• RebekahWSD@lemmy.world
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      1 年前

      Very easy to get a replacement, as far as things go. I’ll assume the office doesn’t require an appointment (it did during covid). Just go in, wait, talk to a clerk, explain either you never had one or lost it (I think there’s a higher charge for losing it over never having had one), pay a reasonable fee, get new card mailed to you. Out of several government things I’ve had to do, getting a card was simple.

    • Mesophar@lemm.ee
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      1 年前

      It’s just a form of national identification number. It’s assigned at birth, and is used as a means to legally identify an individual for government purposes (taxes, benefits, acquiring licenses and other forms of identification). They exist in Europe as well, they are just called something different than SSN. Not every country uses them, though.

      • Nougat@fedia.io
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        1 年前

        Not assigned “at birth,” assigned when you or your parents apply for one. That normally, these days, happens shortly after birth, but it has not always been that way, and it is not an obligation.