A beneficiary must use a foreign mailing address if they will be outside the United States (U.S.) for more than 3 months, unless the address being used is an Army Post Office/Fleet Post Office (APO/FPO) address or an address for a representative payee who is remaining within the United States.

If the foreign address provided is in a country to which payments are barred or restricted additional development may be required.

The Division of International Operations (DIO) has jurisdiction over all claims where at least one beneficiary:

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  Resides outside the United States, including beneficiaries who:

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    use a foreign mailing address; or

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    reside in a country to which the payment of benefits is barred or restricted; or

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    use an APO/FPO address specific to a foreign country; or

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    use a U.S. address because their representative payee lives in the United States, as described in GN 02605.220.

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  Resides in the United States but is:

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    entitled to Totalization benefits; or

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    is not insured for RSDI benefits but has at least 6 quarters of coverage and received a claim denial for Totalization benefits.

We accept a beneficiary's foreign C/O mailing address if it is the address of a relative or friend they live with or intend to live with. When a beneficiary outside the United States requests their checks be mailed C/O another person abroad, change the address and obtain Form SSA-795 (Statement of Claimant or Other Person) showing the beneficiary's actual residence address and an explanation of the use of the C/O address.

We will send all correspondence and checks to the C/O address when the beneficiary's explanation meets our requirements. If the explanation or evidence indicates that the address may be that of a third party or may involve the assignment of benefits, we disregard the C/O address and send all correspondence containing benefit or payment information and checks to the beneficiary's own mailing address.

The following is a list of foreign equivalents of the designation C/O that appears within the address of the beneficiary.

In rare instances, when we have exhausted all other options, we will send mail to the FBU and consider the FBU's address as the mailing address of the beneficiary.

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  GN 02401.050 - Use of Field Office (FO) Address when a Title II or Title XVI Claimant does not have a Permanent Mailing Address

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  GN 02401.065 - Checks Issued to Beneficiaries Residing in Foreign Countries

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  GN 02605.915 - Foreign Postal Zone Numbers

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  RS 02650.001 - Treasury Department Restrictions

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  RS 02650.040 - Special Payment for Certain SSA-Restricted Countries