How to Fill Out a Credit Freeze Form at Each Bureau

To fill out a credit freeze form, you provide your full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, current address, and any addresses from the past two years, then attach photocopies of a government-issued ID, proof of address, and your Social Security card before mailing it to the bureau. Each of the three national credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — publishes its own downloadable form, and you must send one to each bureau separately. The form itself is free, and federal law requires the bureau to process a mailed request within three business days of receiving it.¹

What Every Freeze Form Asks For

The identity fields are the same at all three bureaus. Before you download anything, gather:

Your full legal name
Your date of birth
Your Social Security number
Your current address
Every address you’ve lived at in the past two years

Fill these in exactly as they appear on your official records. A mismatch between the name on the form and the name on your driver’s license is one of the most common reasons a mailed request gets kicked back for additional verification.

Documents to Attach

A mailed freeze request needs proof that you are who the form says you are. Every bureau asks for photocopies — never originals — of the following:²

A government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license or passport
A document proving your current address, such as a utility bill or bank statement
Your Social Security card, or another document showing your full SSN

Do not send originals of any of these. Once your envelope leaves your hands you cannot get it back, and the bureaus will not return documents. Photocopies are what the instructions call for and photocopies are all you should include.

Because you are mailing your Social Security number, ID, and address to a processing center, send the envelope by certified mail with a return receipt. That gives you a tracking record and confirmation that the bureau received it, which matters if the three-business-day processing clock later becomes an issue.

Filling Out Each Bureau’s Form

You have to freeze your file at each bureau individually. A freeze at Experian does nothing at Equifax or TransUnion, and a lender pulling from an unfrozen bureau can still see your report.³ That means three forms, three envelopes, three mailings.

Equifax

Download the Security Freeze Request Form from equifax.com.⁴ Complete the identity fields, attach your photocopied documents, and mail the packet to the address printed on the form. Equifax no longer issues 10-digit PINs; once your freeze is placed, you manage it through your myEquifax account or by verifying your identity over the phone.⁵

Experian

Download Experian’s security freeze form from experian.com. Complete the identity section, attach the same set of photocopies, and mail everything to:

Experian Security Freeze
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013⁶

TransUnion

Download TransUnion’s freeze form from transunion.com/credit-freeze. Fill in the identity fields, attach your photocopied documents, and mail the packet to:

TransUnion
P.O. Box 160
Woodlyn, PA 19094⁷

Forms for a Child or Incapacitated Adult

Children under 16 and incapacitated adults are treated as “protected consumers” under federal law, and a parent, legal guardian, or authorized representative can request a freeze on their behalf.³ These requests must be submitted by mail — there is no online path. Each bureau publishes its own protected-consumer form, and the document list is longer than for an adult freezing their own file.

You will generally need to include photocopies of:

Your government-issued photo ID
Your Social Security card
Proof of your current address, such as a utility bill or bank statement
Your birth certificate
The protected consumer’s birth certificate or other proof of your authority (a court order, foster care documentation, or power of attorney)
The protected consumer’s Social Security card

Equifax publishes a separate Incapacitated Adult Freeze Request form for guardians, which asks for proof of both the representative’s and the adult’s identity along with documentation of guardianship.⁸ Requirements vary slightly between bureaus, so download and read each form’s instructions before assembling the packet. A missing document will delay the freeze.

What Happens After You Mail the Form

The bureau must place the freeze within three business days of receiving your mailed request.¹ You will then receive a confirmation. Depending on the bureau, that confirmation may include a PIN, a password, or nothing more than a note tying the freeze to your online account credentials.

If a PIN arrives, store it somewhere secure. You will need it to lift or remove the freeze later, and losing it means going through a longer identity verification process before the bureau will act on your instructions.⁵ Filing the confirmation letter with your other financial paperwork is enough; a photo of the PIN on your phone is not.

When You Don’t Need the Form at All

Filling out a paper form is only one of three ways to freeze your credit, and it is the slowest. If you request the freeze online or by phone, you provide the same identity information through the bureau’s website, app, or call center, and no photocopied documents change hands. Federal law requires the bureau to place an online or phone-requested freeze within one business day, and in practice online freezes activate almost immediately.⁹ The phone numbers are:

The paper form still has its uses. If you cannot verify your identity through a bureau’s online knowledge-based questions, if a previous data breach has muddled your file, or if you simply want a paper trail, mailing a completed form is the fallback the law guarantees. It works — it just takes longer, and you have to get the documents right the first time.

1
GovInfo. 15 USC 1681c-1 – Identity Theft Prevention; Fraud Alerts and Active Duty Alerts
2
Experian. How to Freeze Your Credit at All 3 Credit Bureaus
3
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Is a Credit Freeze or Security Freeze on My Credit Report
4
Equifax. Security Freeze
5
Equifax. Manage Equifax Security Freeze Without PIN
6
Experian. How to Unfreeze Your Credit Report at All 3 Credit Bureaus
7
TransUnion. Freeze Your Credit Report by Mail or Phone
8
Equifax. Incapacitated Adult or Child Security Freeze
9
Federal Trade Commission. Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act
10
TransUnion. Credit Freeze