Please help me understand: COC vs passport vs naturalizatio

[chelle belle]

We just finalized on 2/24 (horray!!!).
Our agency recommended that our next step be to apply for the COC. I called the SS administration this morning and the lady there (of 30 years) said we would need proof of citizenship to apply for the SS# and she didn't know what a COC was!!! She said we needed a passport or certificate of naturalization. Our agency hasn't mentioned either of these documents. Can somebody help clarify this for me???? AHHHHH!

[JJ's Mom]

To piggy-back on what Malie said (hopefully someone will clarify or confirm) if I'm not mistaken, you need to make it clear to the SS agent that you are applying for a SSN for a permanent resident, as opposed to a citizen. Unless you make this perfectly (and repeatedly ) clear to them, they will likely assume that you are talking about a SSN for a citizen, and at this point you unfortunately are unable to do that because you don't have federally-issued documents to prove citizenship (passport or COC). You do have documents to prove Permanent Resident status. When you get a SSN for a permanent resident, it will be issued in your child's Korean name, as Malie said, and after you have federally-issued documents to prove citizenship, you go back and have it changed.

You can get a US passport without a SSN, though for some of us, that has caused headaches, too.

Good luck

[chelle belle]

Thank you both so much! You've helped me tremendously. I was on the verge of tears wishing things weren't so complicated!!!!

[Mom2KandS2]

Chelle,our agency has a booklet for the steps to do after finalization. I know a few families in the 5 state area that our agency mostly works with who were NOT able to get a SSN because they did not have the COC. Apparently, after all these years of saying they were going to link the two systems they finally did!

For our children once we received the new birth certificate with their American name/us as parents we went to the SSN, then COC, then US Passport. Then back to SS office to change their status from Legal Alien to US Citizen. This was a few years ago. Apparently, now families are getting the COC first, then SSN (and status does not later need to be changed), then US Passport.

Good luck! You are nearing the end of the paperwork!

[PP&MPinTX]

Chelle, I don't know if you are trying to get an SS# for taxed but after we finalized DS, I got him a passport right away. We had it within two weeks of applying for it. I used that to prove his citizenship at the SS office. We applied for his COC after we got his SS card. I just didn't want to have to spend an hour and a half waiting at the SS office twice (once to get a number and once to change his status to citizen)!!!