A Foreign School is one which is outside the 50 States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

A Foreign Educational Institution is one which is either:

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  part of the elementary or secondary school system in that country; or

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  a facility approved or authorized by the educational authorities in that country to provide elementary or secondary education.

Use a Form SSA-1372-BK-FC, Student's Statement Regarding School Attendance Outside the United States, to verify all periods of FTA at schools outside the United States. See RS 00205.743 for a description of the SSA-1372-BK-FC.

Include the following information when requesting development through an FO or an FBU:

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  the student's school identification number if he or she has one;

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  the student's father's full name and his or her mother's full maiden name if the school is in a Spanish-speaking country. Double surnames are used to maintain all records (including those of "American" students) and the information is needed to locate the student's record;

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  the level at which the student is attending if the school operates on more than one educational level.

NOTE: Failure to include this information can result in delayed or incomplete responses.

Use other evidence of FTA if it shows the same information as the SSA-1372-BK-FC. This other evidence can be:

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  a signed statement by a student accompanied by a separate statement from a school official on the school's own form or letterhead;

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  a statement by an FO or FBU employee based on a personal or telephone contact with the student and a school official. Document the file to show how the information was obtained.