1725.Evidence of U.S. Citizenship

1725.1Why is evidence of U.S. citizenship or lawful alien status necessary?

Evidence of U.S. citizenship or lawful alien status is necessary because:

  1. It is required to pay monthly benefits to an individual who is lawfully present and meets the residency requirements in the U.S;

  2. It applies for Title II benefits on December 1, 1996, or later; and

  3. It may be required in certain cases, for instance, to determine:

    1. The payment of monthly benefits in the U.S. under the lawful presence payment provision;

    2. The applicability of the alien nonpayment provision (see §1843);

    3. Eligibility to hospital or medical insurance protection of a person who is not entitled to cash benefits or

1725.2How do you prove that you are a U.S. citizen?

You may be a citizen of the U.S. by birth or by naturalization. Acceptable evidence is a birth certificate showing birth within the U.S. Other acceptable evidence of U.S. citizenship includes:

  1. Form N-550 and N-570 (Certificate of Naturalization issued currently by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - formerly issued by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS));

  2. A U.S. passport issued by the U.S. Department of State (DOS);

  3. Form I-197 (U.S. Citizen Identification Card issued by the former INS); (NOTE: This card was issued only to naturalized citizens who lived along the U.S. - Mexican border. INS discontinued issuance of this card in 1983; however these cards are still valid as proof of U.S. citizenship.)

  4. Form FS-240 (Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the U.S. issued by DOS);

  5. Form FS-545 (Certification of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the U.S. issued by a foreign service post);

  6. Form N-560 and N-561 (Certificate of Citizenship issued by DHS); or

  7. Form DS-1350 (Certification of Report of Birth issued by DOS).

  8. U.S. Passport Card, issued after July 13, 2008.

1725.3How do you prove that you are a lawful alien?

You may be determined to be lawfully present in the U.S. as defined by the Attorney General if you are an alien who is in possession of a valid immigration documents that shows status or admission as:

  1. Lawfully admitted for permanent residence;

  2. Admitted as a refugee under section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA);

  3. Granted asylum under section 208 of the INA;

  4. Paroled under section 212(d)(5) of the INA for at least one year (except for aliens paroled for an exclusion hearing or prosecution in the U.S.);

  5. Whose deportation has been withheld under section 243(h) of the INA as in effect prior to April 1, 1997, or whose removal has been withheld under section 241(b)(3) of the INA;

  6. Granted conditional entry as a refugee under section 203(a)(7) of the INA as in effect prior to April 1, 1980;

  7. Inspected and admitted as a non-immigrant to the U.S. and who has not violated the applicable terms of your status (NOTE: Generally non-immigrants, with a few exceptions, are not eligible for SSI benefits; this applies to all non- immigrant classes of admissions with the exception of "T" or "U" non-immigrant visas.);

  8. With a pending application for political asylum under section 208(a) of the INA or a pending application for withholding of deportation under section 243(h) of the INA, and employment authorization; or

  9. Belonging to any specific class of aliens permitted to remain in the U.S. under U.S. law or policy, for humanitarian, medical or other public interest policy reasons.

Last Revised: Sep. 1, 2009