GN 02401: Checks - General Information
TN 27 (10-16)
A. When to intercept a check sent to a foreign address
The following instructions are for checks only, not electronic fund transfers. To intercept a direct deposit payment issued to an account in a financial institution outside the United States, see GN 02402.235.
You should attempt to intercept a check to a beneficiary residing in a foreign country only if the situation meets all of the following criteria:
delivery of the check will create an overpayment of at least $100.00;
no more than 15 days have elapsed from the date of the computer run to the date the incorrect payment was discovered;
direct deposit is not involved; and
we directed the check to a country listed in GN 02401.075C in this section.
B. Procedure for intercepting a check sent to a foreign address
This procedure is for the Office of Earnings and International Operations (OEIO) only.
1. Intercepting regular monthly checks
Step |
Action |
|---|---|
|
1 |
Before you attempt to intercept a regular monthly check, review the list of countries in GN 02401.075C in this section. For countries with an asterisk, follow Step 2. For countries with no asterisk, follow Step 3. |
|
2 |
If there is an asterisk beside the name of the country, do not attempt to intercept the regular monthly check. Treasury ships these checks to countries by bulk mail through International Priority Airmail (IPA) directly to the beneficiaries’ mailing address. |
|
3 |
If there is no asterisk beside the country's name, telephone or fax the intercept request to the appropriate check distributing office listed in GN 02401.075C in this section. Obtain the phone or fax number from the Detailed Office/Organization Resource System (DOORS). |
2. Intercepting prior month accrual (PMA) checks
If you want to intercept a PMA check, telephone or fax the intercept request to the appropriate check distributing office listed in GN 02401.075C in this section. Obtain the phone or fax number from the DOORS.
C. Check distributing offices
The following list contains the international check distribution offices for benefit checks. Countries with an asterisk next to them indicate countries where we send regular monthly checks directly to beneficiaries through IPA in bulk shipments. In these countries, we can only intercept PMA checks. PMAs are the only checks we send to a Foreign Service Post for distribution.
NOTE: In the following chart (E) signifies an Embassy and (CG) signifies a Consulate General.
Country |
Office |
|---|---|
Afghanistan |
New Delhi (E), India |
Albania |
Tirana (E) |
Algeria* |
Algiers (E) |
Angola* |
Luanda (E) |
Anguilla* |
Bridgetown (E), Barbados |
Antigua and Barbuda* |
Bridgetown (E), Barbados |
Argentina* |
Buenos Aires (E) |
Armenia |
Yerevan (E) |
Australia* |
Sydney (CG) |
Austria* |
Vienna (E) |
Azerbaijan |
Baku (E) |
Azores* |
Lisbon (E), Portugal |
Bahamas* |
Nassau (E) |
Bahrain |
Manama (E) |
Bangladesh |
Dhaka (E) |
Barbados* |
Bridgetown (E) |
Belarus |
Minsk (E) |
Belgium* |
Brussels (E) |
Belize* |
Belize City (E) |
Benin |
Contonou (E) |
Bermuda* |
Hamilton (CG) |
Bhutan |
New Delhi (E), India |
Bolivia |
La Paz (E) |
Bosnia-Herzegovina |
Belgrade (E), Serbia |
Botswana |
Gaborone (E) |
Brazil |
Sao Paulo (CG) |
British Virgin Islands* |
Bridgetown (E), Barbados |
Brunei |
Bandar Seri Begawan |
Bulgaria* |
Sofia (E) |
Burkina Faso |
Ouagadougou (E) |
Burma |
Rangoon (E) |
Burundi |
Bujumbura (E) |
Cameroon |
Yaoundé (E) |
Cape Verde, Republic of* |
Praia (E) |
Cayman Islands* |
Kingston (E), Jamaica |
Central African Republic |
Bangui (E) |
Chad |
N'Djamena (E) |
Chile |
Santiago (E) |
China, People's Republic of |
Guangzhou (CG) |
Colombia |
Bogota (E) |
Comoros |
Port Louis (E), Mauritius |
Congo, Peoples’ Republic of |
Brazzaville (E) |
Costa Rica |
San Jose (E) |
Cote D'Ivoire |
Abidjan (E) |
Croatia |
Zagreb (E) |
Cyprus |
Nicosia (E) |
Czech Republic* |
Prague (E) |
Denmark* |
Copenhagen (E) |
|
Djibouti, Republic of |
Djibouti (E) |
|
Dominica* |
Bridgetown (E), Barbados |
|
Dominican Republic |
Santo Domingo (E) |
|
Ecuador |
Quito (E) |
|
Egypt* |
Cairo (E) |
|
El Salvador |
San Salvador (E) |
|
Equatorial Guinea |
Yaoundé (E), Cameroon |
|
Eritrea |
Asmara (E) |
|
Estonia |
Tallinn (E) |
|
Ethiopia |
Addis Ababa (E) |
|
Fiji* |
Suva (E) |
|
Finland* |
Helsinki (E) |
|
France* |
Paris (E) |
|
French Guiana* |
Bridgetown (E), Barbados |
|
Gabon |
Libreville (E) |
|
Gambia |
Banjul (E) |
|
Georgia |
Tbilisi (E) |
|
Germany* |
Frankfurt (CG) |
|
Ghana |
Accra (E) |
|
Greece* |
Athens (E) |
|
Grenada* |
St Georges (E) |
|
Guatemala |
Guatemala (E) |
|
Guinea, Republic of |
Conakry (E) |
|
Guinea-Bissau |
Bissau (E) |
|
Guyana |
Georgetown (E) |
|
Haiti |
Port-Au-Prince (E) |
|
Honduras |
Tegucigalpa (E) |
|
Hong Kong* |
Hong Kong (CG) |
|
Hungary* |
Budapest (E) |
|
Iceland* |
Reykjavik (E) |
|
India |
New Delhi (E) |
|
Indonesia* |
Jakarta (E) |
|
Iran |
Bern (E), Switzerland |
|
Ireland* |
Dublin (E) |
|
Israel* |
Jerusalem (CG) |
|
Tel Aviv (E) |
|
|
Italy* |
Rome (E) |
|
Jamaica* |
Kingston (E) |
|
Japan* |
Tokyo (E) |
|
Jordan |
Amman (E) |
|
Kazakhstan |
Alma Ata (E) |
|
Kenya |
Nairobi (E) |
|
Korea, South* |
Seoul (E) |
|
Kuwait |
Kuwait (E) |
|
Kyrgyzstan |
Bishkek (E) |
|
Laos |
Vientiane (E) |
|
Latvia |
Riga (E) |
|
Lebanon |
Beirut (E) |
|
Lesotho |
Maseru (E) |
|
Liberia |
Monrovia (E) |
|
Liechtenstein* |
Bern (E), Switzerland |
|
Lithuania |
Vilnius (E) |
|
Luxembourg* |
Luxembourg (E) |
|
Macao* |
Hong Kong (CG) |
|
Macedonia, FYR |
Skopje (E) |
|
Madagascar, Republic of |
Antananarivo (E) |
|
Malawi |
Lilongwe (E) |
|
Malaysia* |
Kuala Lumpur (E) |
|
Mali |
Bamako (E) |
|
Malta |
Valletta (E) |
|
Martinique* |
Bridgetown (E), Barbados |
|
Mauritania* |
Nouakchott (E) |
|
Mauritius |
Port Louis (E) |
|
Moldova |
Chisinau (E) |
|
Monaco* |
Paris (E), France |
|
Mongolia |
Ulaanbaatar (E) |
|
Montserrat* |
Bridgetown (E), Barbados |
|
Morocco* |
Rabat (E) |
|
Mozambique |
Maputo (E) |
|
Namibia |
Windhoek (E) |
|
Nepal |
Kathmandu (E) |
|
Netherlands* |
Amsterdam (CG) |
|
Netherlands Antilles* |
Curacao (CG) |
|
Nevis* |
Bridgetown (E), Barbados |
|
New Zealand* |
Auckland (CG) |
|
Nicaragua |
Managua (E) |
|
Niger |
Niamey (E) |
|
Nigeria |
Lagos (E) |
|
Norway* |
Oslo (E) |
|
Oman* |
Muscat (E) |
|
Pakistan |
Islamabad (E) |
|
Panama |
Panama (E) |
|
Papua New Guinea |
Port Moresby (E) |
|
Paraguay |
Asuncion (E) |
|
Peru* |
Lima (E) |
|
Philippines |
Manila (SSA Division, VARO) |
|
Poland* |
Warsaw (E) |
|
Portugal* |
Lisbon (E) |
|
Qatar* |
Doha (E) |
|
Romania |
Bucharest (E) |
|
Russia |
Moscow (E) |
|
Rwanda |
Kigali (E) |
|
St Kitts* |
Bridgetown (E), Barbados |
|
St Lucia* |
Bridgetown (E), Barbados |
|
St Vincent &the Grenadines* |
Bridgetown (E), Barbados |
|
Sao Tome and Principe |
Libreville (E), Gabon |
|
Saudi Arabia* |
Riyadh (E) |
|
Senegal |
Dakar (E) |
|
Serbia/Montenegro |
Belgrade (E) |
|
Seychelles |
Port Louis (E), Mauritius |
|
Sierra Leone |
Freetown |
|
Singapore* |
Singapore (E) |
|
Slovak Republic* |
Bratislava (E) |
|
Slovenia* |
Ljubljana (E) |
|
Somalia |
Mogadishu (E) |
|
South Africa, Republic of* |
Johannesburg (CG) |
|
Spain* |
Madrid (E) |
|
Sri Lanka |
Colombo (E) |
|
Sudan |
Khartoum (E) |
|
Suriname |
Paramaribo (E) |
|
Swaziland |
Mbabane (E) |
|
Sweden* |
Stockholm (E) |
|
Switzerland* |
Bern (E) |
|
Syria* |
Damascus (E) |
|
Taiwan |
Taipei (AIT in Taiwan) |
|
Tajikistan |
Dushanbe (E) |
|
Tanzania |
Dar Es Salaam (E) |
|
Thailand |
Bangkok (E) |
|
Togo |
Lomé (E) |
Trinidad and Tobago |
Port of Spain (E) |
Tunisia |
Tunis (E) |
Turkey* |
Ankara (E) |
Turkmenistan |
Ashgabat (E) |
Uganda |
Kampala (E) |
Ukraine |
Kiev (E) |
United Arab Emirates* |
Abu Dhabi (CG) |
United Kingdom* |
London (E) |
Uruguay |
Montevideo (E) |
Uzbekistan |
Tashkent (E) |
Vanuatu* |
Suva (E), Fiji |
Venezuela |
Caracas (E) |
Western Samoa* |
Apia (E) |
Yemen, Republic of |
Sanaa (E) |
Zaire |
Kinshasa (E) |
Zambia |
Lusaka (E) |
Zimbabwe |
Harare (E) |