General, Retirement, SSI

Social Security Benefits U.S. Citizens Outside the United States

August 8, 2016 • By

Reading Time: 2 Minutes

Last Updated: March 17, 2021

Benefits-outside-the-USOver 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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About the Author

Doug Walker, Deputy Commissioner, Communications

Deputy Commissioner, Office of Communications

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Comments

  1. Ricardo M.

    Hello, I live in Colombia S A and have problems with my social security account, forgot my password and can not send the cuestionary to received my temporary password
    The address lines (state, zip code ) are for USA only
    My address here in Colombia is
    Calle 44A #5-106 apt 403A
    Ibague Tolima
    Colombia SA
    Please help
    Thanks

    • L.A.

      Hi Ricardo. At this time you must have a U.S. mailing address to open and access your personal my Social Security account online. However, you can contact your local Federal Benefits Unit (FBU) to find out information about your benefits. You can find the contact information for the FBU here. We hope this helps.

  2. Margit B.

    My name : Margit Bousselot
    Address in USA 401 Branchwood Drive
    Liverpool, NY 13090 USA

    I woul like an filled out with everything what I need if I
    want to receive my SS over seas
    I am collecting SS now in USA and I am a US citizen
    Can You help me?
    I do believe this office who Handels the paperwork
    is located in Baltimore MD
    Sincerely
    M. bousselot

    • L.A.

      HI Margit. If you get Social Security benefits (retirement, survivors, or disability) or are enrolled in Medicare, you can change your address online by using your personal my Social Security account. Go to the My Profile Tab on my Social Security. You can also call us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., or contact your local Social Security office. We hope this helps.

  3. Maria C.

    I have been searching but my question is not to be found on this website so I decided to leave this comment and see if I can get help.
    My father was born in Venezuela but he is an American Citizen because of my grandmother who was American and gave him US citizenship.
    He never worked in the United States because my grandma abandoned him and left him in Venezuela with my grandfather who was a native Venezuelan.
    As you might know, the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela has obligated many people to flee the country and now my dad lives in Panama. He was a University Professor in Venezuela but the pensions he gets for all the years he worked is less than $10 a month due to the devaluation of the currency in Venezuela.
    I want to know if there is any way to ask for humanitarian help for my dad or if the Government of the United States has any benefits for US. Citizens who have lost everything due to wars or dictatorships.
    Please help me to find the agencies or organizations I need to contact in order to get help for my dad!
    He is 78 years old and has tried to find a job in Panama with no success.
    Hope you can help!

  4. Peter B.

    what is the form # or name of the questionair periodically sent to Expats in Foreign countries ?

  5. Ms G.

    Hi

    I am 64 years of age, a legal US Citizen, and have worked here and in India.

    Question- I have residency status in India (and pre exemption of taxes- since India taxes me at source).

    Can I continue to work in India, or would my SS. benefits be reduced if I do? Is there an upper limit of funds that I can have without my social security retirement benefit gets reduced? Thanks. Gayathri Parthasarathy

    • A.C.

      Hi, Gayathri. 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.

  6. Kishor B.

    My social security benefits application was filed over 3 months ago.
    I have not received any indication of when I will receive them. Is this normal?
    I am living overseas but my bank account is in the USA. On average, how long does it take to get my benefits?

  7. Vincent L.

    Dear Sir,
    I received the Form SSA-7162-OCR-SM today dated June 7, 2019 to be filled out and return to sender office. I’m currently living in the Philippines and concern the form I’m mailing/returning back tomorrow will not meet the 60 days requirement because the mail here is slow. I’m hoping for kind consideration.

    Very respectfully,
    Vincent Ballester

    • Mike

      Just mail it to them. If they don’t get it in time, they’ll send you another one in October for you to complete and mail it again. As long as they get one of the two forms before December, you’re safe.

  8. Kenneth A.

    I attempted to open an online SSA account and cannot , i am retired and living in Colombia ten years now , i don’t have a US mailing address is it possible for me to open an account ?

  9. Thin v.

    I am usa citizen. I living at australia. Now i moved. I need report new address. What should i do?

  10. Dale A.

    I am trying to find where to mail Form SSA-7162-OCR-SM. My mother receives benefits and she has lost the mailing envelope and I do not know where to send this form. She lives in Niagara Falls, ON, CAN. The form is completed.
    Thank you.

Comments are closed.