🇺🇸 United States • Social Security Administration (SSA)

How to call US Social Security (SSA) from abroad

Phone numbers

Primary international line

SSA International Call Center (published for callers outside the US)
+1 855 522 6936
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International Call Center: Monday-Friday 7:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. OEIO Baltimore geographic line: Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. FBU hours vary; the country directory lists each office.

Other numbers

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If you live outside the United States, SSA's national 1-800-772-1213 number is not accessible from abroad. US embassy Federal Benefits Unit pages and SSA's own death-reporting guidance publish +1 855-522-6936 as the International Call Center, Monday-Friday 7:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Which Federal Benefits Unit handles country-specific work depends on where you live now. Use the official country directory, not a remembered office.

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About Social Security Administration (SSA)

SSA describes 1-855-522-6936 as a dedicated international line, and at least one US embassy FBU page calls it a toll-free international number. That is SSA's intended access, not a promise that your phone company or a calling app will carry the call for free. The live dialer shows WorldDial's price before you connect. Listed WorldDial rates checked on 13 September 2026: $0.03/min to US destinations. FBU numbers follow the destination country. If your own plan already includes cheap calls to the number you need, use that plan.

Why calling from abroad is difficult

✗SSA's handbook states that 1-800-772-1213 is not accessible from outside the United States
✗ssa.gov/foreign still publishes +1 410-965-0160 as a paid English line and says OEIO does not currently have a toll-free service for calls from outside the US, which is a different number from the International Call Center
✗Some directory offices publish a phone, fax, and email; others (including Buenos Aires and Athens) list fax and email only, with no phone row
✗FBU phone windows on the directory are local and are not the same for every country assigned to that office
✗Eastern Time is several hours behind much of Europe, Africa, and Asia, so the published US window can fall late in the local evening

Calling costs from abroad

Method	Typical cost	Notes
WorldDial	Listed WorldDial US rate $0.03/min on 13 September 2026; FBU follows the destination; check the dialer	Browser-to-phone; not a free SSA call
Your mobile or home plan	Depends on the allowance	May connect 855, may charge, or may fail; 1-800-772-1213 is not accessible from outside the US
Hotel or business phone	Usually high	Confirm the rate before a long hold

Common reasons to call Social Security Administration (SSA)

Complete a Foreign Enforcement Questionnaire (SSA-7161 or SSA-7162) by phone when SSA offers that optionReport a death from outside the United StatesAsk the Federal Benefits Unit that serves your country of residence about a claim or paymentApply for US Social Security benefits while living outside the United StatesReplace an SSA-1099 or SSA-1042S when you cannot use my Social SecurityUpdate an overseas address or direct-deposit details through the channel SSA names on your notice

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Practical tips

💡Look up your country on https://www.ssa.gov/foreign/foreign.htm before you dial a Federal Benefits Unit
💡Have the Social Security claim number from your check or SSA letter, the name of the person the report is about, and the date of the event
💡If the directory lists only fax and email for your office, use those contacts; do not treat another country's phone as a general overseas helpline
💡For an FEQ mailing, SSA and embassy notices say not to email the form; phone and mail options are listed on the notice
💡If you already have a foreign mailing address, SSA's my Social Security pages point overseas users to ID.me rather than Login.gov

Frequently asked questions

What is Social Security's international phone number?

SSA and US embassy FBU pages publish +1 855-522-6936 as the International Call Center, Monday-Friday 7:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Country-specific work still goes through the Federal Benefits Unit on ssa.gov/foreign/foreign.htm. OEIO also publishes +1 410-965-0160, Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, as an English geographic line you pay for.

Can I call Social Security toll-free from abroad?

The US national 1-800-772-1213 line is not accessible from outside the United States. Embassy FBU pages describe 1-855-522-6936 as a toll-free international number. That is SSA's intended access. Your mobile operator or a browser calling service may still charge, or may fail to connect a US 855 number. WorldDial shows its own per-minute price in the dialer before you connect. The OEIO geographic line is published as a paid call.

What are SSA's international hours?

International Call Center (+1 855-522-6936): Monday-Friday 7:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, per US embassy FBU notices checked 2026-09-09. OEIO geographic line (+1 410-965-0160): 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, per ssa.gov/foreign. Convert with the current Eastern offset (EDT UTC-4 or EST UTC-5). FBU hours are listed per country on the directory and are not a single worldwide window.

What information do I need before calling?

SSA's international contact page asks for the claim number on the person's check or SSA correspondence, the name of the person the report is about, what happened, and the date it happened. Use the identifiers on your notice. Do not send full Social Security numbers by unsolicited email.

Is there an online way to handle this instead of calling?

my Social Security at ssa.gov/myaccount can show benefits and some tax forms. SSA tells people with a foreign mailing address to create or use an ID.me credential and follow the overseas instructions on ssa.gov/foreign. A phone call is still required when SSA or your notice says the task is not available online, including some FEQ responses.

Why did my benefits stop when I moved abroad?

One documented reason is a missed Foreign Enforcement Questionnaire (SSA-7161 or SSA-7162). Embassy notices describe annual or biennial mailings and a response deadline. Other causes exist. Read the notice. SSA says not to email the FEQ form. Completing it by the published phone or mail option is not the same as guessing a cause.

Can I call Social Security from the UK?

The International Call Center on +1 855-522-6936 is published for people outside the US, including from the UK, during 7:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The directory also lists FBU London at +44 20 7499 9000, with a local window such as 10:00-13:00 on some country rows. Confirm the UK row on ssa.gov/foreign/foreign.htm.

Can I call Social Security from Spain or France?

Yes, using the International Call Center and the office the directory assigns. France is listed with FBU Paris on +33 1 43 12 27 05. Spain is listed with FBU Madrid on +34 915 87 22 61. Check the current row for your country; assignments are not a substitute for the directory.

Does FBU Manila have a phone number?

Yes. The SSA foreign directory lists FBU Manila at +63 2 5301 6200, plus fax and email. That is not a fax-only office. Buenos Aires and Athens directory rows checked the same day list fax and email without a phone.