Can I laminate my Social Security card?
We all think of laminating something to protect it from dirt, water or other things to make it durable for longer period. In the case of Social Security Card, SSC is used to identify citizen’s wages or personal earnings. It has Social Security number and Citizen’s Name. You’d probably think of laminating your SSC when you get it. But it’s suggested not to laminate your Social Security Card.
Why shouldn’t you Laminate Your Social Security Card?
It’s not a crime to laminate your SSC but If you laminate it anyway, the human resource department may refuse to accept it. What you can do instead is, get a wallet that protects this kind of documents or you can cover it with a plastic cover instead of laminating it.
If you check the SSA website it states that “Do not laminate your Social Security Card. Lamination prevents detection of many security features. However, you can cover the card with plastic or other removable material if it does not damage the card.” It doesn’t say the card is no longer good, but to not laminate it.
Outside of government agencies, federal employment guides specify they are still valid if the card appears genuine and the information relevant to the person presenting the card if laminated. So it should be a non-point.
There used to be a time when the cards were just normal fiber paper without special inks, lamination didn’t matter. Now there’s a time of microprint, optical patterns, special fiber weave, and metallic inks. So it makes sense that newer cards should not be accepted if laminated for fraud detection.
But nowadays, even if you lose a Social Security Card, you don’t have to worry, If you know the SSN, it’s okay. You don’t need to bring the card.