Mailing address when there isn't one!

There is a national postal service, it just does not work that well:

http://www.4-72.com.co/

It is imperative to use the código postal if you want to have any hope that an item will be received.

Depending on where exactly your finca is located in relation to Sopetrán, the postal code is shown on this map.  You'll have to zoom in, it looks like it could be either 051447 or 051448:

http://visor.codigopostal.gov.co/472/vi … ;wkid=4326

What I'd do is once you're on the ground, ask around in the town of Sopetrán and find out what the locals do.  There is also a chat option on the top menu bar of the first link I gave.

Thanks. I will check it out... it's just that this ONE particular letter is of utmost importance so that they don't cancel the checks if they don't receive a response. I wonder what other retired expats do in this case since the postal system isn't so great?

OsageArcher wrote:

There is a national postal service, it just does not work that well:

http://www.4-72.com.co/

It is imperative to use the código postal if you want to have any hope that an item will be received.

Depending on where exactly your finca is located in relation to Sopetrán, the postal code is shown on this map.  You'll have to zoom in, it looks like it could be either 051447 or 051448:

http://visor.codigopostal.gov.co/472/vi … ;wkid=4326

What I'd do is once you're on the ground, ask around in the town of Sopetrán and find out what the locals do.  There is also a chat option on the top menu bar of the first link I gave.

Top-notch job, Brother Archer. The above post is about as good as it gets when it comes to advising new arrivals to Colombia.

You summed up the situation in one sentence .. provided a key link .. explained and (possibly) solved the postal-code situation .. and gave additional advice including the chat-link idea.

Great job! 

cccmedia in Depto. de Nariño

AguilaCondor wrote:

ONE particular letter is of utmost importance so that they don't cancel the checks if they don't receive a response. I wonder what other retired expats do in this case since the postal system isn't so great?

Dear Aguila,

Welcome to the Colombia forums of expat.com ....

A few weeks ago, after being here in Colombia for many months, I realized that I had not sent in the Social Security "proof of life" form on time .. meaning that the monthly SSA direct-deposit payments to my bank in Quito could be stopped temporarily.

As I agree with Brother Archer that Colombia's national mail service is unreliable, to say the least, I sent in the form to the SSA's relevant Pennsylvania address .. via ServiEntrega, a private delivery company that is found in many cities and towns in Colombia.  If there was DHL here, I might have used their service.

The cost was the peso equivalent of over $30 U.S., but I consider that part of the cost of living in Colombia and Ecuador -- paying for trackable overseas service for important USA documents every once in a while.

cccmedia in Ipiales, Colombia, near the Ecuador border

Thanks for that and I totally agree. $30 is worth it. My concern is RECEIVING the document or the notification that it is due. I suppose I will have to periodically check the SSA website on my own. They must have printable forms you can download. Thanks again.

AguilaCondor wrote:

I totally agree. $30 is worth it... They must have printable forms you can download.

Correcto.

That's how I got my form -- downloaded it online at the ssa.gov site.

It will be form 7161 or 7162.  One form may be better for people changing address (for instance, from México), the other for confirming the existing address.

Google: ssa.gov form 7161 (or 7162)

  --  cccmedia

AguilaCondor wrote:

My concern is RECEIVING the document or the notification that it is due. I suppose I will have to periodically check the SSA website on my own.

SSA typically sends out the form around mid-year, say June or July.  Historically, one has had till around the end of the year to return it without interruption of monthly payments.

For peace of mind, consider downloading, filling in, and sending in the form around August or September in any year you expect to comply .. if you haven't received an envelope from SSA by then.

As I recall, I sent in my recent form to an SSA address in Wilkes-Barre, PA, which address was readily available at the SSA website.

There has been some discussion on the web as to whether the form needs to be submitted annually or once every other year.

cccmedia

You can get a PDF of the form 7162 here:

https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms/imag … R-SM-1.pdf

You all have been sooooo helpful, not just for me, but there is an issue for some of the expats surrounding this requirement here in the Yucatán (posted on a FB group), as I am writing this. Payments have stopped, etc.  Armed with the info you have given me, I have also been able to help a slew of folks here who are having a hell of a time in some way or another. Many thanks, you are so appreciated!

It's a pleasure .. and thanks for letting us know our info assisted other USA Expats in the Yucatán.

If you don't mind saying briefly, what prompted y'all to decide to leave México?

cccmedia

Had NO intentions of leaving just a few months ago... been here almost 6 years... but in November, we went to a retreat in Santa Elena and FELL IN LOVE. That was it....came back, put the house up for sale, started searching for something around Medellín, found it, bought it, and now we're waiting for it to close. Should be done in a month or two at the latest. The Yucatán is a great place to live, no doubt, but our hearts are now in Colombia.  Funny how that works sometimes!

OsageArcher....This link you sent me is indispensable and I thank you so very much!!! Already downloaded and ready!  I have one more favor to ask if possible.  My husband cannot get a MySSA account, you know, the personal one, because we have no U.S. address or ties of any kind to that country for quite some time now.  Due to this, we cannot have access to those forms on their website. What I would need, if you can send the link to it, is the change of direct deposit form. We can get a hold of the sf-1199a on other sites for setting up direct deposit but not the one for changing an existing one to another.  I couldn't find an associated number for that form.  Can you help? No rush...Maybe we can just use the 1199 as though we were starting from scratch but I don't want to assume much of anything when it comes to putting bread on the table. Muchísimas gracias de antemano por su ayuda!

AC, I can't find that form on-line, and it appears that you do need the MySSA to make those changes on-line, as you said.  In fact, it is not a downloadable form, but a web page that you must enter the direct deposit changes into.  But I found this:

http://cbisonline.com/us/wp-content/upl … change.pdf

It specifically states:
6) Those living outside the United States will have to go to a U.S. Embassy or Consulate to update their information.

I hope you can get it all straightened out!

I agree that an embassy/consulate FBU (Federal Benefits Unit) is the party to contact.

When I wanted to set up SSA direct-deposit to my bank in Quito, I had to make an appointment at the embassy there.

So it makes sense that one would go to the FBU unit to make a change in the deposit program.

Always try to bring two forms of ID.  At the Quito facility, they typically hold my cédula at the entry desk .. and allow me to take my passport inside to the processing area.

cccmedia

A Google search of U.S. State Department web pages for Colombia indicates that some SSA services are performed at the embassy in Bogotá and/or the consulate in Barranquilla.

There's also an indication that SSA recipients in Colombia can get questions answered via the FBU regional office in Costa Rica.

I'd recommend a topic-specific Google search including the phrase U.S. State Department Colombia FBU or travel.state.gov FBU Colombia.

If an appointment is necessary, I would inquire as to whether services are performed in Medellín, since that is apparently closer to you, either on a regular schedule .. or at certain times of the year.

cccmedia in Depto. de Nariño, Colombia

Buenos Dias amigos:  ???? I have several questions about the best way to have access to my money while residing in Colombia.  Should I deposit all my retirement  money in a bank in the US and then withdraw at any cajero in Colombian or should I have an account in a Colombian Bank with all my deposit.  Does the U.S. Government deposit in foreign banks.

Thanks
Daniel

Hola! That's a matter of personal preference, convenience, what your future plans are, etc. We have lived in Mexico the last 6 years and have bank accounts here, none in the u.s., and the social security check gets deposited here in Mexico changing automatically from dollars to pesos (cannot have dollars in Mexican banks unless they are held in investment accounts), the amount varying monthly due to exchange rates. Lots of people here still keep their money in u.s. banks and withdraw via atms but you get charged a transaction fee every time you do that, something to keep in mind over the long term.  It all adds up.

As a resident of Colombia I'd do both - but I'd keep most of the money in the US account(s), and withdraw cash as needed from a cajero automático or ATH/ATM, using a US-issued debit or credit card.

Some US banks will reimburse up to some number of ATM withdrawal fees each month.  Unless you're a high-roller you probably won't need to withdraw more than once or maybe twice a week - if you withdraw say just $500,000 COP a week that is a lot for living expenses, and can easily be sufficient for many places in Colombia.  You will generally get a good conversion rate for USD to COP too.

Some places of business may accept your US card - that makes purchases easy.

Open a Colombia bank account and deposit into it each month just to have some money to more easily pay utility and energy bills and the like (you can often pay these at the bank), and perhaps your rent.  You can also get a Colombia-based credit/debit card from that bank and use it.

Thank Aguila for your comments