U.S. State issued driver’s licenses are acceptable as evidence of identity for up to 10 years from the date of issue, as long as they are valid and unexpired. You must be able to determine the individual’s identity by the photo. If a U.S. driver’s license that qualifies as acceptable evidence of identity has an expiration date more than 10 years from the date of issue, enter an expiration date equivalent to 10 years from the date of issue as the expiration date. Be sure to document “Remarks” on the Social Security Number Application Process (SSNAP) Summary screen with the actual expiration date shown on the card. Follow the procedure for U.S. State issued driver’s licenses submitted as evidence of identity in RM 10210.210. If an applicant residing outside the U.S. submits a foreign driver's license, use the Docutector Internet site to view exhibits of foreign driver's licenses (listed under “International Documents”).

NOTE: When the SSA employee is completely familiar with all of the features of a driver’s license issued by the State, he or she may not need to compare the submitted document with the exhibit in the field office (FO) copy of the current ID Checking Guide or the Docutector Internet site .

EXCEPTION: Evaluate Temporary and Interim State issued driver’s licenses or State issued identification cards, if accepted by your regional office (RO) as third-level identity documents. See the National Identity Document Database (NIDD) for acceptable RO third level identity documents. These documents are not primary evidence of identity documents. You must ask applicants presenting these documents to provide a document of higher probative value from the list in RM 10210.420C.

SSA has no means to verify a foreign passport. However, in most situations where an applicant submits a foreign passport as evidence of identity, the applicant will also submit a U.S. immigration document. Presume the foreign passport is authentic and continue processing the SSN application if DHS verifies the U.S. immigration document submitted. For more information on verifying U.S. immigration documents, see RM 10210.560, RM 10210.100, RM 10214.110, and RM 10214.170. Also, for information regarding the acceptability of certain foreign documents, see GN 00307.000.

If the foreign passport cannot be presumed to be authentic (generally, because the person did not submit an immigration document), tell the person he or she must submit another document listed in RM 10210.420 as evidence of identity and follow instructions for reviewing DHS Lawful Alien Documents in RM 10210.560.

When a U.S. immigration document is submitted as evidence of identity (the document is an I-94, I-551, temporary I-551 stamp, MRIV, or I-766), follow the reviewing procedures in RM 10210.565.

For a Certificate of Naturalization or Certificate of Citizenship submitted as evidence of identity, see Reviewing Evidence for an SSN card in RM 10210.205.

Visually review the I-872 (American Indian card) following RM 10210.210, and compare the card with the exhibit of an authentic card in the ACM . If the card does not appear authentic, verify per RM 10213.040. A classification of “KIC” and a statement on the back of the card denotes the person is a U.S. citizen (see RM 10210.505). A classification code of “KIP” denotes the person has Lawfully Admitted for Permanent Residence (LAPR) status (see RM 10211.075C).

Mexican consulates issue Matricula Consular documents to Mexican citizens residing outside of Mexico. The Mexican government issues these identification documents for Mexican citizens to use to enter Mexico and for Mexican immigration authorities to establish the person’s identity. SSA offices may accept the Matricula Consular as a third level identity document only when the person does not have any other identity document of higher probative value listed in RM 10210.420. The Matricula Consular must be current (not expired) to be accepted as evidence of identity.

To obtain a Matricula Consular, the person must submit proof of:

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  Mexican citizenship, and

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  residence in a locale outside Mexico.

To establish that he or she was a Mexican citizen, the person must submit one of the following:

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  certified copy of his or her Mexican birth certificate and an identification document with a photograph,

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  Mexican voter registration identification card,

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  Mexican passport,

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  National Military Service Carnet,

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  Mexican Nationality Certificate, or

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  Mexican certificate of naturalization.

To establish that he or she was residing outside Mexico, the applicant submitted:

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  a State identity card issued by a U.S. State government, or

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  a U.S. driver’s license, or

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  other evidence, such as a rent receipt.

Since he or she submitted one of these documents to get the Matricula Consular, ask the applicant to submit it.

Compare a U.S. military identification card submitted as evidence of identity (e.g. military I.D. card issued to active duty member, retiree, national guards, or dependents) with the exhibit of an authentic military ID card in the ACM.

U.S. State issued non-driver identification cards are acceptable as evidence of identity for up to 10 years from the date of issue, as long as they are valid and unexpired. You must be able to determine the individual’s identity by the photo on the card. If an applicant submits a U.S. State issued non-driver identification card (issued by a State motor vehicle department/State-level agency with authority over the State’s identity card) as evidence of identity, follow the procedures in RM 10210.210.

EXCEPTION: Evaluate Temporary and Interim State issued driver’s licenses or State issued identification cards, if accepted by your RO as third level identity documents. See the National Identity Document Database(NIDD) for acceptable RO third level identity documents. These documents are not primary evidence of identity documents. You must ask applicants presenting these documents to provide a document of higher probative value from the list in RM 10210.420C.

Foreign proof of identity (POI) documents submitted by Social Security Number (SSN) applicants outside of the United States are usually evaluated by Foreign Service Posts (FSP) or Federal Benefits Units (FBU) because of the FSP's and FBU's knowledge of the recordkeeping systems and practices in the countries where they are located. Since Canada is in the unique situation of not having a FSP or FBU, the Social Security Administration (SSA) allows SSN applicants from Canada to submit certain documents as POI. Interviewers should only accept the following Canadian documents from Canadian applicants:

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  Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) POI documents approved by SSA, or

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  Canadian POI documents approved by the Office of Earnings and International Operations (OEIO).

See the NIDD website (NIDD) or SSNAP for approved WHTI or OEIO documents.

CRBAs are only acceptable as a secondary proof of identity document for applications filed in foreign offices for U.S. Citizens 5 years of age and younger. Interviewers must ask for primary proof of identity documents per RM 10210.420A before accepting a CRBA as proof of identity for applicants under age 5 applying for an SSN number or card in a foreign office. CRBAs are not acceptable in domestic offices and should never be accepted as an identity document in a domestic office.

To assess a document submitted as evidence of identity not specifically listed in this section, and to determine if verification from the issuing agency of the document is necessary, follow RM 10210.210.

Ask the applicant to submit evidence of identity issued in the U.S. if they are applying at an SSA FO in the U.S. using a foreign document that:

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  does not agree with the information the Enumeration system or the prior Numident, or

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  appears questionable or altered.

Deny the request for an SSN card if the applicant does not have other acceptable evidence of identity.

Deny the request for an SSN card if the applicant:

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  is outside the U.S. applying for an SSN card and the foreign document does not agree with the information given in the Enumeration System or the prior Numident, or

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  has a foreign document that appears questionable or altered, and

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  does not have other acceptable evidence of identity.