Searching for Social Security Benefits Letter Apostille?
If you have divided your career between the united States and another country, your corporation manages overseas projects, or you just want to retire abroad, you will need to get your Social Security certificates Apostilled to be valid for international use.
Order Social Security Benefit Letter Certificates
The first step is to obtain the required certificate from the SSA. Which document you need depends on your particular situation, and we will show you here how you can order your Social Security Benefits Letter for retirement, and Social Security Certificates of Coverage to benefit from the bilateral Social Security Agreements.
1- SSA Benefits Letter
You will need to provide a “Proof of income Letter” if you want a confirmation that you obtain Social Security Benefits, Income or Medicare. This certificate is also called “ Budget letter and proof of Award Letter”. You can walk to your nearest Social Security Office in your area and order your certificate.
However, we do not recommend using the Walk-In service as it may takes several weeks till you receive your document. Instead, you can use the “Apply Online for Retirement” system provided by the Social Security official website to get your certificate timely. It is secure, easy and fast.
You can also use this pdf for more information on the online retirement system
2- Certificate of Coverage issued by the SSA
You will need to get obtain a certificate of Coverage if you have divided your work between the United States and another country.
Also, if you are a U.S. employer or corporation that manages or supervises oversees operations, you will need to provide your employees with this certificate to avoid paying double Social Security taxes.
The Bilateral Security Agreements, or sometimes also called” Totalization Agreements” provide genuine benefits for workers between two countries and for multinational corporations, which have employees all over the world.
These agreements protect expatriate workers from double coverage/ taxes of Social Security.
The United States has signed the Totalization Agreements with 25 countries, as listed below:
| Italy | Finland |
| Germany | Ireland |
| Switzerland | Luxembourg |
| Belgium | Greece |
| Norway | South Korea |
| Canada | Chile |
| United Kingdom | Australia |
| Sweden | Japan |
| Spain | Denmark |
| France | Czech Republic |
| Portugal | Poland |
| Netherlands | Slovak Republic |
| Austria |
The Social Security Administration has provided this online system to reduce the turnaround time and to facilitate the process, especially those who order this certificate usually reside outside the United States.
SSA certificate Attestation for use abroad
You have got your document now and it is time to get it properly certified for use abroad.
The required authentication depends on the destination country.
If your document is destined for use in one of the Hague Convention countries you will need to obtain an “ Apostille. While if you want to use it in any other country, you will require an “ Embassy Certificate”.
1- How to Apostille SSA Certificate?
To see a list of all signatory countries to the Hague convention, Click Here
Documents issued by the Social Security Administration are federal documents and must beat the federal stamp/ signature. Depending on the document you have, you may obtain your apostille from:
- The US Department of State in Washington DC. It will cost you $ 8.00 per document and the processing time is from 1- 4 business days.
- Sometimes, the document may require Apostille from the Office of the Secretary in the District of Columbia and prior notarization. It will cost you $15.00 per document, turnaround time is one business day
2- Embassy Legalization for SSA documents
To see a list of all the countries that still require an “embassy certificate” to acknowledge the authenticity of the SSA document, click here
To legalize your document for use in any of these countries you will need to:
- Authentication from the US Department of State in Washington DC. It will cost you $ 8.00 per document and the processing time is from 1- 4 business days.
- Legalize your document from the embassy of the destination country in Washington DC. The Prices and turnaround time vary from one country to another.
Now you have finished all legal requirements and your document is ready for use abroad.
Document Apostille or legalization is a cumbersome process that requires you to follow a series of complicated procedures until you obtain your required certification. If you miss any step or misspelled any address, your document may be refused or lost.
If you found any problem authenticating your document, you can order the help of an expedited certification service provider like One Day Apostille. We provide the fastest turnaround time and the best available price all over the United State.
Order our services now and compare our prices.
Our fees include all the stationary fee and the expedited service fee. Shipping fees are not included. Our customers need to provide a prepaid airway bill to return their documents after authentication.