Certification of Prison Records by Prison Officials

SSA collects information needed to assign an SSN, as well as issue an original, duplicate, or corrected SSN card. SSA uses the SSN to keep an accurate record of an individual’s earnings, and to accurately pay benefits under the Social Security program. Inmates of Federal, State, or local prisons, either public or private (third party contracted by local, State, or Federal Government agency), may need an SSN card as verification of their SSN for school or work programs, or as proof of employment eligibility upon release from prison. Before SSA can issue a replacement Social Security card, applicants must show SSA proof of their identity. People who are in prison for an extended period typically do not have current identity documents. Therefore, under formal written agreement with the correctional institution, SSA contacts prison officials, and allows them to verify the identity of certain incarcerated U.S. citizens who need replacement Social Security cards. Inmates complete and sign Form SS-5 (OMB No. 0960-0066), Application for a Social Security Card, and a prison official certifies the inmate's identity using information found in the inmate's official file. Information prison officials provide comes from the official prison files sent on correctional facility letterhead; there is no standardized form used for this information collection. SSA uses this information to establish the applicant’s identity in the replacement Social Security card process. The respondents are prison officials who certify the identity of prisoners applying for replacement Social Security cards.

The latest form for Certification of Prison Records by Prison Officials expires 2026-11-30 and can be found here.