How to Get a Social Security Card for Your Adopted Child

Adopting a child is a wonderful and rewarding experience, and the last thing you should be worrying about is how you can get a social security card for your child. This may seem stressful but it does not have to be. There are different ways you can go about doing this and it does not have to be complicated.

What You Will Need

If you are looking to get a social security card for your adopted child you have to make sure your adoption is finalized and that you have a final order signed by the court of the adoption. When you go to the social security office, it is important to bring proof of your child’s U.S. citizenship and document that proves your relationship with the child. To show proof of the parent-child relationship you can show the amended birth certificate that lists the child’s adoptive name and your name showing that you are the legal parent of the child. Otherwise, the final order of adoption serves as enough proof of the parent-child relationship. To prove your child’s citizenship, you can either bring the amended birth certificate or if you do not have this present, you can bring a certified copy of the child’s original birth certificate. You will also need your driver’s license, state-issued non-drivers ID or passport as a form of ID when trying to obtain a social security card for your child. If the adoption is still pending during the time, it is recommended that adopting parents get a temporary Adoption Taxpayer Identification Number to avoid any conflict during this process.

Come Prepared

It is important to find a good social security office that has good reviews and has years of experience. Some social security offices have no experience when it comes to processing papers for adoptions and you want to avoid this trouble at all costs. It can be difficult obtaining a social security card for your child if they are under the age of one. At least two documents will be needed to show evidence of your child’s age, true identity, and alien status. If the child does not have a present birth certificate, adoption finalization papers showing the child’s date of birth, place of birth, their name, and the judge’s signature will all be sufficient proof of this. Raised seal of the clerk of court can also be used to prove U.S. citizenship and age. Other documents that can be helpful include a school ID card, religious records, doctor records, a court order of temporary custody, and an adoption decree. Without original signed paperwork, you will not be able to move forward with obtaining a social security card. Your child must be with you when you are applying for a social security card for them. It is important to have the right documents before going to a social security office because if you are not prepared, you will have to leave and come back again with all the right paperwork.

Why Your Child Needs a Social Security Card

It is important for your child to have a social security card so that you can be able to get medical coverage your child, claim your child as a dependent on your income tax return, open a bank account for your child, apply for government services for your child, and start a college savings fund for your child. Even if your adopted child has had a social security number in the past, you should arrange to get a new number to avoid misuse, fraud, and maintain confidentiality. When your child was born, the social security application was most likely filled out by the child’s birth mother at the hospital and the card would have been mailed to her. If you get a new social security card for your child then the information will no longer be shared with the birth mother. If you are present when your baby is being born, you can talk to a nurse who is in charge of the paperwork. It is much easier to apply for a baby’s first social security number than dealing with changing it later on.

How to Apply

You must apply at a Social Security Administration Office in person. You do not have to pay for a social security card or number. You can fill out an application for a social security card online by downloading and filling out the online form. Getting a social security card for children is much easier now than it has ever been before. When you are at the office you will provide two documents that prove your child’s age, citizenship, and identity. Photocopies will not be accepted, only originals or certified copies will be accepted at the social security office. You will then provide your passport, driver’s license, or non-drivers ID as proof of your identity. On Form SS-5, #11 will ask if your baby has a prior social security number. Even if this is true, you should answer no because you are using your name as a parent and your child’s new name. If you answer yes to this question, the Social Security Office will track the child’s first social security number, link it to the new number and then cancel the old one. Your child with his or her’s new adoptive name will not have a social security number at that time, so if you answer no to this question it is still a truthful answer. If you know that your child has a social security number then you must notify the social security office because the child’s social security number will be linked to their name and you need to make sure you get this canceled.

You can find out where the closest social security office is to you by logging on to socialsecurity.gov website on the office locator section. When getting a social security card for children, you can expect to get your card between 6-12 weeks. If your child is older than the age of one, it may take a longer time to process the application. This is because the social security office will contact the Department of Vital Statistics to confirm the birth certificate that you have given to them. If you need to apply for an Adoption Taxpayer Identification Number while your child’s adoption is being finalized, you can fill out an IRS Form W-7A. This is an application for pending U.S. adoption. Once you receive this, it will be valid for two years and if your child’s adoption is still not finalized after this amount of time, you can get it extended. After the adoption is finalized, you have to stop using this Identification number and get a social security card number for your child. If you have adopted a child from a different country, you will have to wait until the adoption is finalized and wait until after the child has entered the United States.

Obtaining a social security card or the number for your child does not have to be difficult, because there are a lot of available tools out there for you to learn how to do this. The social security office is also very helpful in telling you the steps you need to take to do this and the paperwork that you will need for both you and your child. After you adopt your child, you want to enjoy spending time with them and now you can without having to worry about finding difficulty obtaining a social security card for them.