NY DMV Form NSS-1A: Who Needs the Affidavit of No Social Security Number

If the Social Security Administration has never issued you a number, the New York DMV still has a path forward for a standard driver’s license or non-driver ID: form NSS-1A, the Affidavit Stating No Social Security Number. This page explains what the form is, who actually needs it, and how it gets from a blank form to something the DMV will accept.

Who NSS-1A is for

NSS-1A is specifically for people who have never been issued a Social Security number at all. That is a narrower group than it sounds. If you applied for a number and the Social Security Administration turned you down, you are not in this category, you likely need a different letter (more on that below). NSS-1A is for someone who has simply never gone through the SSA process and has no number to report.

What the form actually asks for

The form itself is short: your full legal name, your date of birth, and a sworn statement that you have never been issued a Social Security number. That is the entire substance of it. Everything else on the page is the notary or DMV witnessing block.

It has to be witnessed, one way or another

The DMV will not accept this affidavit with just your signature on it. If you are mailing in a license or permit application, the affidavit must be notarized. If you are applying in person at a DMV office, a Motor Vehicle Representative witnesses your signature instead and notarization is not required in that specific scenario. Most people mailing an application, or who would rather not sign anything until they are in front of a notary, have it notarized.

One detail worth knowing before you sign anything: the DMV wants to watch you sign it, whether that is a notary on video or an MVR at the counter. Don’t pre-sign the form and bring a signed copy in, fill in your information but sign live during the notarization.

What it does not do

NSS-1A gets you past the Social Security question on a standard application, but it does not add any points toward New York’s identity documentation requirements, and it cannot be used for an Enhanced license or a REAL ID. With this affidavit on file, you can get a standard New York license or non-driver ID marked ‘not for federal purposes,’ which is not valid for boarding a domestic flight or entering certain federal buildings once REAL ID enforcement applies to you. If you need a REAL ID or Enhanced license, this affidavit alone will not get you there.

Getting it notarized without a trip to the DMV twice

Because the form has to be witnessed either way, most people find it easier to get it notarized once, correctly, before they ever get in line at the DMV. We prepare the actual NSS-1A on the real DMV form from your name and date of birth, then notarize it with you live online, so you walk into (or mail to) the DMV with a document that’s already valid.

This page is general information, not legal advice, and reflects our understanding of current DMV policy. Confirm current requirements directly with the DMV before you apply.