Most people find out they don’t know their credit score right when they need it: applying for an apartment, a loan or a better card. And if you don’t have a Social Security number, every free tool you see advertised asks for an SSN on the first screen, so it looks like the door is closed. It isn’t, but you have to know which way in.
Quick answer Without an SSN you can still have a credit score, as long as there are accounts in your name, opened with an ITIN, that report to the credit bureaus. The easiest place to see it is your own card’s app or statement, which often shows it for free. To see your full report, request it by mail from each bureau with your ITIN, an ID and proof of address.
First: do you have a score yet?
A score doesn’t exist just because you live in the United States. It is calculated from your credit report, and the report is fed by the accounts that lenders report to Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. If you have never had a card, a loan or an account that reports, there is nothing to score.
Each model also has its own minimum. FICO, the most widely used, generally needs at least one account that is six months old with activity reported in the last six months. VantageScore can produce a score sooner. That’s why someone with a three-month-old secured card may see a VantageScore in their app and still have no FICO score.
Where to see your score without an SSN
- Your card’s app or statement. Many issuers show customers a free FICO or VantageScore. If you got your card with an ITIN, this is usually the most direct route, because the bank already knows who you are.
- Your credit union or bank. Many credit unions give members their score, or will go over it with you if you ask.
- When you apply for credit. If you are turned down because of your history, the lender must tell you which bureau it used, and you are entitled to that report for free.
Free credit-monitoring websites usually verify your identity with an SSN, so without one you probably won’t be able to sign up. It’s not that you have no history: their verification just wasn’t built for the ITIN.
How to request your full report with an ITIN
The score is a number; the report is the list of accounts behind it, and that is what you really need to check. Without an SSN, the usual route is to write directly to each of the three bureaus and include:
- Your full name and every address you have lived at in the last two years.
- Your date of birth and your ITIN.
- A copy of a photo ID (passport, consular ID or driver’s license).
- Recent proof of address: a utility bill or a bank statement.
Each bureau lists its mailing address and accepted documents on its website. Check them before you send anything, because they change, and keep a copy of everything you mail.
The risk nobody mentions: a mixed file
Without an SSN, bureaus match people by name, date of birth and address. If someone with a similar name lives or lived nearby, their accounts can end up on your report, or yours on theirs. It happens more with common surnames.
So the first time you see your report, go through it account by account. If something isn’t yours, you can dispute it for free and the bureau has to investigate.
Watch out for “CPNs”
Search for how to build credit without an SSN and you’ll find ads for a “CPN” (credit privacy number) sold as a legal substitute for a Social Security number. It isn’t. The Federal Trade Commission warns that using one of these numbers on a credit application can be a crime, and they are often stolen numbers. The legal path without an SSN is the ITIN.
What to do if you don’t have a score yet
If nothing comes up when you look, that’s fine: it’s where almost everyone starts after arriving. The order that works is to open an account with your ITIN, get a secured or starter card that reports to all three bureaus, use it lightly and pay it in full every month. After six months you should be able to see a FICO score.
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Official sources
To check what this guide explains, these are the official references. If a rule changes, the official version always prevails.
- IRS: Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN): who can apply and how it is renewed.
- IRS: Form W-7: the official ITIN application form and its instructions.
- CFPB: credit reports and scores: what is in your report, how scores are used and how to dispute errors.
