US Announces 53 Countries Whose Citizens Can Still Receive Government Benefits After Leaving America
- The US Social Security Administration has published a list of countries whose citizens can continue receiving payments while living outside America
- Two African nations, Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire, appear on the SSA's Country List 2 alongside dozens of other nations across multiple continents
- Citizens receiving payments as dependants or survivors face additional requirements beyond simply being a national of a listed country
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The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) has published a list of countries whose citizens remain eligible to receive Social Security payments even after leaving American soil, and two African nations are on it.
The official list covers nationals from roughly 50 countries across Africa, the Americas, Europe, the Pacific, and the Caribbean. The publication has drawn attention from people around the world who want to know whether their home country qualifies for continued payments if they choose to move back or to live abroad.
Source: UGC
US: Which countries made the list
According to the federal government, below is the list of countries whose citizens would still receive benefits even after leaving the country:
- Albania
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Australia
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Bolivia
- Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Denmark
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Estonia
- Gabon
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Jamaica
- Jordan
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Malta
- Marshall Islands
- Mexico
- Micronesia (Federated States of)
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Nicaragua
- North Macedonia
- Palau
- Panama
- Peru
- Philippines
- Romania
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Samoa (formerly Western Samoa)
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Turkey
- Venezuela
What the rules actually mean
The SSA is clear that eligibility comes with conditions. Citizens of listed countries who receive payments as a dependent or survivor of a primary beneficiary must meet additional requirements before those payments can continue outside the United States. Simply holding a passport from one of the countries on the list is not automatically sufficient in every case.
For anyone living abroad or planning to relocate, checking directly with the SSA remains the recommended course of action, as individual circumstances vary and additional documentation may be required depending on how the benefit was granted.
The full Country List 2 is publicly accessible on the SSA's official international payments page.
In a similar report, Legit.ng published that the United States (US) announced five things citizens of 42 visa-waiver countries need before applying for ESTA.
US: Countries under social security payment restriction
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the US announced the two countries where residents cannot receive Social Security payments: Cuba and North Korea.
The rules depend on citizenship: US citizens may recover withheld payments after moving, while non-US citizens permanently lose benefits for the months they live in either country.
Source: Legit.ng
