On 7/22/2026 at 8:53 AM, RPCVguy said:

I'm reading through all of this topic, but responding first with two screenshots I emailed to my House Rep.
Basically, it looks to me to be changes that took affect in early 2025, you need a real US phone number to get into your account.

Use ID ME??? Option

Just got my SSA-7162 yesterday. Dated July 02, 2026 on the top of the front page. Sent the completed form back to the Wilkes Barre standard air mail.

2 hours ago, khaepmu said:

Just got my SSA-7162 yesterday. Dated July 02, 2026 on the top of the front page. Sent the completed form back to the Wilkes Barre standard air mail.

Wow, that took a while. Where are you located?

Still haven't received mine. Sent a copy of '2nd notice / Nov 2023' that I had sitting around. ThaiPost, snail mail, cheapest, as I've been doing since, well, 2023, since registered that year never made it. So why bother.

I'll send another one in about week or 2, as have since 2023. Apparently at least one makes it through every year now.

Cost all of ฿53

FYI ... no need to pay extra for 'airmail' as it goes by air not matter.

4 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

ThaiPost, snail mail, cheapest, as I've been doing since, well, 2023, since registered that year never made it. So why bother.

Well, registered enables tracking. Which means I have the pleasure of knowing my 7162 has been sitting in Customs for exactly 2 weeks now.

8 hours ago, Autocan said:

Well, registered enables tracking. Which means I have the pleasure of knowing my 7162 has been sitting in Customs for exactly 2 weeks now.

Maybe Rodriguez is taking a long siesta.... 🤣

3 hours ago, dingdongrb said:

Maybe Rodriguez is taking a long siesta.... 🤣

Mine has been with USPS Jamaica NY since July 14.

Hi

I just joined again. I'm here just to put in my two bits. I received my form probably about 5 weeks ago. I was out of the country for three of those weeks. I returned the form probably about 2 weeks ago via standard airmail with tracking

It was the first one I've ever received. I was shocked at how strong the language was and how formal it was and none of it really asked anything about me being alive. Obviously if I'm sending it in I'm alive and if I don't I'm dead.. but it seemed rather unfriendly and typically governmental

Nevertheless, after two and a half years it'll be free money 💰 👍👍

32 minutes ago, KornPop said:

Hi

I just joined again. I'm here just to put in my two bits. I received my form probably about 5 weeks ago. I was out of the country for three of those weeks. I returned the form probably about 2 weeks ago via standard airmail with tracking

It was the first one I've ever received. I was shocked at how strong the language was and how formal it was and none of it really asked anything about me being alive. Obviously if I'm sending it in I'm alive and if I don't I'm dead.. but it seemed rather unfriendly and typically governmental

Nevertheless, after two and a half years it'll be free money 💰 👍👍

There are so many better ways to prove life online other than this stressful document and the physical transfer 12 time zones by two postal services. They preach about gov efficiency, fine, do away with this department entirely and put it online.

Edited August 4Aug 4 by Galong

4 minutes ago, Galong said:

First of all, this is unnecessary as anyone who dies here gets reported very quickly to the embassy. The form is a waste of time, money, and human resources. Or, it could be online. I suggest being allowed 'proof of life' by Monty Python memes... makes about as much sense and what we have to go through now. https://media.tenor.com/N_8p8kIvWxAAAAAe/alive-dead.png

I don't disagree that it's stupid but it certainly not a waste of time because if I didn't fill it out I wouldn't get the money!!! It took me all of 5 minutes to fill out and 10 minutes to walk to the post office.

By all means please howl at the Moon louder

19 hours ago, Autocan said:

Well, registered enables tracking. Which means I have the pleasure of knowing my 7162 has been sitting in Customs for exactly 2 weeks now.

Judging by your post I assume it stateside

I think part of what holds up mail on both ends is that there is probably a few central points in which all the mail for the countries are placed in around the country. Just like everything they're going to wait. It probably cost much the same sending 5 kilos is 10 kilos. Probably the first and 15th or whatever...

I especially think this true for thailand. Thailand may have like two extra points let's say Bangkok and Phuket? Might just be one

3 hours ago, KornPop said:

I think part of what holds up mail on both ends is that there is probably a few central points in which all the mail for the countries are placed in around the country.

Agree, plus they're probably batching SSA envelopes for bulk automated processing at Wilkes-Barre. In any case, since the form's reached Queens I've stopped worrying.

At last some progress: The envelope arrived at Leigh Valley PA on August 4. So it took 3 weeks to from Jamaica NY to Leigh Valley PA. I believe this is about 130 miles or so.

2 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

At last some progress: The envelope arrived at Leigh Valley PA on August 4. So it took 3 weeks to from Jamaica NY to Leigh Valley PA. I believe this is about 130 miles or so.

Mine finally moved out of custom and is on its way...yay.

Yesterday I called 1-855-522-6936 at 8pm to do a "verbal attestation". 30 minute hold. 10 minute attestation process. It cost me $.61 (20 bht) for the phone call. I did the same thing last year. Never received 7162 by mail in 2025 or this year. I think "verbal attestation" is easier and looks to be more reliable then sending form 7162.

6 hours ago, Galong said:

Mine finally moved out of custom and is on its way...yay.

It'll be quite interesting to see further tracking details....please do share with us. Maybe Rodriguez will soon be singing for it.

1 hour ago, WROBE said:

Yesterday I called 1-855-522-6936 at 8pm to do a "verbal attestation". 30 minute hold. 10 minute attestation process. It cost me $.61 (20 bht) for the phone call.

Very interesting. I think someone said earlier the line is open 7am-5pm ET. Your 8pm, presumably Thai time, would mean 9am ET. Maybe calling even earlier could mean a shorter wait time.

In any case, good news about a reliable backup in case no form's received.

4 hours ago, Autocan said:

In any case, good news about a reliable backup in case no form's received.

Every year this forum has expats expressing their anxiety over receiving and mailing the 7162. Why not use the very effective method that SSA setup for verbal attestation of the 7162 form. This method is approved by SSA. It's not a backup for mail-in. Maybe for some it's easier to mail a letter than to setup a phone in the US. Look into using Fanytel. I don't see how it could be easier to setup a US phone then using Fanytel.

Maybe I'm missing something, but verbal attestation should be the primary method to fulfill the "proof of life" requirement. Much preferred over using snail mail.

2 hours ago, WROBE said:

Every year this forum has expats expressing their anxiety over receiving and mailing the 7162. Why not use the very effective method that SSA setup for verbal attestation of the 7162 form.

I agree. In my case, I didn't know much about verbal attestation until this thread. And filling in the form and mailing it has been easy enough. The anxiety comes from obsessively checking tracking:-)

2 hours ago, WROBE said:

Maybe for some it's easier to mail a letter than to setup a phone in the US.

There's no need to set up a separate phone service. AIS 003 rate to the US is 2.5b/min (less with a package), which amounts to 150b. for a 1hr. hold, which is nothing given the amount we get in SS per year.

7 hours ago, WROBE said:

Why not use the very effective method that SSA setup for verbal attestation of the 7162 form.

I did this morning. After going through the formalities and answering the questions the agent said 'OK now I'll hand you over to someone else.'

And that was it. Waited almost another hour and no one came back on the phone before 5 PM EDT

Will try again in a few days. Maybe they still have my prior call results on file. BTW the agent did ask if I had received this year's form and I said NO.

Edited August 5Aug 5 by JerryM

On 8/3/2026 at 4:37 PM, Galong said:

Wow, that took a while. Where are you located?

Buriram.

19 hours ago, Autocan said:

Very interesting. I think someone said earlier the line is open 7am-5pm ET. Your 8pm, presumably Thai time, would mean 9am ET. Maybe calling even earlier could mean a shorter wait time.

In any case, good news about a reliable backup in case no form's received.

Not a backup. It should be everybody's primary response to getting the 7162. Phone em. Maybe they'll realize they need to automate it so it can be done online.

2 hours ago, gargamon said:

Not a backup. It should be everybody's primary response to getting the 7162. Phone em. Maybe they'll realize they need to automate it so it can be done online.

Well, JerryM's post above raises a couple of points re phoning:

1. Indefinite wait.

2. They asked if he'd got the form. I guess they don't want call-in as default.

But I do agree they need to figure out a way to automate the process. I will call in first next year, form or no form.

22 minutes ago, Autocan said:

Well, JerryM's post above raises a couple of points re phoning:

1. Indefinite wait.

2. They asked if he'd got the form. I guess they don't want call-in as default.

But I do agree they need to figure out a way to automate the process. I will call in first next year, form or no form.

I did the whole thing on the phone in about 45 minutes. I didn't need to handed off to a different agent. Mine was obviously simple enough the first person could handle it, or there were issues with the person that was put on hold until the office closed.

1 hour ago, Autocan said:

But I do agree they need to figure out a way to automate the process.

All they need to do is enable those of us with foreign addresses to upload forms on My Social Security like everyone else in the US. But they intentionally cause delay and confusion by avoiding the solution that is right there on the website right now.

Did it by phone, first thing AM US time. Hold time was ten or 15 minutes. Pretty easy imho.

39 minutes ago, retiree said:

Did it by phone, first thing AM US time. Hold time was ten or 15 minutes. Pretty easy imho.

That's encouraging. The last time I called SSA about 1.5 years ago I was on hold for 3 hours and then cut off. Hopefully things have improved greatly.

I still haven't received my form in the mail. But I mailed a generic web based form about 3 weeks ago. Already in the USA.

next year I'll try the phone option with mailing the generic web based form as 2nd option. Thanks for the input.

On 8/5/2026 at 2:42 PM, WROBE said:

Yesterday I called 1-855-522-6936 at 8pm to do a "verbal attestation". 30 minute hold. 10 minute attestation process. It cost me $.61 (20 bht) for the phone call. I did the same thing last year. Never received 7162 by mail in 2025 or this year. I think "verbal attestation" is easier and looks to be more reliable then sending form 7162.

did the same about 3 weeks ago…was only on hold for 5 minutes…still haven’t received the 7162 form this year…if the attestation proves to be successful, meaning i keep getting paid next year, will not bother with the forms going forward…

23 hours ago, JerryM said:

Will try again in a few days

Called last night and they said my form has been completed. So no more running outside to look for the form so it does not get caught in the rain.

Mine has gone from being stuck in Customs to being stuck in a USPS facility for several days. What an annoyingly inefficient system. I called it in last year. As I actually received the form this year (didn't last year), I went ahead and mailed it in.