If you are a U.S. citizen, you may continue to receive payments while in Russia as long as you are eligible for benefits. It does not matter whether you receive benefits based on your own work or as a dependent or survivor of a person who worked in the U.S.

If you are an Russian citizen and reside in Russia, you must meet certain conditions to continue receiving Social Security benefits:

We will continue to pay your benefits if you were eligible for monthly Social Security benefits for December 1956; or the worker on whose record your benefits are based died while in the U.S. military service or as a result of a service-connected disability, and was not dishonorably discharged.

You may also be eligible for continued Social Security payments if you meet one of the conditions below:

1. The worker on whose record your benefits are based had railroad work that the Social Security program treated as covered employment; or
2. You are in the active military or naval service of the United States.

You may also use online Payments Abroad Screening Tool to determine whether you meet the conditions for payments while you are outside the United States.

If you do not meet any of the above conditions, we will stop your payments after you have been outside the United States for six full calendar months. Once this happens, we cannot start your payments again until you come back and stay in the United States for a full calendar month and submit evidence to prove it. You must be in the United States on the first minute of the first day of any month and stay through the last minute of the last day of that month. In addition, we may ask you to prove you have been lawfully present in the United States for the full calendar month.

Before you travel, please make sure to read additional information on how to prove your stay.

If you are a citizen of a country other than U.S. or Russia and reside in Russia, you must meet certain conditions to continue receiving Social Security benefits:

We will continue to pay your benefits if you were eligible for monthly Social Security benefits for December 1956; or the worker on whose record your benefits are based died while in the U.S. military service or as a result of a service-connected disability, and was not dishonorably discharged.

You may also be eligible for continued Social Security payments if you meet one of the conditions below:

1. The worker on whose record your benefits are based had railroad work that the Social Security program treated as covered employment; or
2. You are in the active military or naval service of the United States.
3. You are a citizen of one of the countries listed here.
4. You are a citizen of any of the countries listed here. However, if you are receiving benefits as a dependent or survivor, there are additional requirements you have to meet. Please see this publication for more information.
5. You are a citizen of any of the countries listed here and the worker on whose record your benefits are based lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years or earned at least 40 credits under the U.S. Social Security system. However, if you are receiving benefits as a dependent or survivor, there are additional requirements you have to meet. Please see this publication for more information.

You may also use online Payments Abroad Screening Tool to determine whether you meet the conditions for payments while you are outside the United States.

If you do not meet any of the above conditions, we will stop your payments after you have been outside the United States for six full calendar months. Once this happens, we cannot start your payments again until you come back and stay in the United States for a full calendar month and submit evidence to prove it. You must be in the United States on the first minute of the first day of any month and stay through the last minute of the last day of that month. In addition, we may ask you to prove you have been lawfully present in the United States for the full calendar month.

Before you travel, please make sure to read additional information on how to prove your stay.