Check documents before renewing your license

The following item ran in “Kokua Line” on Oct. 4

Question: Next year I will be renewing my driver’s license. Unfortunately, I can’t find my Social Security card. I have my current Hawaii license, a U.S. passport and my Medicare card, which has my name and Social Security number on it. Would any of those be suitable?

Answer: Yes, your Medicare ID card should suffice, as long as it is the original card with the suffix A, M, T or TA only, according to the city.

Neither your old license nor your passport is acceptable to verify your Social Security number, which is one of five identifying categories you’ll need to confirm when you renew your license. The other categories are legal U.S. presence, legal name and date of birth (your valid U.S. passport will verify all three), and Hawaii principal residency (your unexpired Hawaii driver’s license and one other document, such as a current vehicle registration, will fulfill this requirement).

Your full name must be the same on all the documents.

Since you asked specifically about verifying your Social Security number, we’ll list several of the ways the city says you can do this. Whatever acceptable document you provide must be “a valid original or certified copy, unexpired, and the entire SSN must be printed” on it, according to the city. Only one of the following documents is required:

>> Social Security card (paper card only; plastic or metal cards are not accepted)

>> A pay stub with your name and SSN printed on it

>> Wage and Tax Statement Form W-2 or 1099R

>> Medicare ID card (original card with suffix A, M, T and TA only)

>> SSA-1099 form

>> Non-SSA-1099 form

>> Military ID card or DD 1173 with photo, name and date of birth, or DD-214 (original document)

We’ll also mention that you may replace your missing Social Security card. For details about that, visit the Social Security Administration’s website at ssa.gov/ssnumber.