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Can Americans Receive Social Security While Living in Europe?

For most American retirees, Social Security can follow them to Europe. The details still matter: which benefit you receive, where you live, how the money arrives, what you must report and how Medicare fits in.

Checked: September 25, 2026First published: July 3, 2026Official sources: 3313 minute read

The short answer. Yes, in the countries we compare. The Treasury bars payments to Cuba and North Korea1, and the Social Security Administration’s own restricted list (Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) includes none of them2; the SSA warns that other Treasury sanctions could affect payments elsewhere3. Use the SSA’s Payments Abroad Screening Tool for your case4. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is different: it generally stops after 30 consecutive days outside the United States5. Medicare usually does not pay for care abroad6, so you need a separate health plan in Europe.

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The Basic Rule

Two sets of restrictions limit where Social Security can be paid. The Treasury prohibits delivery of U.S. government payments, including Social Security, to beneficiaries in Cuba and North Korea1. The SSA separately restricts payments in a short list of countries: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, where payment is possible only under special conditions2. None of the countries we compare on this site is on either list. The SSA adds that “other Treasury Department sanctions could affect payments to persons in other countries”3.

That leaves the destinations Americans usually consider, such as Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Ireland and the Netherlands, outside those restrictions. Your own case still depends on your benefit type and, if you are not a U.S. citizen, your nationality. The SSA’s Payments Abroad Screening Tool tells you whether your retirement, disability or survivor payments continue indefinitely, stop after six consecutive calendar months, or face country-specific restrictions4.

Planning rule. Run the screening tool for your exact situation before you rely on the income for a visa, a lease or a retirement plan4.

SSI Is Different

Supplemental Security Income is a needs-based program with its own rules. SSI is not payable for any full calendar month you spend outside the United States, and after 30 consecutive days abroad, payments stop until you have been back in the United States for 30 consecutive days5. In practice, SSI does not move with you. If you receive it, speak to the SSA before planning a move.

How Payments Reach You in Europe

You can keep payments going to a U.S. account, or have them deposited in a foreign account where international direct deposit is available. The SSA’s list of international direct deposit countries includes, among others, France, Spain and Portugal7. With international direct deposit, the Treasury usually pays in local currency straight into the beneficiary’s account8.

  1. Keep a U.S. account at first. It keeps U.S. bills, taxes and emergencies simple while you set up locally.
  2. Open a local account when you need one. Rent, utilities and residence steps often run more smoothly with one. Anyone legally resident in an EU country has the right to a basic payment account9.
  3. Plan the currency. A benefit paid in dollars buys fewer euros when the dollar falls; at the ECB rate of September 24, 2026, $1,000 was about €88010.

What You Must Report

Living abroad does not end your reporting duties. The U.S. Embassy in Lisbon, which hosts the SSA’s Federal Benefits Unit for Portugal, sets out what that means in practice11:

  • People moving from the United States file Form SSA-21, “Supplement to Claim of Person Outside the United States”, when they report their new address11.
  • The SSA mails a questionnaire to beneficiaries outside the United States every year or every two years, depending on the benefit and the country3.
  • In Portugal, the Lisbon office explains that each year some beneficiaries must complete a questionnaire, Form SSA-7162 (SSA-7161 for representative payees). It is mailed in May, with follow-up notices in October and December11.
  • If the completed questionnaire is not received, benefits are suspended from the payment due on February 311.

We also suggest telling the SSA promptly about other changes, such as a new address or country, marriage, divorce or a death in the family, work activity (especially for disability benefits) and a return to the United States. Keep a reliable mailing address and answer SSA mail promptly.

Will Your Social Security Be Taxed in Europe?

Receiving Social Security abroad is one question; taxing it is another. U.S. citizens stay subject to U.S. tax on worldwide income wherever they live12. The country where you live may tax it too, and each tax treaty has its own rule. Three examples:

  • Portugal. Under the 1994 treaty, Social Security paid to a resident of Portugal or to a U.S. citizen may be taxed by the United States; the U.S. Treasury’s explanation says it may be taxable in both countries, with the country of residence giving relief1314.
  • Italy. The 1999 treaty makes U.S. Social Security paid to a resident of Italy taxable only in Italy, but the “saving clause” lets the United States keep taxing its citizens; for someone who is both a U.S. and an Italian citizen and lives in Italy, only Italy taxes it1516.
  • Greece. The 1950 treaty does not mention Social Security at all17, so treatment needs checking with a tax professional.

Where both countries tax the same income, the U.S. foreign tax credit can offset foreign tax paid18. Our sister site eTaxNexus covers the U.S. side in Social Security taxes abroad.

Social Security Travels Better Than Medicare

Medicare usually does not cover health care outside the United States, and Medicare drug plans do not cover prescriptions bought abroad6. Most Medigap plans include foreign travel emergency coverage, but it pays 80% after a $250 deductible, up to $50,000 in a lifetime, and only for emergencies in the first 60 days of a trip19. That is travel coverage, not coverage for living in Europe.

Whether to keep Part B is a real decision. The standard premium is $202.90 a month in 2026, and if you drop Part B and re-enroll later, the premium rises by 10% for each full 12-month period you could have had it but did not, usually for as long as you have Part B20. Our healthcare guide covers what to use instead.

Can Social Security Help You Get a Residence Visa?

Often, yes: the passive-income routes below accept pension income, and the Italian consulate in Los Angeles, for example, lists U.S. Social Security letters among the evidence21. The amount has to meet each country’s test. For scale, the average monthly benefit of retired workers was $2,087.52 in August 202622, about €1,836 at the ECB rate10.

How Social Security can count toward selected residence routes, 2026 figures. Dollar amounts at €1 = $1.1367 are our arithmetic.
CountryRoute and income testWhat else the file needs
PortugalD7: €920 a month for one adult ($1,046), a pension counts2324Savings of 12 minimum wages (€11,040), 12 months’ accommodation, travel insurance2526
SpainNon-lucrative residence: 400% of IPREM, €2,400 a month ($2,728), plus €600 per dependent2728Health insurance from an insurer authorized in Spain with no co-payments or waiting periods29
ItalyElective residence: about €31,000 a year per person (New York consulate); U.S. Social Security letters are accepted as evidence; income from work does not count2130A registered lease or deed; no work of any kind allowed21
GreeceFinancially independent person: at least €3,500 a month net, +20% for a spouse, +15% per child31No work or business activity in Greece allowed32

So an average retired-worker benefit on its own would meet Portugal’s D7 income test but not Spain’s, Italy’s or Greece’s. Many households combine Social Security with other pensions, investment income or savings. We have not checked France, Austria or Switzerland for this article; if they are on your list, check their consulates’ current figures.

Where a Benefit Goes Further

A benefit buys more where prices are lower. Eurostat’s 2025 price levels for household spending (EU average = 100) were 86.6 in Portugal, 87.4 in Greece and 91.6 in Spain, against 115.6 in the Netherlands, 136.2 in Ireland and 171.3 in Switzerland33. These are national averages, not city costs. Our $3,000 a month article shows official city rents.

Common Mistakes Americans Make

1. Assuming Social Security and Medicare work the same abroad

They do not. Benefits can usually be paid in Europe; Medicare usually does not pay for care there6.

2. Missing the SSA questionnaire

An unanswered SSA-7162 suspends benefits from February11. Keep your mailing address current.

3. Choosing a country before checking tax

Treaties treat Social Security differently131517. Check before you choose, not after the first foreign return is due.

4. Planning on the benefit alone

Exchange rates, rent increases, medical costs and flights home all need a reserve. A plan that works only if nothing changes is fragile.

Questions

Questions Americans Ask About Social Security Abroad

Can U.S. citizens receive Social Security retirement benefits in Europe?

Usually, yes. The Treasury bars payment to Cuba and North Korea1, and the SSA’s restricted list (Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) includes none of the countries we compare2. The SSA warns that other Treasury sanctions could affect payments elsewhere3. Confirm your case with the SSA’s Payments Abroad Screening Tool4.

Can I receive SSI while living abroad?

Generally no. SSI is not payable for a full calendar month outside the United States, and after 30 consecutive days abroad it stops until you have been back for 30 consecutive days5.

Can Social Security be paid into a European bank account?

Yes, in countries on the SSA’s international direct deposit list, which includes France, Spain and Portugal7. The Treasury usually pays in local currency8.

Does Medicare cover me if I retire in Europe?

Usually not. Medicare generally does not cover care outside the United States, and its drug plans do not cover prescriptions bought abroad6.

Will Europe tax my Social Security?

It depends on the country and its treaty. Portugal and the United States may both tax it, with relief for double tax1314; the Italy treaty gives Italy the taxing right for its residents, subject to the U.S. saving clause15; the Greece treaty is silent17.

Can Social Security count toward a retirement visa?

It can count as income. Whether it is enough depends on the country: €920 a month for one adult for Portugal’s D723, €2,400 for Spain’s non-lucrative residence2728, €3,500 net for Greece’s financially independent route31.

Keep planning

Related Reading

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Compare Europe

Destinations

Treaties, totalization agreements and direct deposit, country by country.

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Country guides mentioned here

Read the Country Pages

The official rules, costs and taxes for each country, checked September 2026.

PortugalSpainItalyGreeceNetherlandsAustriaFranceIrelandSwitzerland

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Sources

Where Every Figure Comes From

We cite official sources only: laws and official gazettes, government agencies, consulates, the EU and U.S. federal agencies. Each was read on the date shown. If you spot something that has changed, email [email protected].

  1. Treasury Department restrictions (Cuba and North Korea), POMS RS 02650.001. Social Security Administration. Official page. Checked .
  2. Special payment policy for SSA restricted countries, POMS RS 02650.040. Social Security Administration. Official page. Checked .
  3. Your Payments While You Are Outside the United States, Publication 05-10137 (April 2026). Social Security Administration. Official page. Checked .
  4. Payments Abroad Screening Tool. Social Security Administration. Official page. Checked .
  5. SSI: absence from the United States, POMS SI 00501.410. Social Security Administration. Official page. Checked .
  6. Travel outside the U.S. Medicare.gov. Official page. Checked .
  7. International direct deposit countries (POMS GN 02402.220). Social Security Administration. Official page. Checked .
  8. International direct deposit: payment in local currency, POMS GN 02402.201. Social Security Administration. Official page. Checked .
  9. Bank accounts in the EU: the right to a basic payment account. Your Europe, European Union. Official page. Checked .
  10. Euro foreign exchange reference rates (USD, September 24, 2026). European Central Bank. Official page. Checked .
  11. Social Security in Portugal (Federal Benefits Unit). U.S. Embassy Lisbon. Official page. Checked .
  12. U.S. citizens and resident aliens abroad. Internal Revenue Service. Official page. Checked .
  13. United States–Portugal income tax convention (1994) and protocol. Internal Revenue Service. Official page. Checked .
  14. Technical explanation of the U.S.–Portugal convention. U.S. Department of the Treasury. Official page. Checked .
  15. United States–Italy income tax convention (1999), articles 1, 18, 19 and 23. U.S. Department of the Treasury. Official page. Checked .
  16. Technical explanation of the United States–Italy convention (1999). U.S. Department of the Treasury. Official page. Checked .
  17. United States–Greece income tax convention (1950). Internal Revenue Service. Official page. Checked .
  18. Foreign tax credit. Internal Revenue Service. Official page. Checked .
  19. Medicare coverage outside the United States (Product 11037, April 2026). Medicare.gov. Official page. Checked .
  20. Avoid late enrollment penalties. Medicare.gov. Official page. Checked .
  21. Elective residence visa. Consulate General of Italy, Los Angeles. Official page. Checked .
  22. Monthly Statistical Snapshot, August 2026: average benefit of retired workers. Social Security Administration. Official page. Checked .
  23. Means of subsistence: the 2026 reference of €920. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, visa portal. Official page. Checked .
  24. Portaria 1563/2007: means of subsistence (100% / 50% / 30% rule). Diário da República. Official page. Checked .
  25. D7 residence visa checklist (pensioners and people living on their own income). Embassy of Portugal in Washington. Official page. Checked .
  26. National visas: documents for residence visas. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Portal das Comunidades / vistos. Official page. Checked .
  27. Immigration Regulation (Royal Decree 1155/2024), consolidated: non-lucrative residence, articles 61 to 64. Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE). Official page. Checked .
  28. IPREM table: €600 a month in 2026. Consulate General of Spain, Los Angeles. Official page. Checked .
  29. Non-lucrative residence visa: requirements, including health insurance. Consulate General of Spain, Los Angeles. Official page. Checked .
  30. Elective residence visa: about €31,000 per person. Consulate General of Italy, New York. Official page. Checked .
  31. Joint Ministerial Decision 225679/2024 (Gazette B 5223/2024): sufficient resources, €3,500 a month. Ministry of Migration and Asylum, Greece. Official page. Checked .
  32. Migration Code (Law 5038/2023), Government Gazette A 81/2023: articles 68 (digital nomads) and 163 (financially independent persons). National Printing Office, Greece. Official page. Checked .
  33. Price level indices, household final consumption, 2025 (dataset prc_ppp_ind_1, updated July 9, 2026). Eurostat, European Commission. Official page. Checked .

General information, not advice. Quantum Jetset does not give legal, tax, immigration, financial or investment advice. Rules and figures change; check the official source and speak to a qualified professional before you act.

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