Embassy of the United States Managua, Nicaragua

If your child is under 12 years old, either parent can apply on the child's behalf; the child's father/mother will need to come in person to the Embassy to submit the application. We will need the following original documents:  1) your valid passport; 2) your child's valid U.S. passport (duly signed by either parent), 3) your child's birth certificate, and 4) your child’s Consular Report of Birth Abroad (if born abroad).  We cannot accept photocopies – originals only, please. If your child is 12years old and over, must apply in person and should bring in addition to all of the above, his/her school records and employment records ( if applicable) to prove that he/she has been living outside the U.S.

If your child was born in the U.S. or is a naturalized U.S. citizen and moved overseas when he/she was an infant, you will also need to supply documentary evidence demonstrating that he/she has been living overseas since infancy.  Typical evidence includes school records, old passports, etc.

Your child’s application will be forwarded to the Social Security Administration for processing which may take up to 6 month to complete.  Once the process has been completed, the Social Security Card will be mailed to the address you listed on the application.  The Federal Benefits Unit has no way of tracking your child’s application once it has been mailed to the Social Security Administration.

You can contact the Federal Benefits Unit at the Embassy in Managua in person or by email to ACS.Managua@state.gov with the particulars about your case.  The Embassy will contact the SSA office in Costa Rica directly to request a status report.  SSA Costa Rica will research your request and send the information to the Embassy.  Once the Embassy has a response from SSA Costa Rica, we will then contact you and ask you to come down to the Embassy to release this information.  We cannot release information over the phone or by email.

Important: SSA Costa Rica will not provide a status report for any applications that have been processed less than six months.

Non-U.S. citizens and those who do not reside in the U.S. may be eligible for an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) for U.S. tax purposes.  This category applies to Nicaraguan citizen spouses resident in Nicaragua without Legal Permanent Residence in the U.S.  To obtain an ITIN, you must file IRS Form W-7 with the Internal Revenue Service.  Follow this link for more information on ITINs.

Social Security eligibility is dependent upon Social Security "quarters of coverage" in the U.S. and the age of the applicant. (For information on eligibility, please visit the SSA website at www.ssa.gov.) Generally speaking, if you earned more than 40 credits, which is roughly equivalent to 10 years of work, you are eligible for benefits, and you can apply at the Embassy (an appointment is required for first-time applicants). You can retire at any time between age 62 and full retirement age.  However if you start benefits early, your benefits are reduced a fraction of a percent for each month before your full retirement age.  You may submit your application up to 5 months prior to when you would like to start receiving benefits.

For information on how to determine your "full retirement age," please view this page.  If you fall below the full retirement age AND are currently working full time (45 hours or more per month), it is advisable not to apply for benefits at this time, because your benefits will not only be permanently reduced but will also remain suspended. It is more advantageous to apply either when you reach full retirement age OR when you stop working full time. If you have more questions about your work and how it affects your benefits, please contact the Embassy or an SSA office in the United States.

You may be eligible to file for spouse benefits if you are at least 62 years of age and have been married to the worker for at least one full year at the time of filing the application.  The Federal Benefits Unit (FBU) can help you file an application.  Children who are under the age of 18 or disabled may also be entitled to benefits.
 
If you fulfill all the requirements we will provide the appropriate application forms and schedule an appointment to submit the completed application forms.  Please arrive for your appointment with all forms completed. The processing time with the Social Security Administration could take as long as 5 or 6 months to complete.

Learn more about this topic in FAQs in the Social Security Administration web site http://www.ssa.gov/

Before age 60, you can apply for a lump-sum death benefit of up to $255. The application for lump-sum death benefits must be received within 2 years from the date of your spouse's death. Please contact the Embassy or SSA in the United States directly for more details.

The age of eligibility for widow's benefits is 60. You may submit your application up to 5 months prior to turning 60, if your husband worked in the United States for more than 10 years (more than 40 credits).  You can contact the Embassy to schedule an appointment and pursue the possibility of benefits.

The "Claim Number" is a number assigned to social security beneficiaries and their families. For the worker, who is the primary beneficiary, the social security number and Claim Number are the same. Family members claim benefits under the primary beneficiary's Claim Number, but still have their own individual social security number. When applying for or requesting information about your claim, be sure to differentiate between these numbers.

If you are paid through direct deposit and did not receive your payment, we highly recommend that you first contact your bank to ensure there is no internal problem with the bank that could have resulted in a delay in your deposit.  If your payment is not in your bank, then please contact the Federal Benefit Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Managua to report this fact. You should indicate the last month that you received your benefit.  We will contact the SSA office in Costa Rica to request a status report.  Once the Embassy has a response from SSA Costa Rica, we will provide you with the information.  We may have to request a replacement payment.

No, you cannot. Please return them to our Federal Benefits Unit. We will forward the check to SSA and they may issue a replacement check under your name.

Yes.  Monthly payments can be directly deposited into the beneficiaries' designated Nicaraguan bank accounts.  You must come to our Federal Benefits Office at the Embassy to set up direct deposit. Applicable bank fees are deducted from the beneficiary’s monthly payment.  Direct deposit is more secure than the mailing of paper checks, which are subject to theft and loss.

No, there is no Medicare coverage outside of the United States.  You will need to pursue private options for medical insurance coverage.

Your Social Security Statement is a concise, easy-to-read personal record of the earnings on which you have paid Social Security taxes during your working years and a summary of the estimated benefits you and your family may receive as a result of those earnings.

You can electronically request a Social Security Statement at https://secure.ssa.gov/apps6z/isss/main.html, or you can print Form SSA-7004, complete it and mail it to the following address:

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
WILKES BARRE DATA OPERATIONS CENTER
PO BOX 7004
WILKES BARRE PA 18767-7004

The Social Security Administration will process your request in 2-4 weeks and will mail the Social Security Statement to the address you listed on Form SSA-7004.

Learn more about this topic in FAQs in the Social Security Administration web site http://www.ssa.gov/

The Social Security Administration periodically sends Form SSA-7162 to a beneficiary living outside the United States to figure out if the beneficiary is still eligible to receive benefits.  When you receive this form, you should answer the questionnaire and return it to the office that sent it as soon as possible. The form will include instructions and provide the address where you need to return the form.  Generally, a self-addressed envelope is enclosed, too.  All you need to do is affix postage and mail it. If you do not return this form in a timely manner, your payments will stop.

In addition to responding to the questionnaire, you should notify the Social Security promptly about changes that could affect your payments. If you fail to report something or deliberately make a false statement, you could be penalized by a fine or imprisonment. You also may lose some of your payments if you do not report changes promptly.

It’s important that you report any change of address to the Social Security Administration to ensure you get this questionnaire and other important notices from SSA. FBU can help you report a change of address to the Social Security Administration.  If your benefits are suspended because SSA did not receive your completed Form SSA-7162, FBU can help you restore your benefits.

Learn more about this topic in FAQs in the Social Security Administration web site http://www.ssa.gov/ and in the following publication http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10137.html#how

At the end of each year the Social Security Administration will mail you a Social Security Benefit Statement (Form SSA-1099) showing the amount of benefits you received during the year. You can use this statement when you complete your federal income tax return to find out if you have to pay taxes on your benefits.  Form SSA-1099 is informational; there is no need for you to respond to the Social Security Administration upon receipt of this form.

You can use your SSA-1099 form as proof of your income if you receive Social Security benefits.

The Social Security Administration issues SSA-1099 by January 31 of each year.  If you did not receive your Form 1099, you can request a replacement online.

Learn more about this topic in FAQs in the Social Security Administration web site http://www.ssa.gov/

It is your responsibility to report to the federal agency any change in address, a change in your nationality or country of residence, a change in your marital status or report employment or self-employment to prevent the possibility that your pension be suspended.

Federal agencies commonly suspend a pension when a letter to the pensioner is returned as undeliverable and the “moved” box has been checked by the post office.  When this occurs the pension is immediately suspended.

The federal agency will also suspend your pension if you fail to respond to a form or other request in the time frame set by the agency.

FBU can help you obtain the form required to report any of these facts to the appropriate federal agency.