Corrected Card for a U.S. -Born Adult

If you legally change your name because of marriage, divorce, court order or any other reason, you need to tell Social Security so that you can get a corrected card. If you are working, also tell your employer. If you do not tell us when your name changes, it may:

• Delay your tax refund; and
• Prevent your wages from being posted correctly to your Social Security record, which may lower the amount of your future Social Security benefits.

To change your name on your Social Security card:

• Complete an Application For A Social Security Card (Form SS-5);
• Show us proof of your:
  • U.S. citizenship (if you have not previously established your citizenship with us);
  • Legal name change; and
  • Identity.
• Take your completed application and original documents to your local Social Security office.

We may use one document for two purposes. For example, we may use your U.S. passport as proof of both citizenship and identity.

All documents must be either originals or copies certified by the issuing agency. We cannot accept photocopies or notarized copies of documents. We also cannot accept a receipt showing you applied for the document.

Citizenship

If you have not already established your U.S. citizenship with us, we need to see proof of U.S. citizenship. We can accept only certain documents as proof of U.S. citizenship. These include:

• U.S. birth certificate; or
• U.S. passport.

Name change

If you need to change your name on your Social Security card, you must show us a recently issued document as proof of your legal name change. Documents Social Security may accept to prove a legal name change include:

• Marriage document;
• Divorce decree; or
• Court order for a name change.

If the document you provide as evidence of a legal name change does not give us enough information to identify you in our records or if you legally changed your name more than two years ago, you must provide Social Security with additional documentation of your identity.

Marriage, divorce or annulment: In addition to showing us a legal document proving your marriage, divorce or annulment, you must provide an identity document. That document must show your old name, as well as other identifying information or a recent photograph. (We can accept an expired document as evidence of your old name.)

Other name change: In addition to showing us a legal document citing your new name, such as a court order, you must provide us with two identity documents, including:

• One identity document in your old name (which can be expired); and
• One identity document in your new legal name, which must be current (unexpired).

Both of these documents must show identifying information or a recent photograph.

Identity

We can accept only certain documents as proof of identity. For example, as proof of identity Social Security must see:

• U.S. driver’s license;
• State-issued nondriver identification card; or
• U.S. passport.

If you do not have one of these specific documents or you cannot get a replacement for one of them within 10 days, we will ask to see other documents, including:

• Employee ID card;
• School ID card;
• Health insurance card (not a Medicare card); or
• U.S. military ID card.

Your new card will have the same number as your previous card, but will show your new name. We will mail your card as soon as we have all of your information and have verified your documents.