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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Archie C.
How do I change my overseas address?
archiehaase@hotmail.com
A.C.
Hi, Archie. 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.
Mithun@visathingforstudent
As far I know all the US citizens who are living in Bangladesh has get high priority of security.
Paul L.
Dear Officers,
I’m the US citizen and will be retired from gov. employee soon, I have foreigner wife(married 40 years) and she have been US back and forth from Korea, she also have a SS number, is she authorized to receive SS benefit(annuity) after I’ll have retired?
L.A.
Hi Paul. In certain cases, noncitizens can receive Social Security benefits. But, in order for your spouse to receive benefits, we must have evidence of her lawful presence. That means before we can pay out benefits for any given month, we must have evidence that your spouse’s were lawfully present in the United States, during that month. To learn more, please see our Frequently Asked Questions webpage, spouses benefits information page, and our publication titled “Your Payments While Outside the United States.” We hope this helps.
Barbara E.
I live outside the US and receive my benefits which are directly deposited in a Bank of America account. I need to change my mailing address as I have moved. I am still residing in the US and I recall I had to call an office in Washington to change my address when I moved a few years ago. I am not sure I can change it on line or have to call like last time. You don’t have that information on line so I am not sure what to do. I don’t have a My Social Security account. Will I need to create one? Please help. Thank you.
A.C.
Hi, Barbara. 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.
nancy h.
if I am planning to travel to see my son overseas for up to 3 months (to Hong Kong), would I expect any interruption to any social security check and food stamps? I plan to return of course.
A.C.
Hi, Nancy. Sounds like a fun trip! If you are a U. S. citizen, you may receive your Social Security benefits outside the United States as long as you are eligible, no matter how long you stay outside the United States. However, there are certain countries to which we cannot send payments. For more information about your payments while you are outside of the United States, please visit here.
If you are a U.S. citizen and are receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI), your SSI may be affected if you remain outside of the country for more than 30 straight days. For more information about what to report when you are receiving SSI, please visit here. As far as your food stamps, you will need to contact your local food stamp office. Hope this helps!
Jacobo W.
I am a retired bi-national USA/PERU, 70 years old. Could I get Medicare care in Peru or do I need to get private medical insurance there?
A.C.
Hi, Jacobo. Thanks for your question. Medicare generally does not cover health care while you are outside the United States. Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands, are considered part of the United States. To learn more about Medicare coverage outside of the United States, visit Medicare’s website here. We hope this helps.
Michael A.
I turn 65 this December and want to apply for Medicare Only. Problems: 1. I have lived in Singapore for 16 years and have no Medicaid number… required for opening an account. How do I get a Medicaid account to open my Medicare account?
2. I have no local USA address other than my brother-in-law’s home which he allows me to use for our Minnesota bank account. Can I legally use that address to open an account?
3. I was self-employed 21 years and in moving to Singapore opened a corporation and have been an employee of the company. I pay taxes in Singapore and have filed USA income tax forms annually, but have not paid any income tax because of the foreign exemption. How do I list income which varied year-by-year?
4. I have private hospitalisation insurance in Singapore from American insurance company for myself and my family of 4 for under $3k USD per year with no deductible all 100% covered including a private hospitals, private rooms, pre and post hospitalisation assessments and treatments. How will Medicare help me while I am living in Singapore and with relatives in Mongolia?
parvaneh b.
the little booklet that came with social security benefit, stated that after 30 days one’s ss benefit will stop if they leave US
this statement in the back of my mind, My mother and I went travelling and finally to iran. she was in her 80s ,blind and a recipient in USA.
jn that booklet there was no mention of her receiving while overseas, she didn’t. she lived for few years and died there. I also had very little savings, spent on rent until I ran out.
I wish her benefit would have been sent to iran, and my scholarship too, wether we return or not we had to have been covered while sick for years, no income ,no alimony from separated husband of US and no position offered although I was a female rank-one doctoral student in engineering from rank-one university. apparently they forget about appointing they expect us to apply.
Orlando G.
too much information but it is not simple to follow,
i wanted to report my sister death back in Guatemala Central America, and there is nothing here to help me to stop her payments. This system should be easy to read, easy to answer, easy to send you information, that’s what this system should be for Not to show how much bla bla bla bla exist in this organization with 60,000 employees and no one to pick up the phone, and who ever made put this information for us to read and apply is not helpful at all,
simplicity makes life easier
1. click here if you are reporting a death in the family
who is receiving SS benefit.
2. Click here if you need to request Social Security for the first time.
3. Click here if you need to report_________
4. Click here if you need..________
make it simple and efficient.
David
Hello. My name is David. I live in Bangkok Thailand. I have a question. When i turn 70 years old. I want to sign up for medicare & social security. From using the Manila office in Philippines. But i do not want my social security to go into a Thailand bank. I want it to go into an America bank. And i can have my medicare card mailed to me in Bangkok Thailand. And i know i cannot use medicare out side of America. Please reply to help me with mt question. David.
L.A.
Hi David. Thank you for your question. Since you are living outside of the U.S., please contact your local Federal Benefits Units (FBU) to discuss your options. You can find the FBU contact information here. We hope this helps.