TN 37 (04-20)

RS 02001.998 How a Certificate of Coverage is Issued under the Agreement with Korea

A. Requesting a certificate of coverage

1. United States certificate of coverage

Advise inquirers that to obtain a certificate of coverage from the United States, the employer or self-employed person should contact SSA at:

Social Security Administration
Office of Earnings and International Operations (OEIO)
P.O. Box 17741
Baltimore, MD 21235-7741
Fax: (410) 966-1861
Request online: opts.ssa.gov

NOTE: This fax number is only for requesting U.S. certificates of coverage or letters stating that workers named in the letters are exempt from foreign social security coverage and taxation.

2. Korean (South) certificate of coverage

Advise inquirers that to obtain a certificate of coverage from Korea, the employer or self-employed person should write to:

National Pension Service
22nd Fl. 173 Toegyero
Namsan Square Building
Chungmuro 3-ga, Jung-gu
Seoul, Korea 04554

B. Required information when making a request

Advise inquirers that when writing to obtain a certificate of coverage, they should provide the following information:

  • full name of worker;

  • Social Security number (U.S. number for U.S. certificate or Korean National Pension Number for a Korean certificate);

  • country of citizenship;

  • date and place of birth;

  • country of permanent residence;

  • name and address of employer in both countries (if self-employed address of trade or business in both countries);

  • date of hire by sending company, if employed; and

  • beginning date and ending date (if known) of employment or self-employment in the other country.

NOTE: If the worker will be an employee of an Korean affiliate of an American employer, the request must indicate whether the American employer has entered into an agreement with the Internal Revenue Service under Section 3121(l) of the Internal Revenue Code and, if so, the effective date of such an agreement.

C. Processing requests for certificates of coverage

OEIO or the Korean authority takes the following steps to issue a certificate of coverage:

1. The employee, employer (in the case of employment), or the worker (in the case of self-employment) writes to the appropriate authority requesting a certificate.

Note: For requests for U.S. certificates of coverage, the employer’s representative (attorney, accounting firm, employer services firm, etc.) or worker's representative may request the certificate on the employer's or worker's behalf. If an employee requests the certificate, OEIO will need to contact the employer to confirm the accuracy of the information provided.

2. The United States or Korea issues the certificate, if appropriate.

3. The issuing agency sends the original and one copy to the requester.

4. The employer, employee, or worker presents the certificate to the tax authorities in the other country upon request.

5. If the worker is a self-employed U.S. citizen or national who is subject only to Korean laws under the agreement, the self-employed worker must attach a photocopy of the Korean certificate of coverage to the Schedule SE filed with the U.S. income tax return each year.


To Link to this section - Use this URL:
http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0302001998
RS 02001.998 - How a Certificate of Coverage is Issued under the Agreement with Korea - 04/27/2020
Batch run: 04/27/2020
Rev:04/27/2020