How Do You Get a Social Security Card for a Newborn?

The newborn rule in one table

| Easiest route | Enumeration at Birth: apply for the number when providing information for the baby's birth certificate at the hospital | | Who can use EAB | New parents at a hospital, birthing center, or using a licensed midwife, during the birth registration process | | EAB timing | National average processing time 2 weeks, plus up to an additional 2 weeks to receive the card in the mail | | Missed-hospital route | Start the application online, then complete the process at a local Social Security office or Card Center. Or print Form SS-5 | | Documents, office route | Originals proving the child's U.S. citizenship, age, and identity, plus the parent's identity and relationship to the child. At least 2 separate documents | | Fee | Free. There is no charge for issuing a Social Security number and card |

What makes a newborn different

Enumeration at Birth removes the whole office visit. The bureaus of vital statistics send the birth registration information to the Social Security Administration electronically, the Administration assigns the number, issues the card, and updates its records with proof of birth. No SS-5, no original documents carried to an office. At the hospital, when completing the application for the baby's birth certificate, the parent is asked whether to apply for a number for the baby, and whether yes or no, both parents' Social Security numbers are requested. Not knowing both numbers does not block the application.

The second difference is the timing shape. The EAB average is 2 weeks of processing plus up to 2 more weeks of mail. The office route carries no fixed timeline on the pages read: the Administration mails the number and card as soon as it has all of the child's information and has verified the documents, and waiting to apply at an office can add delays while the birth certificate is verified.

The process, step by step

1. At the hospital, birthing center, or with a licensed midwife: when providing information for the birth certificate, say yes to applying for the baby's number, and provide both parents' Social Security numbers if known.
2. Wait for the card by mail: 2 weeks average processing plus up to 2 additional weeks of mail.
3. Missed-hospital route: start the Social Security Number and Card application online, then complete the process at a local Social Security office or Card Center. Or fill out and print Form SS-5.
4. Office route documents: originals or copies certified by the issuing agency only, no photocopies or notarized copies. Citizenship: U.S. birth certificate, U.S. consular report of birth, valid unexpired U.S. passport, or Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship. Age: the birth certificate, or if none, a religious record made before age 5, a U.S. hospital record of birth, or a U.S. passport or passport card. Identity: the Administration prefers an unexpired U.S. passport and may accept an unexpired state-issued non-driver ID card, adoption decree, certified medical record, religious record, certified school record, or school ID card. The birth certificate is listed under age and citizenship in the Administration's publication, not in the child-identity list. Parent identity: U.S. driver's license, state-issued non-driver ID card, or U.S. passport, with listed alternatives if those are unavailable. One document can serve 2 purposes, but at least 2 separate documents must be provided.

A newborn's first card is not a replacement card: the 3-per-year and 10-per-lifetime replacement limits do not apply to it. Those limits apply to replacement cards, and legal name changes do not count toward them.

Related guides

A lost card later follows the replacement track. A name change later follows the name-change track. See the full hub at U.S. Federal Credentials Directory.

Source

The Enumeration at Birth route, the timing, the office-route documents, and the free service on this page come from the Social Security Administration: the Enumeration at Birth FAQ (dated July 1, 2026), Publication No. 05-10023, Social Security Numbers for Children (April 2026), and Form SS-5 (December 2024). No fixed processing time for the office route is stated on the pages read, and none appears here. Facts verified 2026-10-27.

This page explains how the process works and what the official rules say. It is general information, not legal advice. For a dispute about your specific situation, talk to a lawyer or your government agency.