How to Apostille a Social Security Card
For many U.S. retirees and expats living abroad, foreign governments often require official proof of income. One common way to verify this is by submitting a Social Security Benefits letter — and in some cases, also your Social Security card. To ensure these documents are accepted internationally, they may need to go through the apostille process.
But how exactly do you get a Social Security card apostille? Do you need a notarized Social Security card? Let’s break it down.
What is an Apostille?
An apostille is a form of authentication recognized by countries that are part of the Hague Convention of 1961. It certifies that the document is genuine and legally valid for use in another country.
If the destination country is not a member of the Hague Convention, then you’ll need embassy legalization instead, which is a more involved process handled through the country’s embassy or consulate.
Do You Need a Notarized Social Security Card?
It’s a common misconception that you need a notarized Social Security card before it can be apostilled. In reality, the Social Security card is a federal document and does not need to be notarized.
So if you’re wondering how to get a notarized copy of your Social Security card, the answer is — you don’t need one for the apostille. Instead, you need to follow the proper federal authentication steps.
How to Apostille a Social Security Card
To begin the process:
- Find your Social Security card. If you’ve misplaced it, you can order a replacement through the Social Security Administration.
- Since this is a federal document, it must be processed through the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C.
- If the receiving country is not a member of the Hague Convention, the card must go through embassy authentication instead of an apostille.
Don’t want to deal with the paperwork? There’s a simpler way.
Let One Source Process Handle Your Social Security Apostille
At One Source Process, we specialize in apostille and embassy legalization services — including for federal documents like your Social Security card.
We can help you get an apostille for your Social Security card, as well as for other documents such as:
- Social Security Award Letter
- Birth Certificate
- Death Certificate
- Marriage Certificate
- and many more…
Just fill out our simple Order Form, and we’ll review your documents for free to ensure everything is correct. Once confirmed, we’ll provide an invoice and a clear timeline for completion.
Need the documents in another language? We also offer professional translation services so you can get your apostille and translation done in one place — saving you time and money.
Why Choose Us?
- Experts in Social Security apostille and federal document processing
- Fast turnaround with accurate documentation
- Translation available for non-English-speaking countries
- Available 7 days a week
- Transparent pricing and responsive support
We’ve helped clients from all over the world and understand the requirements of each destination country. Whether you need a Social Security card apostille or other documents authenticated, we’re here to make the process easy. Still have questions? Contact us here — we’re available every day to assist you.
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I have a physical copy of my social security card and need to apostilled documentation for a Portuguese visa application.
Can you please walk me through the step-by-step process, timeline, and fee structure?
Thank you,
Brandon
Hello Brandon,
My apologies for the delayed response. At the time you sent your inquiry, our system was undergoing a major update, which temporarily affected our email notifications.
If you still require assistance, we would be happy to begin with a free review of the document you wish to apostille. You may access our web form here
Please note that submitting the form does not commit you to payment.
When completing the web form, please note that “Social Security Card” does not appear as a listed document type. It should not be confused with Social Security Benefit Statements, which are categorized under Federal Documents. To complete the form correctly, please follow these steps:
Under Document Type,
Select Personal Documents
Then choose Other Personal Documents
In the next field, type “Social Security Card”
The form will then ask whether your document is notarized
Please note that the physical Social Security card is not required. A PDF copy will be sufficient, as we can print and process it accordingly.
Once your submission is received, one of our apostille experts will contact you during our business hours ( Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM DC time) to provide the next steps.
Kind regards,
Allan Capistrano
What is the process for getting a social security card apostilled? Can I have a copy of my Ss card or do I have to use the original?
This is needed for citizenship in Portugal.
Please let me know.
Hello Steve,
My apologies for not responding to you in a timely manner as our system was under a major system update and the notifications for the emails sent during that period had no real time notifications.
For the Social Security Card, we will not need the physical card. Please upload a PDF version of it on our webform, we will review the card and most likely we need to notarize the copy that you will provide us so that we can apostille the Social Security Card in the Secretary of the State.
If you still require assistance, You can access our webform here
Once you have submitted the form, One of our apostille experts will get back to your email during business hours ( DC time zone, Mondays – Fridays 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM ) and provide you with the next steps. You are not committed to payment for submitting this webform.
Kind regards,
Allan Capistrano.
I have three documents that I need to have apostilled.
Two are FBI background checks. I have those in a pdf form from the FBI.
The third is my social security card, which I have (miraculously, since it is 62 years old . . .)
How can I go about this, what is the fastest turn around time and how much would it cost?
Marc
Hello Marc,
My apologies for the delayed response. Our system was undergoing an update when you sent your inquiry, which temporarily affected email notifications.
We’re happy to assist you with obtaining apostilles for your FBI Background Checks and Social Security Card. To get started, we offer a free review of your documents.
Please complete our apostille web form and upload your PDFs here: https://www.onesourceprocess.com/apostillelegalization/
Things to remember
FBI Background checks.
If you have an original PDF from the FBI or an approved channeler, we can print it and submit it to the U.S. Department of State for an apostille.
Estimated processing time: 2–3 weeks.
Please note that FBI background checks are valid for 6 months for apostille purposes. Since your PDFs are around 4 months old, you may consider requesting a newly issued report if needed.
You can find a list of approved FBI channelers here: https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/identity-history-summary-checks/list-of-fbi-approved-channelers-for-departmental-order-submissions
Current Fees for FBI Background Checks:
First check: $175 + $20 State Department fee
Second check: $95 + $20 State Department fee (discounted)
Social Security Card:
A physical card is not required—just upload a PDF via our web form.
We’ll review it and, in most cases, notarize the copy so it can be apostilled through the Secretary of State.
Service Options for Apostille (Social Security Card):
Standard Service: $175 – 4–14 business days
Rush Service: $225 – 1–3 business days
Same-Day Service: $275 – processed within 24 hours
Additional Fees:
Notarization: $25 per document
State fee: $15
Shipping: $35 (2-day) or $45 (overnight) domestic / $75 international
Once we review your documents, we’ll provide clear next steps on how to proceed. Looking forward to assisting you!
Kind regards,
Allan Capistrano