To apply for Social Security overseas, you have three options: schedule an appointment at a Federal Benefits Unit inside a U.S. embassy or consulate, apply online at SSA.gov using an ID.me account, or mail your completed application and original documents to SSA’s Office of Earnings and International Operations in Baltimore. About 703,865 people were receiving Social Security payments abroad as of December 2023, and SSA can deposit those payments directly into local bank accounts in 183 countries.1Social Security Administration. Annual Statistical Supplement, 2024 – Geographic Distribution of OASDI Benefits2Social Security Administration. GN 02402.220 – List of International Direct Deposit (IDD) Countries The process takes longer than a domestic claim, but the steps themselves are straightforward.
The Three Ways to File
Federal Benefits Unit at a U.S. Embassy
For most people applying from abroad, an FBU appointment is the most reliable route. Staff are trained in SSA policy, they can verify your original documents on the spot, and they forward the completed claim to SSA for processing.3Department of State. 7 FAM 530 Social Security Administration That in-person verification means you never have to mail irreplaceable originals across borders.
Not every U.S. embassy hosts a full FBU. Consulates without one are called non-claims-taking posts, and they will direct you to the regional FBU that handles claims for your country.
Online Through a My Social Security Account
SSA now lets you create a my Social Security account from outside the United States using an ID.me credential, even without a U.S. mailing address. On the ID.me verification screen, select the “I don’t live in the United States” link and follow the prompts. Once your account is set up, you can apply online for retirement or disability benefits.4Social Security Administration. Service Around the World – Office of Earnings and International Operations
A few services still aren’t available from overseas, including changing your direct deposit information and requesting a replacement Social Security card. The online portal handles the application itself but not every follow-up task.
By Mail to Baltimore
If neither an FBU visit nor the online portal works for you, mail your forms and original documents to:
Social Security Administration
Office of Earnings and International Operations
P.O. Box 17775
Baltimore, Maryland 21235-7775
Canadian residents are an exception. They are served by SSA’s domestic border field offices rather than by embassy FBUs.4Social Security Administration. Service Around the World – Office of Earnings and International Operations Mailing originals internationally carries obvious risk, so use a trackable courier if you go this route.
Forms and Documents to Prepare
Every overseas application requires Form SSA-21, the Supplement to Claim of Person Outside the United States. It collects your residence history, your dates of travel in and out of the U.S., and information about any work you have done under a foreign social security system.5Social Security Administration. Supplement to Claim of Person Outside the United States
If you split your career between the U.S. and a country that has a totalization agreement with the United States, you also need Form SSA-2490-BK. That form lets SSA combine work credits from both systems, and it asks for your foreign social insurance number, the agencies you paid into, and the dates of your foreign employment.6Social Security Administration. Application for Benefits Under a U.S. International Social Security Agreement The U.S. currently has totalization agreements with more than 30 countries, including Canada, Germany, Japan, Australia, and South Korea.7Social Security Administration. U.S. International Social Security Agreements
SSA requires originals or copies certified by the issuing agency. Photocopies and notarized copies are not accepted, and you should expect to be without your originals for several weeks while SSA verifies them. The core documents are:
- Birth certificate to establish your date of birth.
- Proof of U.S. citizenship if applicable: a valid U.S. passport, naturalization certificate, or consular report of birth abroad.8Social Security Administration. Learn What Documents You Will Need to Get a Social Security Card
- Your Social Security card or a tax record showing your SSN.
- For non-citizens, immigration documents showing your status: a lawful permanent resident card, employment authorization document, or arrival record.
Documents Not in English
If your birth certificate or other supporting records are in a language other than English, do not translate them yourself. SSA handles translation internally. You submit the original foreign-language document along with Form SSA-533, and SSA uses its own translators or approved outside translators to produce a verbatim translation of the full document. An informal translation you prepare is not accepted in place of this process.9Social Security Administration. Transmittal of Foreign-Language Documents for Translation
Setting Up Payment
Payments abroad are handled through International Direct Deposit, which sends your benefit electronically to a bank account in your country of residence. IDD is available in 183 countries and generally deposits funds in local currency, saving the typical beneficiary between $7 and $30 per month compared to cashing a paper check and converting separately.10Social Security Administration. Background and Policy for Direct Deposit Outside the U.S. In a few countries where the U.S. dollar is in general use, payments arrive in dollars. Canadian residents can choose either Canadian or U.S. dollars.
To set up IDD, you provide your bank’s SWIFT or BIC code and your International Bank Account Number. The exchange rate is the market rate at the time of conversion. SSA and the Treasury do not charge a separate conversion fee, though your receiving bank may impose its own. If your country is not on the IDD list, SSA can send a paper check to your foreign address instead.
Check Your Eligibility Before You Apply
Two rules can trip up an overseas claim before it starts. Confirm both apply to you before you invest time in the paperwork.
The Six-Month Rule for Non-Citizens
U.S. citizens can generally collect Social Security anywhere in the world for as long as they remain eligible.11Social Security Administration. Your Payments While You Are Outside the United States Non-citizens face a tighter rule. Under the alien nonpayment provision, benefits stop after you have been outside the United States for six consecutive calendar months. Once you leave for 30 straight days, SSA treats you as still outside the country until you return and stay for at least 30 consecutive days, which resets the clock.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 402 – Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Benefit Payments
The six-month cutoff does not apply to citizens of countries with a qualifying social insurance system of their own, a list that includes dozens of nations across Latin America, Europe, and parts of Africa and the Caribbean, among them Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Jamaica, and most Western European countries.13Social Security Administration. Code of Federal Regulations 404.463 – Nonpayment of Benefits of Aliens Outside the United States Citizens of totalization-agreement countries also qualify for continued payments. Other exceptions cover people who were U.S. residents for at least five years and dependents of qualifying workers. If none of these fit, ask your Federal Benefits Unit whether any other exception applies to your history before you file.
Countries Where Payments Cannot Go
The Treasury Department prohibits sending federal payments to Cuba and North Korea. A U.S. citizen living in one of those countries accrues benefits that can be paid out after moving somewhere SSA can reach. A non-citizen accrues nothing during those months.14Social Security Administration. VB 01201.015 – Payments to Individuals in Barred and SSA-Restricted Countries
A separate group of countries presents delivery problems rather than legal prohibitions. SSA lists Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan among the nations where it cannot reliably process payments. Benefits are withheld until you either move to a country where payments can be delivered or meet a specific exception.11Social Security Administration. Your Payments While You Are Outside the United States
One boundary worth flagging: Medicare generally does not pay for care received outside the United States, and applying for Social Security abroad does not change that. If Part B enrollment matters for you, decide separately before you leave, because late enrollment carries a permanent 10% premium penalty for every full year you could have signed up and did not.15Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. 2026 Medicare Parts A and B Premiums and Deductibles
After You’re Approved
SSA sends a Foreign Enforcement Questionnaire each year, typically in May or June, to confirm you are still alive and eligible. The form is SSA-7162 if you manage your own benefits, or SSA-7161 if a representative payee handles them for you.16Social Security Administration. Preparation and Mailing Schedule – Foreign Enforcement Program (FEP)
If you do not return it, SSA sends a second notice in September with a 45-day deadline. If you still do not respond, SSA suspends your benefits the following January, effective with the February payment.17Social Security Administration. POMS RS 02655.010 – Follow-ups and Suspensions – Foreign Enforcement Program Getting reinstated means contacting the Federal Benefits Unit and proving continued eligibility, which can take months.
You also have to report changes in your circumstances promptly: a new address, a marriage or divorce, the death of a spouse, or starting or stopping work. Reports go to your servicing FBU or to the Office of Earnings and International Operations by mail. Keeping SSA current on your details is the single easiest way to avoid an interruption in payment.