To get a Social Security number after your EAD, bring your Employment Authorization Document and your passport to a local Social Security office and file Form SS-5. In most cases the card arrives by mail within about two to four weeks. If you haven’t filed your work permit application yet, you can skip the office visit entirely by checking a box on Form I-765 and letting USCIS send your information to the Social Security Administration for you.
Requesting the SSN on Your Work Permit Application
The simplest route runs through USCIS. Form I-765 contains a section where you can ask for a Social Security number at the same time you apply for your EAD. If your work permit is approved, USCIS forwards your data to the SSA and the card is issued automatically.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Apply for your Social Security Number While Applying for Your Work Permit
When it works, the EAD and the Social Security card arrive in separate envelopes, with the card showing up within about seven business days after the EAD. If you already have an SSN and checked the box anyway, the SSA sends a replacement card. If more than seven business days pass after your EAD arrives and no card follows, call your local SSA office.2Social Security Administration. Apply For Your Social Security Card While Applying For Your Work Permit and/or Lawful Permanent Residency
The catch is data matching. If the name, date of birth, or other information USCIS sends doesn’t line up with what the SSA has, the automatic process stalls and you’ll need to visit an office to sort it out.
Applying at a Social Security Office After Your EAD Arrives
If you didn’t check the box on Form I-765, or the automatic process didn’t complete, you apply directly with the SSA. Non-citizens must finish the application at a local Social Security office. You can start it online at ssa.gov and then bring your original documents to the office within 45 days, or fill out a paper Form SS-5 and bring everything in at once.3Social Security Administration. Request Social Security Number for the First Time4Social Security Administration. Social Security Numbers For Noncitizens
You do not need a job offer, an employer letter, or proof that you’re already working. The EAD itself is proof that you’re authorized to work, and that’s what makes you eligible.5eCFR. 20 CFR Part 422 – Organization and Procedures The SSA accepts EADs issued to a wide range of immigration categories, including asylum applicants, people with Temporary Protected Status, adjustment-of-status applicants, and certain students.2Social Security Administration. Apply For Your Social Security Card While Applying For Your Work Permit and/or Lawful Permanent Residency
What to Bring
The SSA requires originals. Photocopies and notarized copies are not accepted.6Social Security Administration. Application for Social Security Card Form SS-5 At a minimum, bring:
- Your EAD (Form I-766), which proves both your immigration status and your work authorization.
- Your foreign passport, as proof of identity and age. If you don’t have a passport, a birth certificate or another government-issued ID may work.
The SSA can ask for additional documents in some situations, particularly for minors or people who recently arrived and don’t have any U.S.-issued identification yet. Every piece of information on your Form SS-5 needs to match your EAD exactly, including the spelling of your name and your date of birth. A small mismatch can push your application into extra verification.
When to Go
Before it issues your card, the SSA verifies your immigration status through a federal database called SAVE, run by USCIS. If your EAD was just approved, that record may not have synced into SAVE yet. Waiting roughly ten days after your EAD arrives before visiting the SSA office reduces the chance of a verification snag. If a job start date forces you to go sooner, go, but expect that verification may take longer.
When SAVE can verify your status instantly, the rest moves quickly. When it can’t, the SSA opens additional verification, which takes about 18 federal workdays as of early 2026.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. SAVE Verification Response Time During that period nothing arrives in your mailbox, but nothing is wrong on your end either.
How Long the Card Takes
Once the SSA has your documents and your status is verified, the card typically arrives by mail within two weeks. If SAVE bumps your case into additional verification, add another two weeks or more. The SSA gives you a receipt at the office confirming that you applied, and some employers will accept that receipt as a temporary stand-in while the card is in the mail.
What Your Social Security Card Will Say
A card issued on the basis of an EAD is not identical to one issued to a U.S. citizen. Yours will carry a printed line above your name that reads “VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION.” The legend tells employers that you are authorized to work, but only for as long as your immigration permission lasts.8eCFR. Social Security Numbers
If your immigration status later changes, for example to lawful permanent resident or U.S. citizen, you can request a new card without the restriction. That replacement doesn’t count against your lifetime card-replacement limits.
If Something Goes Wrong
The most common reason for a delay isn’t your paperwork. It’s SAVE. When the initial database check doesn’t return a match, the case moves to additional verification, where USCIS staff manually review your immigration records. That step alone runs about 18 federal workdays, and in some cases USCIS asks for copies of your immigration documents for a third level of review, which extends the timeline further.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Guide to Understanding SAVE Verification Responses
If the SSA actually denies your application, you’ll get a written notice explaining why.10Social Security Administration. Social Security Notices and Letters The usual causes are a name on Form SS-5 that doesn’t match your EAD, an expired document, or a SAVE result the SSA can’t accept. Most of these are fixable with updated documents from USCIS, and you can reapply immediately once the issue is resolved. If the problem lives in the SAVE record itself, you’ll need to correct it with USCIS before the SSA can move forward.
After Your Card Arrives
Get the number to your employer promptly so your wages report under the correct SSN. Submit a new Form W-4 with your SSN so payroll ties your earnings to the right record.11Internal Revenue Service. About Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Certificate If your EAD later expires and you receive new work authorization, your employer will also need to reverify your I-9 by completing Supplement B.
If you filed taxes on an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number before you had an SSN, you need to consolidate those records. Once you have a Social Security number, the IRS requires you to stop using the ITIN and notify them so your tax history merges under the new number.12Internal Revenue Service. Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) Write a letter to the IRS that includes your full name, mailing address, ITIN, a copy of your Social Security card, and, if you still have it, a copy of the CP 565 notice the IRS sent when it assigned your ITIN. Send it to:
Internal Revenue Service
Austin, TX 73301-0057
You can also handle this in person at an IRS office. Once processed, the IRS voids the ITIN and links your previous tax filings to your SSN. Skipping this step risks losing credit for wages and withholding reported under the old number, which can shrink a refund or complicate matters later.