If you are a beneficiary planning to leave the U.S. to live
abroad, you should report your change of address before you leave.
You should report the change in your home address even if your
payments are being sent to a bank.
You may report your new address by calling SSA's toll-free
number, 1-800-772-1213, or by getting in touch with the SSA Field
Office nearest you. We recommend that you also read the pamphlet:
Social Security -- Your Payments
While You Are Outside the United States, which explains how your
benefits might be affected. Among other things, the pamphlet
explains the following:
- How benefit payments are made outside the U.S., including
countries in which direct deposit is available
- Taxation of benefit payments
- Conditions under which payment may be made to beneficiaries
outside the U.S. who are not U.S. citizens
- What you need to know about Medicare (Health services obtained
outside the U.S. generally are not covered by Medicare)
- How work outside the U.S. may affect your benefit payments
- Events that must be reported by beneficiaries outside the U.S.
- If You Need a Social Security Card
Generally, the only individuals outside the U.S. who are eligible to apply for an original or replacement Social
Security card are U.S. citizens. Noncitizens admitted to the U.S. for permanent residence or with other
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) authority to work in the U.S., can apply for their Social Security card after they are admitted in the U.S. Further information is available in SSA Publication No. 05-10096 "Lawfully Admitted Aliens -- When
You Need a Number and When You Don't" . Otherwise, we can assign you a number or issue a duplicate or corrected card only if a Social Security card is required by law as a condition of receiving a federally-funded benefit to which you have an established entitlement.
An in-person interview must be conducted if the applicant is age
12 or older and is applying for an original number. In addition,
U.S. born applicants age 12 or older must explain why they do not
already have a Social Security number and provide appropriate supporting
documentation.
If you need a card and are eligible to apply for one, you may
obtain an application at any American Embassy or Consulate. Individuals
in the U.S. military may obtain an application from the Post
Adjutant or Personnel Office.
You also can access an "Application
for a Social Security Card - (SS-5-FS)" on this
Internet site.
As a result of a special arrangement between SSA and the
Department of State, a parent who completes an "Application For
Consular Report of Birth of a Citizen of The United States of
America" completes at the same time an "Application For Social
Security Number Card." When the report of birth application is
approved, the American Embassy or Consulate sends the application
for a Social Security card to the Office of International Operations
(OIO) for processing. It is not necessary for the parent to complete
a separate application.
Individual Taxpayer Identification Number
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will issue an individual
taxpayer identification number (ITIN) to nonresident aliens (such as
spouses or dependents of U.S. taxpayers) who need a number for tax
purposes, but are not eligible to have a Social Security number. An
application Form W-7 may be requested from an American Embassy or
Consulate or by writing to: IRS, Philadelphia Service Center, ITIN
Unit, P.O. Box 447, Bensalem, Pennsylvania 19020. You may also
download IRS Form W-7 from their web site: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw7.pdf.
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