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Social Security International Operations

Introduction

Welcome to SSA's Office of International Operations (OIO) home page.  The purpose of this web page is to assist Social Security customers who are outside the U.S. or planning to leave the U.S.

OIO is responsible for administering the Social Security program outside the U.S. and for the implementation of the benefit provisions of international agreements.  Since SSA has no offices outside the U.S., OIO is assisted by the Department of State's embassies and consulates throughout the world.  In the Philippines, the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office (VARO) in Manila assists.

 

Foreign Countries Serviced by Social Security Field Offices

If you are in Canada, British Virgin Islands or Samoa, you may obtain services from an SSA Field Office (FO).  Click on the country name below for information about the FO to contact.

Canada
British Virgin Islands
Samoa

 

Foreign Countries Serviced by American Embassies and Consulates

In countries where there are a relatively large number of Social Security customers, American embassies and consulates (and VARO in Manila) have personnel who have been specially trained to provide a full range of services, including the taking of applications for benefits.

If you are in one of the following countries and require service, click on the appropriate country name for information about the office to contact.

Argentina Australia Austria Belgium Chile
Costa Rica Croatia Denmark Dominican Republic Finland
France Germany Greece Hong Kong Ireland
Iceland Israel Italy Jamaica Korea
Japan Mexico Netherlands New Zealand Norway
Philippines Poland Portugal Slovenia Spain
Sweden Switzerland   United Kingdom Yemen

If you are in any other country, you may write to us at:

Social Security Administration
Office of International Operations
P.O. Box 17775
Baltimore, Maryland  21235-7775

You may view the Social Security Administration's Website for answers to many of the questions you may have concerning international issues.

Contact Us by Phone

You may also contact us by phone if you speak English.  You can call our office using the telephone numbers provided.  You will need to pay for the call because we do not currently have a toll-free service for calls from outside the U.S.  If you call, please do so during normal business hours for the Eastern U.S.  We have provided a directory of phone numbers to reach us.  

On-line Services and Forms

Some common on-line services and forms for foreign applicants and beneficiaries:

Note:  To read and print these forms, you will need the Adobe Acrobat reader software.  If you do not already have this special software, see our page on downloading and printing PDF documents.
 

Other Information

Since Internet Email is not a secure medium for transmitting private information, we do not use it to discuss confidential matters such as information about claims or Social Security numbers.

If you are planning to leave the U.S., you should read our publication Your Payments While You Are Outside The United States, Publication No. 05-10137 (English, French, German, Greek, Italian,& Spanish PDF)

Look here for more information on your responsibilities
if you are a beneficiary leaving the US
.

SSA's Office of International Programs offers information on International Social Security ("Totalization") Agreements and other international aspects of the Social Security program.

 
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Last reviewed or modified Wednesday Aug 27, 2008
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