must provide at least two documents to prove age, identity, and U.S. citizenship or current lawful, work-authorized immigration status. If you are age 12 or older and have never received a Social Security number, you must apply in person. If you are not a U.S. citizen and do not have Department of Homeland Security (DHS) work authorization, you must prove that you have a valid non-work reason for requesting a card. See page 2 for an explanation of acceptable documents.
Public Law 108-458 limits the number of replacement Social Security cards you may receive to 3 per calendar year and 10 in a lifetime. Cards issued to reflect changes to your legal name or changes to a work authorization legend do not count toward these limits. Social Security may also grant exceptions to these limits if you provide evidence from an official source to establish that a Social Security card is required.
If you are completing this application on behalf of someone else, you must provide evidence that shows your authority to sign the application as well as documents to prove your identity and the identity of the person for whom you are filing the application.
Documents you submit to establish identity must show your legal name AND provide biographical information (your date of birth, age, or parents' names) and/or physical information (photograph, or physical description - height, eye and hair color, etc.).
Social Security cannot accept a birth certificate, hospital souvenir birth certificate, Social Security card stub, or a Social Security record as evidence of identity.
Complete and sign this application LEGIBLY using ONLY black or blue ink on the attached or downloaded form using only 8 ½” x 11” (or A4, 8.25” x 11.7”) paper.
Common questions about Form SS-5-FS
How do I send my documents to Social Security?
Visit any U.S. Social Security office or your Federal Benefits Unit and they will make certified copies of your original documents. Do not mail your original documents to the Social Security Administration in Baltimore, Maryland.
How to get a replacement Social Security card?
To apply for a replacement card, you must provide one document to prove your identity. If you were born outside the U.S., you must also provide documents to prove your U.S. citizenship or current lawful, work-authorized status. Page 2 has an explanation of acceptable documents.
What proof of ID do I need for a replacement Social Security card?
As proof of your identity, you must provide a U.S. driver's license, a U.S. State-issued non-driver identity card, or a U.S. passport. If you do not have a U.S. driver's license, a U.S. State-issued non-driver identity card or a U.S. passport, or cannot get a replacement within 10 work days, other documents that show your legal name and biographical information may be accepted, such as a U.S. military identity card, Certificate of Naturalization, employee identity card, certified copy of medical record (clinic, doctor or hospital), health insurance card, Medicaid card, or school identity card/record.
Does it need a notary?
Only original documents or documents certified by the custodian of the original record are acceptable. Notarized copies or photocopies which have not been certified by the custodian of the record are not acceptable.
What am I certifying when I sign?
By signing, you declare under penalty of perjury that you have examined all the information on this form, and on any accompanying statements or forms, and it is true and correct to the best of your knowledge.
Sources
[1] Form SS-5-FS (12-2024), Application for a Social Security Card, Social Security Administration (the Official source link on this page).
