Can I collect Social Security if I live outside the U.S.?

If you are a U.S. citizen and qualify for Social Security retirement, family, survivor or disability benefits, you can receive your payments while living in most other countries.

Under Treasury Department sanctions, the Social Security Administration will not send money to anyone residing in Cuba or North Korea, although affected U.S. citizens can recoup payments once they relocate elsewhere.

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Americans living in seven other countries — Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — can receive Social Security payments only under certain strict conditions, one of which is agreeing to appear personally at a U.S. embassy or consulate every six months.

Non-U.S. citizens who qualify for benefits based on their own work history may be able to get them abroad, depending on their country of citizenship and country of residence (and subject to the previously noted payment restrictions). Noncitizens eligible for family or survivor benefits may need to meet additional conditions.

To check on your eligibility to receive benefits in a foreign country, you can:

• Use Social Security’s online screening tool for international payments.
• Call Social Security’s Office of Earnings & International Operations at 410-965-0160.
• Contact a Federal Benefits Unit abroad.

You’ll find additional information in the Social Security brochure “Your Payments While You Are Outside the United States.”.

Regardless of where you live, your Social Security payments are calculated in U.S. dollars. If they are deposited in a foreign bank (see below), they are subject to currency fluctuations, which can change the amount you receive month-to-month.

Keep in mind

• Social Security defines living outside the United States as not residing 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 for at least 30 consecutive days. If you return to the U.S. and stay for more than 30 consecutive days, you are no longer considered to be living abroad.
• The SSA sends recipients living abroad a questionnaire every one or two years (the frequency depends on age, country of residence and other factors) to confirm they remain eligible for benefits. If you fail to return the questionnaire, Social Security will stop sending your payments.
• The overwhelming majority of beneficiaries abroad receive their payments electronically, either in a U.S. bank or in a financial institution in a country with which the U.S. has a direct-deposit agreement. If you use a foreign bank, it may charge fees on international transactions, for which you are responsible.