TN 96 (02-18)

A. General information on Power of Attorney to a foreign FI

International Direct Deposit (IDD) and corresponding banking are not available in some foreign countries where Title II beneficiaries reside. If a Title II beneficiary resides in a foreign country where IDD and correspondent banking are unavailable, we can grant Power of Attorney to a foreign FI. This allows us to mail the beneficiary’s checks to a foreign FI.

NOTE: Power of Attorney to a foreign institution is not a form of electronic payment.

B. How to process Power of Attorney requests

If you receive a Power of Attorney request for the situation described in this section, provide the beneficiary with a form FMS 233 “Special Power of Attorney by Individuals For the Collection of Checks Drawn on the United States Treasury.”

1. Completing the FMS 233

The beneficiary or representative payee must follow these instructions.

• Enter either “retirement and survivors payments” or “disability insurance benefits” in the space titled “Purpose for which checks are issued”. You may complete this section before giving it to the beneficiary if the claim number is available.

• Indicate the period for which the authorization applies.

• Send a completed copy of the form to the

  Office of Earnings and International Operations
  PO Box 17769
  Baltimore, MD 21235-7769;

• Send the original form to the FI.

• Keep a copy for his or her records.

• Provide us with the residence abroad address.

2. Processing the FMS 233

The Office of Earnings and International Operations (OEIO) processes and approves a Power of Attorney request after the Title II beneficiary submits a complete FMS 233.

When checks go to a foreign FI under a Power of Attorney, the address on the Master Beneficiary Record (MBR) is the foreign FI’s address. All notices go to the FI. To avoid suspension for failure to complete and return certain forms that we send to beneficiaries living outside the United States, the beneficiary must arrange with the FI to pick up the notices.