austin_d_powers

Can anyone give a quick list of documents that will be required by the US embassy in London when a British citizen applies for USA Social Security retirement payments to start.
Also how easy is the whole process, will there be any potential tricky steps involved.

SanDiegogirl

Off top of head:

ID (passport/US driving licence), SSN - then, to prove employment probably tax returns, employers names and addresses, dates of residency and addresses in US, payslips ......
Never applied from UK for US Social Security....

dfjordan

I dont know if it helps you, but I applied via the US Embassy in Chile, where I live. There is a section in the embassy that deals with US citizens requirements, and even though I’m not a US citizen, but an ex permanent resident, they treat you the same as a citizen for that purpose. There was a simple form to complete, and they dont need any emplyments docs or anything, as all that matters is how much you contributed for SS to calculate your pension. The embassy handles all contact with SS, and I have the pension paid directly to my bank in Chile. It works perfectly.

osgood

They will want an original birth cert,green card[Not a copy}.in my case at social security,they accept registered mail of these documents,due to cv19 closure of public appts..

SanDiegogirl

When I applied for my SS - in the US - I had to visit the SS office.
They asked for my passport, proof of where I lived and marriage certificate (my SS is based on husband's contributions).
What they will ask for depends on your circumstances.

Ukoneday

Me too. I had to go in person in San Diego, but maybe with COVID that changed?
It takes a while to get the SSN/EAD once you've applied, so if you can do it ahead of time I would encourage you to do that.
In person the staff were very helpful as I recall. They are not like the immigration people, who can be a bit stern.