Securing disability benefits through the Social Security Administration (SSA) is a big achievement. However, if you’re considering a move outside of the United States, your payments could be affected. Factors like your citizenship status, the types of benefits you qualified for, and your chosen foreign residence can potentially impact your Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. It’s important to be aware of the Social Security Administration’s rules regarding this issue so you can live abroad and maintain your financial support through the program.
Can I Collect SSDI and Live in Another Country?
The SSA considers any stay in a country outside the United States for more than thirty days to be a residence instead of just a visit. “Outside of the U.S.” means you are away from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. If you are a United States citizen and receive SSDI you can keep collecting your benefits as long as you continue to meet benefit eligibility requirements.
Countries Where SSDI Payments Are Permitted
Generally, you can collect payments no matter where you live, unless you reside in the following countries:
- Azerbaijan
- China*
- Cuba*
- Belarus
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Tajikistan
- Turkmenistan
- Uzbekistan
*U.S. Department of Treasury Sanctions
If you are a U.S. citizen and live in one of these restricted countries, you will be able to receive all unpaid benefits once you return to the United States or enter a country that can accept your payments from the government. No matter where you are, your benefits will be calculated in U.S. currency.
Can I Collect SSDI Benefits Abroad If I’m Not a U.S. Citizen?
If you are a citizen of one of the following countries, you can continue to receive SSDI payments for as long as you remain eligible (with a few extra rules):
- Austria
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Canada
- Chile
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Italy
- Japan
- South Korea
- Luxembourg
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Slovak Republic
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- Uruguay
Please note this list frequently changes. Check out the SSA’s Citizen List 1 for updates.
SSDI payments typically end six months after individuals in these countries have left the U.S. However, some conditions qualify non-citizens living in these countries for continued benefits. Those who don’t meet these conditions and wish to continue their benefits must return to the U.S. for a full month, which restarts the six-month benefit period.
If you are a citizen of a country not on this list, please read through the SSA’s Your Payments While You Are Outside the United States for details regarding your citizenship and the specific requirements you must meet.
Continuing Disability Reviews
The SSA conducts Continuing Disability Reviews (CDRs) to make sure you continue to meet the eligibility requirements to collect disability benefits. It will send you questionnaires while you reside outside of the United States and ask you to update the agency on whether you have resumed working, got married or divorced, or changed addresses, among other things. If you fail to respond to these questionnaires or never got them because you did not tell the SSA you moved and the agency could not contact you, your benefits will stop.