Kivetoruk

Here's another option for those like myself who are seeking confirmation of the Form 7162/7161 being entered into their Social Security records.

On November 21st I emailed Manila FBU using their online form and requested verification that my form 7162 having been documented in my file.

https://ph.usembassy.gov/services/fbu-inquiry-form

Today I received their response -

Some background of my contact with Social Security the past 5 months -

Because I planned to travel on vacation away from Thailand in July I decided to download a copy of Form 7162 and send by registered airmail.This was delivered and signed for on July 5th 2022.

On September 14th I called the Social Security Office and spoke with a representative who verified my form 7162 was in my "Evidence Based File" Still, he thought it best if I ever received the original Form mailed to me, to return it by mail to their office. In addition, he told me to call the Social Security Office and notify them I had mailed the form to them.

This left me perplexed, on one hand he's telling a form 7162 is entered in my records but yet it would be a good idea to mail back the original form from Social Security.

That's the reason I decided to contact Manila FBU.

Note in their response, "You were sent a second form "

I never returned the original Form 7162 sent to me by Social Security because obviously I wasn't there to receive it.

They've only received my downloaded copy on July 5th.

Why was a second notice sent to me if my Form 7162 was already accepted? (I don't know the exact date it was accepted but at least by September 14th when I called them)

I understand that the second notice  mailed out was dated October 27th.There should have been plenty of time for the processing of my form 7162 before the cutoff date of mailing second notices.

This makes me wonder if others like myself are being sent unnecessary second notices because their Form 7162 is already entered into their records.

I'm thankful for Manila FBU's assistance, in my experience it's worth a try to contact them.

.

Note: Please do your own due diligence. I'm relaying my personal experience, whether it's normal policy I don't know. 

I just got off the phone with an office representative of :

Social Security Administration
Office of Earnings & International Operations

Telephone number: 410-965-0160.

I called at 10.00 am local time (Pennsylvania) 

No wait time, the call was answered immediately. 

I asked the representative if my mailed Form 7162 had been entered into my records yet? (Tracking showed delivery date of July 5th)

After verifying my identity she told me no, nothing in the records yet. 

She then told me that the phone call met the requirements of Form 7162, and that I needed to take no further action. 

I questioned her further, asking is that because I told you I have tracking information showing delivery of my mailed form?

She replied "No, today's phone call alone meets the Form 7162 requirements. I have noted this call in your records.Nothing further needs to be done."

She did mention to me that a faxed Form 7162 would also be accepted. She commented that she was unsure if the fax system automatically scanned the forms into the system or it had to be done manually. 

Good luck to everyone. 

1 hour ago, Pib said:

Thanks. 

 

Got thru Customs in 1 day....a LOT faster than my 2019 test mailings that took 3-7 days to get thru Customs.

 

Interesting where it says "Delivered to an agent for final delivery in Wilkes Barre" but nothing so far confirming that "agent" (does that mean a postman?) made that final/last mile delivery to the Wilkes Barre SSA address.  I expect there will be no more updates since the green dot means tracking is complete/finished.

 

I went down the wormhole trying to determine who's the agent for Social Security authorized to pick up mail at their Post Office Box, then  deliver it to the actual Social Security Office location  address but struck out.

(I'm only referring to U.S. mail system delivery and not for example, combination FedEx / U. S. Post Office type  deliveries)

The only tidbits of information I gleaned from the  U. S.  Post Office FAQ's were -

1. Mail Agents aren't U.S. Postal employees but rather  individuals or businesses authorized by someone or an organization to retrieve their  mail from the Post Office and make the last leg of delivery to the recipient. 

2.Tracking updates stop at the Post Office, thus no more updates after the "Green" final delivery notification.

3. In conclusion, it seems that when an authorized mail agent is involved on the final leg of the mail delivery there's no guarantee the mail actually arrived at the Social Security Office location. 

Which isn't a comforting thought if a person is relying on that final delivery notification as evidence Form 7162 is actually entered into the Social Security system. 

What I'm going to do is wait a few weeks to give Social Security time to process my Form 7162. then call them and ask if they have  entered my form into the system.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm traveling and don't want this hanging over my head wondering if if it's been taken care of or not. 

12 hours ago, Pib said:

 

Above is tracking from the Thailand Postal Tracking system.   Does tracking on the U.S. Postal System tracking show "final delivery" specifically to Wilkes Barre? 

https://tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction_input

 

The Thai and U.S. postal tracking systems do interface with/update each other "to a degree" but from my experience the USPS tracking system will show more detailed tracking/locations especially once it arrives in the U.S., but the Thai Postal System tracking will show a more abbreviated form.

 

Seems the arrival at the inward office of exchange (i.e., arriving the U.S. international mail center which could have been several U.S. locations but probably New York City) and then being signed for in Wilkes Barre PA is awful fast even with NY and PA being side-by-side states.

 

 

 

I entered the Thailand Post  tracking number into the U. S. Post Office tracking website  and here are the results. ( I included the Thailand Post tracking screenshot again for ease of comparison) 

Hope this is helpful. 

I'm thinking my best option is Bangkok - Chanthaburi, then mini-bus to either of the two Border crossings. (I'm not doing a Visa Run) 

My main concern is the availability of a reentry permit. 

Can you obtain reentry permits at either Ban Laem or Ban Pakkard   Border crossings?

Plan B would be to use the Khlong Yai / Cham Yeam (Koh Kong ) Border crossing.

Are reentry permits available at that crossing? 

Planning on visiting friends in Battambang soon. 

Which Border crossing is the best choice departing from Bangkok? 

Ban Laem? Or Ban Pakkad?

I will be needing to acquire a reentry permit before crossing the Border. (Retirement Extension) 

Any suggestions for Bus transportation from the Border to Battambang? 

Thanks. 

Update:

https://www.ssa.gov/foreign/index.html

Notice Regarding Forms SSA-7161 and SSA-7162

The postal service disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have resolved in the majority of countries. The Social Security Administration will resume mailing the forms SSA-7161 and SSA-7162 in late June 2022. Forms will be mailed according to the schedule that was in effect prior to the pandemic (i.e. if you were expecting a form in 2020, you will receive it in 2022; 2021 in 2023). Please complete and return the forms promptly to avoid suspension of benefits.

Contact Us by Fax

You may send inquiries and forms to us by fax at 833-719-0632.

Contact Us by Mail

If you are not receiving benefits and would like to inquire about benefits eligibility, you may contact your servicing Field Office or Federal Benefits unit or the following contact address (please be sure to include your Social Security Number):

Social Security Administration
Office of Earnings & International Operations
P.O. Box 17775
Baltimore, Maryland  21235-7775

If you or any family member are already receiving Social Security benefits and you would like to report a change in status, such as, a death, marriage or divorce, you may use the following contact address (please be sure to include your Social Security Number):

Social Security Administration
Office of Earnings & International Operations
P.O. Box 17769
Baltimore, Maryland  21235-7769

Contact Us by Phone

You may also contact us by phone if you speak English.  You can call our office 410-965-0160.  You will need to pay for the call because we do not currently have a toll-free service for calls from outside the U.S.  If you call, please do so between 9:00am and 4:00pm Eastern U.S time. 

Online Services

You Can Apply Online For:

• Retirement Benefits
• Disability Benefits

Other Services:

• BEST (Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool)

A heads-up.

Yesterday I applied for and received the US Embassy Letter for use at Thailand Immigration.I just received an additional email with a revised letter. Apparently the first letter was drafted without the proper letterhead.

Good luck!

US citizen, entered on a 30 day visa exemption. Later I applied for and received a 30 day extension of stay at Udon Thani immigration office.

Plan was to do a border run to Laos or Cambodia and obtain a new visa exemption valid until my scheduled flight home in May. That's not possible now.

My flight route to return to the US involved make a connecting flight in Taipei, Taiwan. That's currently not permissable as Taiwan has recently prohibited non-national passengers from transiting their airports.

I sent an email to the US Embassy today explaining my situation in detail and included a photo copy of my passport. I requested a letter that I could present to the Immigration office for use in obtaining another 30 day extension of stay. This is the response I received back one hour ago.

No letter!

Thanks to all who have made positive contributions to this thread and others concerning travel issues.

Good luck to everyone.

I will keep searching for a solution to my problem.