Social Security Number

Social Security Number Application Information for International Students, Scholars, Faculty, and Dependents:

Eligible visa types:

Dartmouth College wishes all students, scholars and faculty who are eligible to have U.S. social security numbers (SSN). Any individual allowed to work in the U.S. according to their immigration status is eligible to apply for an SSN. J-1, H-1B, TN and O-1 status individuals are all eligible to apply for SSN’s. Individuals in J-2 status who have applied for and received an Employment Authorization Document (card) may also apply for a social security number. F-1 students may apply for an SSN if they have one of the following:

Evidence of a job on campus, and a letter confirming this from the supervisor and the International Advisor
Curricular Practical Training (CPT) work authorization endorsement on page 3 of the I-20 form.
Valid Employment Authorization Card, with current start date, for Optional Practical Training (OPT), International Organization Training, or Economic Hardship Employment

Ineligible visa types:

Individuals in F-2, H-4, TD or O-3 status will not be issued social security numbers. F-1 students who are not working on or off campus are also not eligible for a U.S. social security number. For tax form filing purposes, these individuals will need to apply for Individual Taxpayer ID Numbers (ITIN’s), issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). You may access the following website to download the ITIN application form http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw7.pdf and instructions (from W-7).

How to apply for a Social Security Card:

Please be advised that the Social Security Office must verify a foreign national’s immigration status with the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (CIS) before issuing a social security number. We recommend that non-U.S. citizens wait ten days following their entry to the U.S., before going to the Social Security Office to apply for the SSN. When you apply be sure to get a receipt from the office, verifying that you have applied. We have verified with the Dartmouth Payroll Office that they will continue to put people on Payroll, even before the ten day waiting period is over.

You must submit originals and complete copies of the following documents, to a Social Security Office in person (locations and directions are listed below):

All I-20 forms issued (for F-1 students), all DS-2019 forms issued (for J-1 or J-2 visa holders), valid I-797 (for H-1B workers or O-1 visa holders), or passport/I-94 endorsement (for TN status holders)
Valid passport (copy of passport ID page and renewal page if appropriate)
Valid or Expired visa, if you have one – (Canadians are visa exempt)
Valid I-94 admission stamp with electronic print-out (if you entered the U.S. by air or sea; electronic Form I-94s can be accessed here) or I-94 card (front and back copies) if you entered by land
Social security card application form – available at the Social Security Office, or online: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/online/ss-5.pdf Information on the SSN application is available at: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/online/ss-5.html

Additional documents needed depending on status:

For J-1’s: Letter of authorization verifying eligibility for on-campus or off-campus employment, and the job currently offered or held, from the Office of Visa and Immigration Services.
For F-1 students, a letter from your immediate supervisor, on their letterhead, verifying your on campus employment, signed by both your employment supervisor and your International Advisor.

This F-1 student letter template is available online here. Please have your supervisor download it, print it out on department letterhead, and complete and sign it in blue ink. You must then bring it to the Office of Visa and Immigration Services for certification by your International Advisor.

Note that SSA guidelines require the F-1 or J-1 employment authorization to be valid for at least 14 days into the future to issue a SS number/card.

F and J students: you may not work more than 20 hours per week during enrolled terms. Please make certain that your letter does not indicate more than 20 hours per week.

For J-2 dependents: Employment Authorization Document (temporary work card)
For H-1B, TN and O-1 status holders: Letter of appointment or employment offer

If you are employed at or receiving funding from Dartmouth College, you should not need to go to the payroll office until after you have waited for ten days, applied for the SSN, and gotten the receipt notice proving that you have applied from the Social Security Office. You will still be paid from your first date of hire, as long as the other department paperwork has been correctly filed (Payroll Authorization (PA) form, I-9 form).

When to apply for a Social Security Card:

Any individual allowed to work in the U.S. according to their immigration status is eligible to apply for a SSN.

F-1 students need to apply in accordance with the following regulations:

F-1 students working on-campus and students working on CPT (Curricular Practical Training) can apply for a SSN 30 days before the start date of their job. If they apply earlier than that, their applications will not be processed by the Social Security Administration.

F-1 students on OPT (Optional Practical Training), working off-campus, cannot apply for a SSN until the start date on their EAD card. If they apply for a SSN earlier than the start date on their EAD card, their applications will not be processed by the Social Security Administration.

* Effective November 19, 2012, Social Security field offices nationwide will close to the public 30 minutes early each day.** For example, a field office that is usually open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. will close daily at 3:00 p.m. In addition, beginning January 2, 2013, offices will close to the public at noon every Wednesday (Social Security Press Release, November 7, 2012).

Where to apply for a Social Security Card:

You will need to go in person to a Social Security Administration office. Directions to local offices are:

Concord, NH

Two Corporate Center at Horseshoe Pond, 70 Commercial Street, Concord, NH 03301 603-224-1939

Driving Directions: From the Hanover Inn corner (Main Street/Wheelock Street) take Wheelock Street west towards Norwich, Vermont. After crossing the bridge, follow the signs to Interstate 91 South. Take 1-91 South to I-89 South. Proceed to Concord (about an hour's drive...) Take I-93 North to I-393 / route 4 to Commercial St. At the first light east of Main St., go past the Marriott Hotel. The Social Security Office is on the first floor of the office building on the right, just next to the Marriott. There is a sign on the door that you can see from the parking lot.

Click here for a Google map from the Office of Visa and Immigration Services at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH to the DMV office at 70 Commercial Street in Concord, NH.

Keene, NH

34 Mechanic St #1, Keene, NH 03481
(603) 352-3487 or (800) 772-1213

Driving Directions: From the Hanover Inn corner (Main Street/Wheelock Street) take Wheelock Street west towards Norwich, Vermont. After crossing the bridge, follow the signs to Interstate 91 South. Take I-91 south to exit 5 toward Westminster/US-5/Walpole, NH. Take Westminster St Hwy to US-5 to VT-123. Turn right at Bellows Rd/Rt 12. Merge onto Rt10/Rt9 via the ramp to Newport/Concord. Follow signs for Washington/Keene. Turn right at Mechanic St.

** Greyhound Buslines leaves out of White River, VT to Keene. Please check out their website for information http://www.greyhound.com/home/.

Littleton, NH

177 Main Street, Littleton, NH 03561
(603) 444-2945 or (800) 772-1213

Driving Directions: From the Hanover Inn corner (Main Street/Wheelock Street) take Wheelock Street west towards Norwich, Vermont. After crossing the bridge, follow the signs to Interstate 91 North. Take I-91 north to exit 17. Take New Hampshire State Route 302 East into the town of Littleton. The Social Security Administration is located on Main Street (Route 302) in Littleton. The office is in a one-story, brick building with a flat roof. The building is across the street (though not directly) from Dunkin' Donuts.