Question: My wife and I are currently here in the states with a working Visa. We have two kids who are living with us, but were born out of the country. We went to apply for social security # and we were told that the type of Visa we have, the children were not eligible for a SSN. In order to claim the kids as dependents on our return, do we need a valid social security number for the kids?

Answer: No, you don’t need a SSN in order to claim your kids as dependents.

According to Pub 17, Taxpayer identification numbers for aliens. If your dependent is a resident or non-resident alien(living in Mexico , Canada or the US)  who does not have and is not eligible to get an SSN, your dependent must apply for an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN).

To apply for an ITIN, use Form W-7, Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.