How to Get a Social Security Card Without ID

You can get a Social Security card without a driver’s license, state ID, or passport by bringing other documents that together prove who you are. Federal rules let the Social Security Administration accept school records, medical records, employee or school ID cards, health insurance cards, marriage records, and Department of Homeland Security documents in place of a standard photo ID.¹ Each document you use must show your name plus at least one other identifier, such as your date of birth, a photograph, or your parents’ names. Every document must be an original or a certified copy from the agency that issued it. Photocopies, notarized copies, and application receipts are not accepted.

What Counts as a Substitute Identity Document

The SSA sorts identity evidence into two tiers. Primary evidence is what the agency prefers, and secondary evidence is what it will accept when primary documents aren’t available. When you rely on secondary evidence, the reviewer may ask for more than one piece before approving the application.²

The core rule is simple: your name alone isn’t enough. Every document has to pair your name with something else that ties it to you, like a photo, a date of birth, an age, or your parents’ names. A membership card showing only your name won’t work. Neither will an expired document, even if it once had all the right information on it.¹

Alternatives Adults Can Use

If you’re an adult without a driver’s license or passport, these are the substitute documents most likely to work:

Employee ID card, if it shows your name along with a photograph or biographical details like date of birth. This counts as secondary evidence.
School ID card showing your name and either a photograph or your date of birth. Current-year cards work best.
Health insurance card or Medicaid card, if the card displays your name plus a photograph, date of birth, or age. A card showing only your name and a policy number will not qualify.²
Certified medical records from a doctor, clinic, or hospital showing your name and date of birth. These are especially useful when you don’t have work or school credentials.
Marriage record. The regulation lists this as valid identity evidence, though the SSA more commonly asks for marriage documents when processing a name change.¹

The regulation also includes a catch-all for “other similar evidence,” which gives field offices some flexibility when your documents don’t fit neatly into one of the listed categories. Bring the strongest combination you have. Two solid pieces of secondary evidence beat one weak one.

What the SSA Will Not Accept

A few documents that feel like they should work are specifically excluded. The SSA will not accept its own records as proof of your identity. Your Medicare card, Social Security award letters, and anything else the agency itself issued cannot verify who you are.³ The agency can’t use its own paperwork to confirm you when that’s the very record it’s trying to protect.

Expired documents fail the test. Photocopies fail. Notarized copies of an original still count as photocopies for this purpose. A receipt showing you’ve applied for a driver’s license or passport won’t stand in for the document itself.¹ If you mail your application, the SSA returns your originals after processing, so plan for being without them for a few weeks.

Alternatives for a Child Without Photo ID

Children under 18 rarely have a driver’s license or passport, so the SSA accepts a broader list for minors. An unexpired U.S. passport is preferred when available. When it isn’t, these documents work:⁴

A certified medical record from a doctor, clinic, or hospital showing the child’s name and date of birth.
A school record or report card from the current or prior school year showing the child’s name plus age or date of birth.
A school ID card from the current or prior year showing the child’s name and either a photograph, age, or date of birth.
A religious record, such as a baptism record, showing the child’s name and date of birth or age.
A final adoption decree issued by a court, showing the child’s name and date of birth or the adopting parents’ names. The SSA treats this as secondary evidence and prefers that the adoption occurred within the past year; if it’s older, a more recent document like a medical record should be available.²
A health insurance or Medicaid card showing the child’s name and a photograph, date of birth, or parents’ names.

For very young children, daycare and nursery school records can serve as identity evidence. The document needs to include the child’s name, date of birth, and the facility’s name and address, be signed by a facility official, and be dated within the past 12 months.⁴ The same rule about originals or certified copies applies to every document.

Non-Citizens Without a Passport

If you’re not a U.S. citizen and don’t have a passport, your DHS-issued documents are usually the strongest identity evidence available to you. You need a current DHS document showing your immigration status regardless, and in many cases the same document proves both identity and status.¹

For an SSN tied to employment authorization, the SSA recognizes:⁵

Form I-94 (Arrival/Departure Record), if it shows a class of admission that indicates employment authorization or a stamp showing refugee or asylum status.
Form I-766 (Employment Authorization Document).
Form I-20 (Certificate of Eligibility for F-1 Student Status), for on-campus employment or curricular practical training when endorsed by the designated school official.
Form DS-2019 (Certificate of Eligibility for J-1 Exchange Visitor Status), if it shows an employment-authorized J-1 category, or a student/intern category with a sponsor letter authorizing work.

When more than one DHS document exists, the most recently issued one takes priority. The SSA will not process an employment-authorized SSN application for a non-citizen without appropriate DHS evidence of work authorization.⁵

Age, Citizenship, and Name Change Are Separate

Identity evidence is only one piece of the application. For an original Social Security card, you also need separate documents proving your age and your citizenship or lawful immigration status. A U.S. birth certificate typically covers both.⁶ For a replacement card, you may be asked for these as well depending on what’s already in your SSA file.

If a birth certificate isn’t available, the SSA may accept a religious record showing your date of birth or age, a hospital record created at the time of birth, or a passport as proof of age. For foreign-born U.S. citizens, acceptable citizenship evidence includes a Certificate of Naturalization, a Certificate of Citizenship, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or a U.S. passport.¹

If your card update is because of a name change, you need a separate document proving the change itself: a marriage document, divorce decree, court order approving the name change, or Certificate of Naturalization showing the new name.⁷ Identity evidence is still required on top of that.

Where to Submit Your Application

You can file Form SS-5 with your supporting documents in person at a local field office or by mail. When you’re relying on alternative documents, going in person is usually the better call. A representative can look at your evidence on the spot, tell you if something falls short, and hand you a receipt confirming the application was filed. The receipt isn’t a substitute for the card itself, but it proves you’ve started the process.

If you’re age 12 or older and applying for an original Social Security number rather than a replacement, an in-person interview at a field office is required. The SSA can waive this for non-citizens who request a number as part of the immigration process, but everyone else in this category has to appear.¹

If you mail the application, the SSA returns your originals after processing, so avoid sending anything you can’t be without for a few weeks. Once the agency has everything it needs and finishes review, the card typically arrives within 7 to 10 business days.⁸ There is no fee for the card itself.⁶

1
eCFR. 20 CFR 422.107 – Evidence Requirements
2
Social Security. RM 10210.420 Priority List of Acceptable Evidence of Identity Documents
3
Social Security. RM 10210.430 What Documents Are Not Evidence of Identity for an SSN Card
4
Social Security Administration. Social Security Numbers for Children
5
Social Security Administration (SSA). Employment Authorization for Non-immigrants
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Social Security Administration. Application for Social Security Card
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Social Security Administration. Learn What Documents You Will Need to Get a Social Security Card
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Social Security Administration. How Long Will It Take to Get a Social Security Card