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Settling in the U.S.:    

Obtaining a Social Security Card

Non-immigrant International Students, Faculty & Research Scholars, and their dependents who are legally eligible to work as per their immigration status, are required to apply for a Social Security card, in order to be paid for employment.

International STUDENTS applying for a Social Security card:
Please be aware that you will be required to be registered full-time at Tufts and that you must have an on-campus job offer, before you apply for a Social Security card. To prepare your application, you must obtain a letter that has been signed by both the hiring department and the International Center. Please visit the International Center to get the form necessary to start this process. Normal processing of a Social Security card usually takes about 3 weeks, from the time that you submit your application at the Social Security office.

Once an International Student has obtained the above-mentioned signatures, he/she must present the following at the Social Security Office:

  • Letter of Employment Verification from Tufts University (mentioned above). Download this PDF document and print it out on plain Tufts University letterhead (not Departmental letterhead)
  • A Social Security Application form. Download form >>
  • A valid passport
  • I-94 card (small white card usually stapled to your passport at the port of entry to the U.S.)
  • A valid visa document (F-1, Form I-20) (J-1, Form DS-2019) (H-1B, Form I-797) (Employment Authorization Document) etc.
The Social Security Administration will not accept your application unless you are presenting them with ALL of the above-mentioned documentation.

Go to the Social Security website >>

International FACULTY/RESEARCH SCHOLARS applying for a Social Security card will need to present the following:

  • Faculty or Research Scholars will need to present their Tufts contract or invitation letter issued to them by their Tufts sponsoring department. The letter must be on official Tufts stationery, if not, ask your department to issue you a new letter.
  • A Social Security Application form. Download form >>
  • A valid passport
  • I-94 card (small white card usually stapled to your passport at the port of entry to the U.S.)
  • A valid visa document (J-1, Form DS-2019) (H-1B, Form I-797) (Employment Authorization Document) etc.
The Social Security Administration will not accept your application unless you present them with ALL of the above-mentioned documentation.

Go to the Social Security website >>

STUDENTS AND FACULTY WHO ARE TO BE PAID BY TUFTS AND HAVE A TUFTS CONTRACT OR OFFER LETTER, be sure to ask the Social Security Administration for confirmation that you have applied for a number. Give this receipt letter to the person in your Tufts sponsoring department that is in charge of processing the Tufts paperwork to pay you. They will provide the Tufts Service Center with a copy of this letter, which will temporarily permit the Service Center to pay you while you wait for your social security card.

Location of the Social Security Office Closest To You:
The telephone number for all Social Security offices is 1-800-772-1213.
All Social Security offices are open between 9:00am 4:00pm, Monday through Friday.

  • From the Medford Campus, 240 Elm Street, in Davis Square, Somerville.
  • From the Boston Campus, O'Neil Federal Building, 10 Causeway Street, Boston.
  • From the Grafton Campus, 51 Muddle Street, Madison Place Plaza, Worcester.
Other General Information:
  • If you are a Tufts International Student, you will be issued a Tufts Identification Number that begins with 991. This is NOT a Social Security Number;
  • International Faculty & Research Scholars sometimes are issued a temporary number by Tufts Campus Police when applying for their Tufts Identification card. This, too, is NOT a Social Security Number;
  • Faculty & Research Scholars must notify the International Center, their Tufts Sponsoring Department and the Payroll Department of their Social Security Number.
  • International Students must report their Social Security Number to the Student Services Desk in Dowling Hall, in order to be paid by Tufts University. You must show the actual card, not a copy.
To open a Bank Account:
If you need to open a bank account before you obtain your Social Security Number, explain that you are a newly-arrived non-immigrant. They will have you complete a W-8 form which permits you to open a bank account without a Social Security Number.

To obtain a Driver's License:
If you are not eligible for a Social Security Number and need to obtain a driver's license, present your passport, visa document and I-94 card at the Social Security Administration office and request a "Social Security Denial Letter" for you to present at the Registry of Motor Vehicles. Learn more >>

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