To update your SSN after getting a green card, file Form SS-5 with the Social Security Administration, show your Permanent Resident Card and proof of age in person, and SSA will mail a new unrestricted card within 5 to 10 business days at no cost. You can start the application online at SSA.gov and book an appointment before you go in.1Social Security Administration. Update Citizenship or Immigration Status If you adjusted status inside the United States and asked for a card on your I-485, one may already be on the way, so check that first.
Why the Restricted Card Has to Go
Your existing card almost certainly reads “VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION” or “NOT VALID FOR EMPLOYMENT.” Neither version qualifies as a List C document a new employer can accept on Form I-9 to verify work authorization.2E-Verify. Employers – Are You Accepting a Restricted Social Security Card? Only the unrestricted card, which shows just your name and number, does that job.3Social Security Administration. Types of Social Security Cards Updating the record also keeps your wages posting cleanly to the earnings history that will determine your future benefits.
Check Whether SSA Is Already Sending One
If you adjusted status through Form I-485, the application had an optional section for requesting a Social Security card. If you checked that box, USCIS transmits your data to SSA electronically after approving your green card.4Social Security Administration. POMS RM 10205.700 – Enumeration-Beyond-Entry (EBE) SSA should mail the updated card within 14 days of USCIS sending your green card, plus about two more weeks if immigration documents need to be verified. Contact SSA if nothing arrives within 14 days of your green card.5Social Security Administration. Social Security Numbers and Immigrant Visas – EBE If the automatic route doesn’t produce a card, apply manually using the steps below.
Documents to Gather
The form is SS-5, Application for a Social Security Card, available at SSA.gov or at any field office. Fill in your legal name, date and place of birth, parents’ names, and your existing Social Security number. Under the citizenship question, select “Legal Alien Allowed To Work.”6Social Security Administration. Application for a Social Security Card
Federal rules require original documents or certified copies from the issuing agency. Notarized photocopies are not accepted, and every document must be current and unaltered.7eCFR. 20 CFR 422.107 – Evidence Requirements You will normally bring:
- Your Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551). If the physical card has not arrived yet, SSA will accept a temporary I-551 stamp in your unexpired foreign passport.8Social Security Administration. POMS RM 10210.420 – Priority List of Acceptable Evidence
- Proof of age, typically an original birth certificate. If that is unavailable, SSA may accept a passport or a hospital record of birth.7eCFR. 20 CFR 422.107 – Evidence Requirements
If your birth certificate is not in English, you can submit the original foreign-language document and SSA will handle translation internally.9Social Security Administration. Transmittal of Foreign-Language Documents for Translation If your green card name doesn’t match the name SSA has on file (marriage, divorce, or a court-ordered change), bring the legal document that proves the change, such as a marriage certificate or court order.10Social Security Administration. Learn What Documents You Will Need to Get a Social Security Card
How to File
Start on SSA’s “Update citizenship or immigration status” page. You can complete the application online and schedule an appointment at a local office.1Social Security Administration. Update Citizenship or Immigration Status You still have to appear in person so a representative can inspect your originals, but doing the paperwork ahead of time cuts down counter time.
At the appointment, the representative checks the security features on your green card, verifies your other documents, and hands everything back to you. SSA then prints the new unrestricted card and mails it to the address on your application within 5 to 10 business days.1Social Security Administration. Update Citizenship or Immigration Status There is no fee.11Social Security Administration. Replace Social Security Card
You can also walk into most field offices without an appointment on a first-come, first-served basis. Use the office locator at ssa.gov to find the closest branch, and bring the completed SS-5 with your original documents either way.
Does This Count Against Replacement Card Limits?
No. Federal rules cap replacement cards at three per year and ten per lifetime, but a card issued because a restrictive legend needs to be removed after a change in immigration status does not count toward either limit.12Federal Register. Social Security Number (SSN) Cards – Limiting Replacement Cards Updating after your green card leaves your future replacement allowance untouched.
If the Card Doesn’t Arrive
If two weeks pass with no card, sign into your my Social Security account or call SSA at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) and say “application status” when prompted; the automated line runs around the clock.13Social Security Administration. Check Application or Appeal Status If it was lost in the mail, request a free replacement online or by phone; it typically arrives in 5 to 10 business days.11Social Security Administration. Replace Social Security Card You don’t actually need the physical card to work in the meantime. Your Social Security number is valid, and employers can verify authorization using other documents on the I-9 acceptable list.
What to Update Once the New Card Arrives
Getting the card is half the job. A few loose ends follow.
Form W-4
The IRS treats permanent residents the same as U.S. citizens for withholding. If you previously wrote “Nonresident Alien” or “NRA” on your W-4 while on a temporary visa, file a fresh W-4 with your employer to remove that notation, or your withholding will stay wrong.14Internal Revenue Service. Federal Income Tax Reporting and Withholding on Wages Paid to Aliens
Form I-9
Your current employer is not required to reverify you once you have presented a green card or an unrestricted Social Security card. USCIS guidance is explicit that employers should not reverify a lawful permanent resident who has already presented standard LPR documentation.15USCIS. 7.1 Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR) For any new job, the unrestricted card now works as a standalone List C document.
Your Earnings Record
Log into my Social Security at ssa.gov and check your lifetime earnings. Wages earned under a restricted card should still be credited to your number, but errors do happen, especially when an employer reported earnings under a slightly different name. You generally have three years, three months, and 15 days from the end of the tax year to correct an earnings mistake, with exceptions when the error is visible on SSA’s own records.16Social Security Administration. How Do I Correct My Earnings Record? Hold on to old W-2s and pay stubs in case you ever need to prove a discrepancy.