Form I-765 · Part 2, Item 13
I-765 Social Security Number (Part 2, Item 13): What to Enter
Part 2, Item 13 of Form I-765 asks for your Social Security number, if known. On the current edition that is the whole Social Security section. There is no box to request a card, and no Consent for Disclosure. Here is what to enter, and where the card request actually lives.
Quick answer
On the current I-765 (edition 08/21/25), Item 13 asks only one thing: your Social Security number, if you have one. There is no box to request that a card be issued and no Consent for Disclosure. If the SSA has already assigned you a number, provide it. If you have never had one, there is nothing to enter here, and the form does not obtain a card for you. Marriage-based applicants who want an SSN card make that request on the companion Form I-485, Item 19.
Summary
Item 13 in Part 2 (Information About You) of Form I-765, the Application for Employment Authorization, asks you to provide your Social Security number (SSN) if you know it. On the current edition (08/21/25), that is the entire Social Security section: one field. Guides written for older editions describe a question asking whether the Social Security Administration (SSA) had ever issued you a card, a question asking whether you wanted a card issued, and a Consent for Disclosure, but those are no longer on the I-765. If you already have an SSN, you provide your nine-digit number in the box. If you have never been assigned one, you have no number to provide, and the instructions state the information is voluntary. If you are a marriage-based applicant filing this work-permit form alongside your green card application, the request to actually issue you a Social Security card is made on Form I-485, Item 19, not here.
| Where it is | Part 2 (Information About You), Item 13, on page 2 of the 7-page form. It reads "Provide your Social Security number (SSN) (if known)." |
| What it asks | Your Social Security number, if you have one. One field. On the current edition it is the only Social Security question on the form. |
| No card-request box | The current edition has no "do you want a card" question and no Consent for Disclosure. Those appear on Form I-485, Item 19, not the I-765. |
| You already have an SSN | Provide the nine-digit number in the box, exactly as it appears on your card. A restricted card still carries a real SSN. |
| You have never had an SSN | There is nothing to enter. The field is marked "(if known)," and the instructions call the information voluntary. |
| You want a card issued | For adjustment-of-status filers, make that request on Form I-485, Item 19. The I-765 no longer carries it. |
Who this page is for
This page covers the standard case: filling in the Social Security number field on the current I-765, whether you already have a number or have never had one. It does not decide whether you are eligible for a work permit, which your eligibility category determines. If the Social Security number you hold was tied to work done without authorization, or your name appears differently across your passport, prior filings, and any Social Security record in a way that could read as inconsistent, those are legal questions. Sort them out with an immigration attorney before filing, because USCIS and the SSA match you by name and number.
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What Item 13 looks like on the form
Item 13 sits in Part 2 (Information About You), between the “Have you previously filed Form I-765?” question and the country-of-citizenship items. On the current edition it is a single field with one box for the number.
Verbatim · Part 2, Item 13 (Form I-765, edition 08/21/25, page 2 of 7)
“Provide your Social Security number (SSN) (if known).”
What the instructions say
The I-765 Instructions do not give Item 13 its own paragraph; the Specific Instructions run from Item 12 straight to Item 14. The governing rule for a field that does not apply to you is the general one in “How To Complete Form I-765”:
Verbatim · Instructions, “How To Complete Form I-765,” Item 3 (edition 08/21/25, page 17 of 25)
“Answer all questions fully and accurately. If a question does not apply to you (for example, if you have never been married and the question asks, “Provide the name of your current spouse”), type or print “N/A” unless otherwise directed.”
The instructions also state, in the DISCLOSURE notice, that the information is voluntary but that leaving it out has a cost:
Verbatim · Instructions, DISCLOSURE (edition 08/21/25, page 25 of 25)
“The information you provide is voluntary. However, failure to provide the requested information, including your Social Security number, and any requested evidence, may delay a final decision or result in the denial of your application.”
Always download the current edition from uscis.gov/i-765 the day you compile your packet; USCIS rejects outdated editions.
The card-request questions are not on the current I-765
If you have seen a guide or an older form that asks whether you want a Social Security card, and includes a consent box, that is the older I-765. The current edition (08/21/25) does not have those questions. Here is where each one went.
Has the SSA ever issued you a card?
Older editions of the I-765 asked this as its own question. The current form does not. It takes only your SSN, if known, at Item 13. If you have a number, you provide it; if you do not, you skip the field.
Do you want the SSA to issue you a card?
This card-issuance request is no longer on the I-765. For an applicant adjusting status (applying for a green card from inside the United States), the request to have the SSA assign a number and mail a card is made on Form I-485, Item 19.
Consent for Disclosure to the SSA
The consent that lets USCIS pass your details to the SSA is also gone from the I-765. It still appears on Form I-485, Item 19, where a card request is paired with the matching consent.
How to fill it in
Four steps that cover the have-a-number and never-had-one cases.
If you already have an SSN, provide it
Write your nine-digit Social Security number in the Item 13 box, exactly as it appears on your card. This applies whether your card is unrestricted or stamped "valid for work only with DHS authorization": both carry a real SSN.
If you have never been assigned an SSN
There is nothing to enter. The field is marked "(if known)," and the instructions' disclosure statement calls the information voluntary. The current I-765 does not assign you a number or obtain a card, so this section is complete once you pass it.
Do not guess or reuse another number
Never estimate an SSN, and never enter a number that was not assigned to you. A number that does not match SSA records can delay the decision. If you are unsure of your own number, confirm it against your card or SSA record before filing.
If you want a Social Security card, use the I-485
For a marriage-based applicant adjusting status, the request to have the SSA assign a number and mail a card is made on Form I-485, Item 19, which pairs the card request with a Consent for Disclosure. The I-765 no longer carries that request.
Filing the work permit with your green card?
Our software asks plain-English questions about your situation, fills the SSN field on the I-765 and the card request on the I-485 the right way, and keeps them consistent across your whole marriage-based packet.
Start FreeMarriage-based filers: provide the SSN here, request the card on the I-485
Most marriage-based applicants file the I-765 as a (c)(9) applicant, meaning someone with a pending Form I-485 green card application, to get a work permit while the green card is pending. You file the I-765 as the immigrant spouse; your sponsoring U.S. citizen or green card holder spouse files nothing on this form. For Item 13, the rule is short: if the SSA has already given you a number, provide it; if not, you have nothing to enter, because the I-765 does not request a card. The card request itself belongs on your Form I-485 at Item 19, where you answer whether you want the SSA to issue a card and give the matching consent. Filing both forms together (concurrent filing) is common: the SSN field is completed here, and the card request is made on the I-485, in the same packet.
What USCIS does with your Social Security number
USCIS uses the number to match you against existing records and, once you are authorized to work, to support employment verification. The instructions note that when you are employed, the details on Form I-9 are compared against SSA and DHS databases, and that an employee must have an SSN for E-Verify to confirm work eligibility. USCIS does not assign Social Security numbers, and the current I-765 does not request a card, so this field is a lookup of a number you may already hold, not a request for a new one. Providing it is voluntary, but the disclosure statement warns that leaving out requested information, including your SSN, can delay a decision.
Verbatim · Instructions, Part 2 E-Verify note (edition 08/21/25, page 20 of 25)
“Employees must have an SSN in order for E-Verify to confirm their eligibility to legally work in the United States.”
Common mistakes
These are the ones that show up most often on this field.
- 1
Hunting for the card-request box
On editions before 08/21/25, and in guides still written for them, the I-765 asked whether you wanted the SSA to issue a card and included a Consent for Disclosure. The current form does not. If you are looking for that box on the I-765, it is not there: the card request moved to Form I-485, Item 19.
- 2
Treating a restricted card as "no SSN"
A card stamped "valid for work only with DHS authorization" still carries a real Social Security number. If you hold one, that number goes in Item 13. Do not leave the field blank as if you had no number.
- 3
Guessing or entering the wrong number
The field is marked "(if known)." If you are unsure of your number, confirm it against your card or SSA record rather than estimating. A number that does not match SSA data can delay the decision.
- 4
Assuming the I-765 gets you a card
Filing the I-765 with an SSN, or with the field blank, does not by itself produce a Social Security card. To have a card issued during adjustment of status, make the request on Form I-485, Item 19.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Social Security number question on Form I-765?
It is Part 2 (Information About You), Item 13, on page 2 of the 7-page form, edition 08/21/25. It reads "Provide your Social Security number (SSN) (if known)," and it is the only Social Security question on the current form.
I already have an SSN. Do I check a box to have a card issued?
There is no such box on the current I-765. The form only asks for your existing number at Item 13, so you provide it. The question about issuing a Social Security card, and the Consent for Disclosure that goes with it, appear on Form I-485, Item 19, not the I-765.
What if I have never been assigned a Social Security number?
Then you have no number to enter. The field is marked "(if known)," and the instructions' disclosure statement calls the information voluntary. The current I-765 does not assign you a number or request a card for you.
My card says "valid for work only with DHS authorization." What do I enter?
That card carries a real SSN, so provide that number in Item 13. Getting an unrestricted card is a separate step handled through the SSA, and during adjustment of status it can be requested on Form I-485, Item 19, not on the I-765.
Is providing my SSN on the I-765 required?
The instructions' disclosure statement calls the information voluntary. It also warns that failure to provide requested information, including your Social Security number, may delay a final decision or result in denial. If you have a number, providing it avoids that risk.
Why did the Social Security card-request questions disappear from the I-765?
The current edition (08/21/25) consolidated the Social Security section into the single Item 13. Guides and university handouts written for older editions still show the card-issuance question and Consent for Disclosure, but they are not on the current form. Always complete the current edition from uscis.gov/i-765.
Key takeaways
- ✓
On the current I-765 (edition 08/21/25), Part 2, Item 13 asks only for your Social Security number, if known. There is no card-request box and no Consent for Disclosure.
- ✓
If the SSA has assigned you a number, provide it. A restricted card ("valid for work only with DHS authorization") still carries a real SSN.
- ✓
If you have never had an SSN, there is nothing to enter here; the instructions treat the information as voluntary.
- ✓
The I-765 does not obtain a Social Security card. For adjustment-of-status applicants, the card request is made on Form I-485, Item 19.
- ✓
Guides written for older editions still describe a card-issuance question and a consent; they are not on the current form.
This page is for educational purposes only and is not legal advice. Green Card Genius is self-help immigration software, not a law firm, and does not provide legal representation. Immigration law and USCIS policy change frequently. For advice on a specific case, consult a licensed immigration attorney. Form I-765, edition 08/21/25. Last verified July 2026.
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