When I got married and changed my name, I ended up having to spend a couple hours a day arguing at the passport office for three consecutive days. There are all kinds of arcane rules about it and the staff are not allowed to tell you what they are because they have been literally classified as state secrets since early in the Obama era. Plus, in my case they wouldn't even have a re-look at the rulebook to make sure they were getting it right, they were just going by memory.

Eventually I was able to track down the underlying laws that the relevant rules were based on and call the head office in Charleston who put things right, but who knows what would've happened had I not been a native English speaker.

Some of this may have changed, it looks like "8 FAM 403.1-4(D)" would've been the rule that I needed back when I did this, and it does not appear to be currently classified, but lots of other rules still are. Point is, it may not be as simple as you'd think to "just" get a new passport.

If you change your name, you need to update your information with social security and with the state department. That's how the two IDs can get out of sync. E.g. if someone was like "please bring your social security card and passport for verification" you could potentially have a name mis-match if you only updated your passport but didn't update your social security.

What scenario do you need to present both a passport and social security card? Those “three column” identification documents that I have seen always accept passports standalone.

The thing that will need to match is the name/DoB on your passport and your file with SSA. You will need them to match when you have to get the window attendant at SSA to help you figure out why your monthly social security check is wrong. Good luck proving you’re you when the records are 40 years old and 6 states away.

For renewing a driver's license to a RealID-compliant driver's license I did need more than a passport. But I think that was more of a state thing that required a utility bill to my address and maybe something else.

Ah, the ol' utility bill stuff. Lol. Such a pain at times, but I guess I understand for some things where people definitely try to skirt the system where they don't live where they say.

I have neglected to get my state's real ID since it requires me to go into a location, which are soul sucking. Luckily, my global entry card is a Real ID. It only took two years to get that one. And when I had to go in for that ID, they didn't even check my driver's license or passport for ID. They just took my picture and that was it. Pretty poor due diligence.

I actually usually use my Global Entry for TSA now. I lost my driver's license once at the airport and my Global Entry card is the federally-accepted ID I don't otherwise actually need.

Funnily enough I was able to fly without an ID when I lost my license--which was surprisingly hassle-free. But I had a hell of a time checking into my hotel.

Wait until you find out about the photo matching they do to true up license and Global Entry identity. Why have a human (who can be social engineered) do that in person when an algorithm can do it behind the scenes?

Well, I'm not disappointed that they actually did something. If it wasn't clear, I thought not checking was poor procedure, and I guess it makes sense it they have automated procedures. Still doesn't seem right to not have a human validate when it takes no extra time to do so.

Why do social security cards exist? I have no idea, but presumably they are required for something. They don’t contain your photo, so asking for photo identification seems like a totally valid follow up.

Because they were invented to not be an ID, even though they got turned into one almost immediately (because of course they did). Then people dug in their heels about making a better national ID because reasons. So we’ve trudged along with a terrible one instead.

Even if your SSN is not an ID, there must be a use for the card/number is my point. If there is a use for the SSN, then you still need an ID to verify that you are the person to whom the SSN belongs to. So you still need the name on the SSN card to match the name on your ID. So you need to keep your SSN in sync with your other IDs.

I haven't had an actual social security card for many decades since having a wallet stolen. And never needed it.

The fact that you do not physically possess your social security card does not mean that the federal government did not issue you one. So you Have it, you simply don’t have it on you.

You haven’t needed it since it’s such a bad ID that if you know the number you often don’t need to possess the paper.

This is like saying I drive without taking my drivers license with me.

No. I'm not sure what the circumstances would be where I would have to present an actual social security card. Certainly never encountered one. Whereas it's easy to imagine circumstances where not having a driver's license on me could cause issues--even if it might technically not be required.

I used to use mine (plus my driver’s license) as my I-9 employment verification documents. Driver’s license for identity, SSN card for right to work.

You can also use a birth certificate to establish right to work, so yeah it wouldn’t be required.

Of course now I just use my passport, but like many Americans I didn’t have one for many years.

Fair enough. Not sure why I even carried my SSN card at that point. I've had a passport since I was around two years old.

You don’t need it because it’s so weak that people will accept that knowing the number is the same as having it.