Social Security Benefits U.S. Citizens Outside the United States
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: March 17, 2021
Over half a million people who live outside the United States receive some kind of Social Security benefit, including retired and disabled workers, as well as spouses, widows, widowers, and children.
If you’re a U.S. citizen, you may receive your Social Security payments outside the United States as long as you are eligible. When we say you are “outside the United States,” we mean you’re not in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, or American Samoa. Once you’ve been outside the United States for at least 30 days in a row, we consider you to be outside the country.
If you are traveling outside the U.S. for an extended amount of time, it’s important that you tell Social Security the date you plan to leave and the date you plan to come back, no matter how long you expect your travel to last. Then we can let you know whether your Supplemental Security Income (SSI) will be affected.
You can use this online tool to find out if you can continue to receive your Social Security benefits if you are outside the United States or are planning to go outside the United States at www.socialsecurity.gov/international/payments_outsideUS.html.
This tool will help you find out if your retirement, disability, or survivor’s payments will continue as long as you are eligible, stop after six consecutive calendar months, or if certain country specific restrictions apply.
When you live outside the United States, periodically we’ll send you a questionnaire. Your answers will help us figure out if you still are eligible for benefits. Return the questionnaire to the office that sent it as soon as possible. If you don’t, your payments will stop. In addition to responding to the questionnaire, notify us promptly about changes that could affect your payments.
You can also read the publication titled Your Payments While You Are Outside the United States at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs.
Social Security is with you through life’s journey, even if that journey takes you outside the United States.
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Tags: Disability, retirement, Social Security benefits, SSI
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Doug Walker, Deputy Commissioner, Communications
Deputy Commissioner, Office of Communications
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Steven R.
International mail sometimes gets lost – doesn’t reach the recipient. This happened to me – such that I then got a notice that my payments were stopped because I did not respond – to the then 2nd notice – which I had only then just received – for me it being the 1st notice. There was a delay of about ten days in my returning the update form requested by that notice – had misplaced that notice – thinking meanwhile that I had indeed returned the form as requested. Upon coming across it I immediately sent it in – turned out to be the same or next day after receiving notice my payments had been ceased. I immediately filed an appeal online – including the fact of my illness of clinical depression and drug treatment for that at times effecting my not being on top of everything… & my desperate need of my payments. But was told I had to wait at least 60 days. Then I was told response to my appeal takes 60 to 90 days. Now it is 112 days – 22 days over the 90 day at last notification decision time Social Security commits to responding adjudicating the appeal — At 104 days I called again and was told that yes something went wrong in their system – that all was in order re my appeal and that it should have been approved accepted and notification of resumption date of payments including the back payments withheld and that someone would be contacting me either by phone or email within 48 to 72 hours. But no such reply occurred. Then I called again two weeks later and there was no record of that agent’s having spoken with me. Then that new agent looked over my appeal with attached update form and agreed something went wrong – ordinarily should have been accepted and payments renewed. But really it is the international office in Maryland that deals with overseas residents – the first of some four phone-calls to Social Security since my online January 28th submitting my appeal – the online site confirming then that it was successfully received. (Also re my last phone call – the agent tells me – first anyone of my other calls said anything in this regard – the agent tells me there’s some note in February that my update form was incomplete. This as I said to the agent is not possible – she agreed she saw it attached to the appeal and it was in order. – Being that I am not employed at all I followed the 2nd page of the form that asks re employment – namely it says that if that does not apply just skip it – leave everything there blank. So the first page I answered all questions and at the bottom of the 2nd page signed my name and date. – So this agent of now two weeks ago tells me that she is writing everything down and indeed I hear her typing as we spoke and she says she’s writing the international residents offices in Maryland and that someone from there will be either phoning or emailing me regarding her request to them that they let me know of the ‘status’ of my appeal – that someone from that office will be contacting me – but again – no one has contacted me. — What am I supposed to do in order to receive response to my appeal – now as I said 22 days over the 90 maximum time when adjudication of such appeals problems re resumption of cessation of payments – when all my turning to Social Security for assistance in this most pressing matter – I receive the response – now since the end of the 90 day wait has passed – I receive the response that it should not have taken this long – that all has been in order and reasons given should have actually been adjudicated considerably before the 90 days of the 60 – 90 waiting period for response – – – ?
Nancy C.
How should I receive a SS statement by email living abroad? I have a mailing address in US but I don´t have a phone number registered under my name because I live abroad
A.C.
Hi, Nancy. Since you are living outside of the U.S. you can contact your local Federal Benefits Unit for any assistance related to Social Security benefits. Also, our Office of International Operations home page provides more information to assist our customers living abroad. We hope this helps.
Deborah K.
I live outside the US. I have applied for my SS benefits online. I will turn 65 in August, 2019. I would like to check the status of my claim but since I have no US address, I cannot create a “my Social Securety account”. Is there any other way that I can check the status?
Thank you,
Deborah Lundstrom
A.C.
Thank you for your question, Deborah. The my Social Security authentication system requires address verification as one of the essential criteria for issuing an account. People with APO/FPO/DPO addresses can create an account overseas, but our system does not support registration and account creation for users with a foreign address yet. You can contact your local Federal Benefits Unit for any assistance related to Social Security benefits. Also, our Office of International Operations home page provides more information to assist our customers living abroad. We hope this helps.
Tamer K.
For USA citizens living overseas for extended periods, in countries that have social medicine, or where they qualify for no-cost local medical services, can the beneficiary be exempted from paying health benefit charges deducted from monthly Social Security payments?
Thanks.
A.C.
Hi, Tamer. For your security, we do not have access to your private information in this venue. We ask that members in our Blog community to continue to work with our offices with specific questions. Since you live outside of the United States, you can contact your local Federal Benefits Unit for assistance. Also our Office of Earnings & International Operations web page provides more information to assist our customers living abroad. Thanks!
Nina S.
Due to increasing health problems I am unable to fly home and get the money from my Bank of America account. They will not transfer the money to my local bank even though I had requested the consulate general to verify my identity.
My question is, coud Social Security transfer my social security payments to to a dollar bank account here in Vienna?
How do I go about it? Thank you, Nina Skrob
Leah a.
How do I sign up for My Social Security account if my address is overseas? I get mail from you overseas but don’t remember receiving my 1099 of 2018. Please advise how I can get it online since you only allow US addresses. Thank you!
Russell B.
I FEEL the answers are too Vague .
I’d like to Know for Sure How long I might Travel to Mexico in the future . I’m aware of the Asset limits and I might have some medical and or dental procedures whilst there . I can’t find a decent dental plan here in the US or Decent affordable dentist that will take reasonable payments w good credit esp here in WV . The Costs of Travel to & from Mexico are High so as to make affordable 6 months is Not reasonable .
I Feel I have a Right to Travel freely Hwvr not to foreign lands sadly .
I’d probably need to purchase persay a Signa style medical Ins policy as Medicare doesn’t cover needs in US or outside the US
Is there a way ? Suggestions ?
V.V.
Hi Russell, thank you for your question. Medicare generally does not cover health care while you are outside the United States. For information on options while living abroad, please contact Medicare directly at http://www.medicare.gov or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) (TTY 1-877-486-2048).
DMC5
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CM
US communism at its finest. Why must we be dictated to by the government on where we can live or spend our retirement? We worked for 45 years and are entitled to spend our monies as we deem fit. Sadly with our EXTREME delusional and COMBATIVE/ARGUMENTATIVE Congress I no longer wish to reside amongst this hostility. Great need to research alternative means for a peaceful and non greed mongering way of life as we the Baby Booners are entitled to my Golden Years. Our delusional government nor the plethora of greed monging Corporations will take this from US.
Please / kindly post for all to witness viable retirement options which include how our decades of bone breaking and hard earned wages can be awarded outside this once great yet now sadly foresaken country. Thank you.
Nestor O.
How am I going to set my SS account online if I am living abroad?