Social Security and Veterans Benefits
Social Security Numbers
Applying for a Social Security Number:
If you are a U.S. citizen residing in the Dominican Republic and need to apply for a Social Security number, you must complete application Form SS-5 and then submit it in person at the Consular Section's Federal Benefits Unit. In addition to the application form, you must also include a copy of your U.S. passport and a certified copy of a birth record established before age 5.
Legal Permanent Residents of the United States ("Green Card Holders") must apply for a Social Security number in the United States. This cannot be done at the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo.
In the above scenarios, you should receive your Social Security card within three months of completing the application process.
Individuals born in the United States, currently over the age of 18, and applying for their first-time Social Security number must complete an additional statement explaining the delay. The Social Security Administration is required by law to verify birth certificates presented as evidence in such cases with the registrar of vital statistics in the claimed U.S. place of birth. In such cases, the process of obtaining a Social Security card could last six months or more.
U.S. Citizen Children Born in the Dominican Republic:
Many (though not all) children born in the Dominican Republic to U.S. citizen parents may be documented as U.S. citizens through the Consular Report of Birth Abroad ("CRBA") process. The final page of the CRBA application is in fact an application for a Social Security number. Therefore, at the time the Consular Officer approves the CRBA application, s/he submits the Social Security number application form to the Social Security Administration, without the parents' having to go through any separate administrative process. If you have not received a Social Security card for your child within three to five months after the CRBA was approved, contact the Federal Benefits Unit to re-apply. Parents filing an application for a child's Social Security number are required to provide their own Social Security numbers, if they have one. The parent signing the applications must also provide photo identification.
Non-Resident Aliens / Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)
Several classes of non-resident aliens are required to obtain an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) in order to file U.S. taxes. To obtain an ITIN, you must file IRS Form W-7 with the Internal Revenue Service. You may obtain a W-7 form from the Consular Section's American Citizens Services (ACS) Unit or via the Internet at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw7.pdf.
Non-SSA Uses of a Social Security Number
Foreign Students: Some U.S. educational institutions use Social Security numbers for record-keeping purposes. Aliens not otherwise entitled to a Social Security number and planning on attending school in the United States should ask the school to assign them its own internal number. The Social Security Administration will not grant you a Social Security number for this purpose.
Financial Transactions: If a Social Security number is required to conduct business with a U.S. bank or financial institution and Federal law does not otherwise allow the issuance of a number, ask the Internal Revenue Service for a Form W-8, Certificate of Foreign Status.
State Issues: Some U.S. states may require a Social Security number for record-keeping purposes. Aliens may not be granted a Social Security number issued for these purposes unless required by Federal law.