POMS Reference

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)