Which states participate in online replacement of Social Security cards and what ID is accepted?

1. How many states — and which ones — participate in online replacement

The SSA states the online replacement option is available in the District of Columbia and in 43 states where the agency can verify state ID information, and the agency recently added Connecticut, Ohio, and Utah to that roster ^[1]. The public rollout began as a state‑by‑state expansion in fiscal year 2016 and has continued incrementally since then, with prior announcements adding groups of states (for example six states were added in 2020) as motor vehicle and identity‑verification linkages were completed ^{[2] [3]}. The sources provided confirm the overall count and a few recent additions, but they do not publish the full, current list of all 43 participating states in the materials supplied here; the SSA directs people to its “Social Security number and card” page to see the definitive, updated list ^{[2] [4]}.

2. Who is eligible to use the online service

To apply online a person must be a U.S. citizen age 18 or older with a U.S. mailing address (APO, FPO, and DPO addresses are included), must not be requesting any changes to the record (such as a name change), and must have a driver’s license or state‑issued identification card from a participating state or D.C. ^{[1] [2]}. The online process requires creating a personal my Social Security account and passing the site’s identity verification checks, which the SSA says are protected by strict verification and security features ^{[1] [5]}.

3. What forms of identification the SSA accepts for online replacement

For the online replacement pathway the SSA specifically requires a valid driver’s license or state‑issued ID from a participating jurisdiction as the primary identity document for verification through the my Social Security account ^{[1] [5]}. More broadly, when applying for a Social Security card (including in‑person or by mail), the SSA lists acceptable identity documents that must be current and show name and identifying information — examples include a U.S. driver’s license, a state non‑driver ID card, or a U.S. passport — and the agency will accept other documents only under defined circumstances ^{[6] [7]}. Documents must be original or certified copies; photocopies or notarized copies are generally not accepted as proof of identity ^[7].

4. Practical caveats and the SSA’s fallback routes

Even if a state participates in the online service, eligibility hinges on matching the applicant’s information in SSA records with state DMV records; applicants who lack an acceptable state ID, need a name change, are not U.S. citizens, or cannot pass online identity checks must use in‑person or mail options and present original documents such as a passport, birth certificate, or other agency‑approved evidence ^{[1] [6] [7]}. SSA materials also note limits on replacement cards (for example statutory caps on the number of replacement cards in a year) and direct users to the SSA website to confirm whether their specific state participates and which documents will be accepted for their case ^{[7] [2]}.

5. Where reporting gaps remain and what to check next

The reporting here establishes the program’s eligibility rules, a short list of acceptable identity documents, and the headline figure of 43 states plus D.C., but the supplied sources do not include the full, current roster of participating states or a state‑by‑state breakdown of accepted non‑standard identity documents; for those details the SSA’s live “Social Security number and card” and my Social Security pages are the authoritative references and are explicitly cited by the agency for updates ^{[2] [4]}.