Social Security Number for J-1 Summer Work and Travel: Steps, Documents and Timing

The Social Security number is the one piece of paperwork that cannot be done before you fly. It needs a validated SEVIS record, a visit in person and some patience. This page puts the steps in order. The arrival hub has the rest of your first week.

The short version

1. Gather original documents that prove your identity, immigration status and age.
2. Wait the time your own sponsor advises before you apply.
3. Start the SSN application online on the SSA website.
4. Finish in person with your original documents within 45 calendar days.
5. Use a mailing address you can rely on, because the card comes by mail.

Do you need an SSN to work?

You are not blocked from starting work without it. A person without an SSN requests one from SSA. SSA does not require an SSN before you start work, but the IRS requires employers to report wages using one. While you wait for the number, your employer can use an SSA letter stating that you applied. SSNs are generally assigned to people who are authorized to work in the US. Your employer may use your immigration documents as proof of your authorization to work. The number tracks your earnings over a working lifetime.

Sponsors treat it as a normal part of the season. Cultural Vistas, a J-1 sponsor, tells participants they need an SSN to be paid by the host company. It adds that participants can still be put on payroll without one, and that payroll software sometimes needs the employer to find a workaround. InterExchange, another sponsor, adds that you may work while you wait for the card. The program rules also require sponsors to cover how and when to apply for an SSN, if applicable, in your orientation.

An SSN is not a work permit. A university international office, for its own J-1 students, makes the same point. It also notes that an SSN is not required for a driver’s license, cell phone, credit card, insurance or school admission. Even an unpaid program can use one for a US bank account, taxes or other services that need identification.

Whether Social Security tax comes out of your pay is a separate question, covered on the taxes page.

Step 1: Validate your J-1 in SEVIS

Validate first, then apply. Cultural Vistas reports that Social Security offices will not accept an SSN application unless the J-1 visa has been validated in SEVIS. SSA needs proof of your immigration status. InterExchange puts it more bluntly: no SSN is issued if you do not register in SEVIS. The SEVIS validation page explains how your sponsor does it.

The program rule gives you 10 days after arrival to notify your sponsor. Cultural Vistas then completes the validation within 2 business days of receiving a participant’s information. Its advice is to wait at least 10 days after arriving in the US, and 48 hours after submitting your address for SEVIS validation, before applying.

Step 2: Pick your date

Sponsors give different waiting times, so follow your own sponsor’s rule. The table sets them side by side.

Step 3: Start online and book your visit

SSA’s first step is to start the application online. The application starts on the SSA page “Request a Social Security number for the first time”. If you cannot start it online, you must visit a Social Security office or Card Center. Cultural Vistas advises applying online when that option is open to you.

After you submit online, you must finish in person with your documents within 45 calendar days. InterExchange gives the same 45 days. It adds that you schedule an appointment online with the local SSA office and bring the confirmation page, as a screen capture or printout.

Form SS-5 is the SSN application form, and it can be downloaded from the Social Security website. Use a mailing address you can rely on, because the card comes by mail. InterExchange advises a valid, dependable mailing address or an “in care of” address before you submit. You may use your host employer’s physical address, with the business name. The Post Office will not deliver the card if your full name is not on the mailbox, or if a c/o line is missing for a PO Box.

Step 4: Visit the Social Security office with your documents

You must apply in person, and the visit needs the right papers. The final submission requires an in-person appointment with the original documents.

SSA cannot accept photocopies or notarized copies, and it cannot accept a receipt showing you applied for the document. Cultural Vistas tells its participants to bring the passport, DS-2019, I-94 record and sponsorship letter. A university office for its own students also lists the old passport when it holds the J-1 visa, and a printout of the electronic I-94 from the CBP website. Your I-94 page shows how to get that printout. Ask your sponsor for the letter, and for a printed one, since the SSA wants an original signature.

At the appointment, get a receipt. Applying gives you a receipt letter, which is proof that you applied. Applying is a multi-step process that needs timing, documentation and in-person verification. A first-time card starts with the online application.

After you apply: card, receipt and employer

The card arrives by mail. Your number may be available before the card is mailed. Most cards arrive 14 days after SSA approves the application. Sponsors quote longer waits: Cultural Vistas two weeks or more, InterExchange 4 to 6 weeks.

InterExchange recommends checking your application status after 7 to 10 days. If the card does not turn up, SSA takes calls toll-free at 1-800-772-1213, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., weekdays.

Tell your employer as soon as you receive the number. It is your responsibility to do that. The employer may copy the card, but you keep the original.

Checklist before you leave for the office

1. Your sponsor has confirmed your validation.
2. You have a mailing address that will actually receive the card.
3. You have the original passport with the admission stamp.
4. You have the DS-2019.
5. You have the sponsor letter with an original signature.
6. You have the I-94 record, if available.
7. You have the online confirmation page, printed or as a screen capture.
8. Every document is an original or a copy certified by the issuing agency.
9. You are inside the 45 calendar days after the online start.

Keep the number safe

Your number is yours alone. Protect both the card and the number to prevent misuse. Memorize the number and keep the card at home, not in a wallet. Cultural Vistas tells participants never to email the number, not even to Cultural Vistas. Do not laminate the card. Record the number in a safe place in case the card is lost or stolen.

Your SSN is valid for life. You can use the number for your whole lifetime. It stays valid after your J-1 visa or program end date, and you should not apply again in a future program. If you already have an SSN from an earlier stay, you do not need to apply again, and you should bring the card to the US. With an older card, keep using that number and card only if it states “VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION”.

Can J-2 dependents apply?

Per Cultural Vistas, dependents on J-2 status with work authorization can apply for an SSN, and J-2 dependents who are not working are generally not eligible. A dependent without work authorization may be able to apply for an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number from the IRS for another tax purpose.