Your Social Security can follow you overseas. These 21 embassy offices can help when something goes wrong.
Payments abroad
Social Security can be paid in most countries. U.S. Treasury rules block payments to Cuba and North Korea, and SSA generally can't pay people in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan or Uzbekistan except under restricted conditions.
Federal Benefits Units
London, Dublin, Frankfurt, Kraków, Rome, Athens, Lisbon, Paris, Jerusalem, Madrid, Warsaw, Naples, Oslo, Mexico City, San José (Costa Rica), Ciudad Juárez, Buenos Aires, Guadalajara, Manila, Tokyo and Santo Domingo. There's no FBU help in Cambodia or Vietnam.
Taxes
The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion doesn't cover pensions, annuities or Social Security. See taxes and voting abroad.
Get answers from vets who've done it
The VA Benefits Abroad channel is free. Ask about your country, your claim or your hospital.
Before you move
- Run SSA's Payments Abroad Screening Tool for yourself and anyone in your family who gets benefits on your record. It shows whether payments continue, stop after six months, or face country restrictions.
- Report your new address, even if your payment goes to a bank. SSA says to report home address changes either way.
- Contact the Federal Benefits Unit when you arrive. There are no Social Security offices outside the U.S. The embassy-based FBU serving your country is your local contact. Tell them you want to receive benefits while living there.
What you must report while abroad
- A change of address.
- Work outside the U.S. If you're under full retirement age, SSA withholds benefits for each month you work more than 45 hours outside the U.S. in a job not subject to U.S. Social Security taxes.
- A pension from work that wasn't covered by Social Security.
- Marriage, divorce or a death in the family, if anyone gets benefits on your record.
SSA warns that it may stop benefits if you don't report changes on time.
Answer every questionnaire
SSA periodically mails questionnaires to people who get benefits abroad, to confirm they're still eligible. Answer and return each one quickly. If you don't, payments can stop. Overseas mail is slow, so give SSA a reliable address and open your mail.
Non-citizen spouses and family
Many veterans abroad marry local citizens. The rules are different for non-citizens: those who leave the U.S. for 30 days in a row must complete Form SSA-21, and SSA generally can't pay non-citizens after their sixth calendar month outside the U.S. unless an exception applies. The screening tool tells you which case fits your spouse.
Common mistakes
- Moving to a restricted country without checking first.
- Assuming a foreign spouse's benefits work the same way as yours.
- Letting a questionnaire sit unopened.
- Forgetting that U.S. tax may apply to benefits. See taxes and voting abroad.
Questions about a spouse's benefits come up often in our community. Join the free OCONUS Veterans community to ask members who've been through it.
How this helps in real life
Example scenario (composite, not a real person): A veteran retiring to Guadalajara with his Mexican wife runs the Payments Abroad Screening Tool for both of them before they leave. His results are simple. Hers depend on her citizenship and the country agreement, so they call the Federal Benefits Unit in Guadalajara after arriving and confirm what they need to file.
Questions about your situation?
Ask in the VA Benefits Abroad channel. Vets who've filed from your country answer fast.
Common questions
Can I get Social Security while living in Thailand or the Philippines?
Yes. The Federal Benefits Unit in Manila serves the Philippines region.
Last reviewed November 2026. Information only. Confirm with the official sources.
