US Announces 31 Countries Whose Citizens Have Social Security Agreements With America
by Oluwadara Adebisi, https://www.facebook.com/legitngnews · Legit.ng News · Join- The United States Social Security Administration has published a full list of countries that hold active Social Security agreements with the US
- The agreements, which date back as far as 1978, cover nations across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific
- Romania became the most recent country to join the list, with its agreement set to enter into force in September 2026
The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) has published a list of 31 countries whose citizens are covered under active social security agreements with the US, shedding light on which nations enjoy bilateral protections for workers moving between countries.
The agreements, formally known as Totalisation Agreements, are designed to eliminate dual social security taxation — a situation where workers pay into two countries' social security systems simultaneously. They also help workers qualify for benefits by combining their work credits from both countries.
Full list of countries with US Social Security agreements
According to the SSA's official agreements overview, the list spans decades of international cooperation:
- Italy
- Germany
- Switzerland
- Belgium
- Norway
- Canada
- United Kingdom
- Sweden
- Spain
- France
- Portugal
- Netherlands
- Austria
- Finland
- Ireland
- Luxembourg
- Greece
- South Korea
- Chile
- Australia
- Japan
- Denmark
- Czech Republic
- Poland
- Slovak Republic
- Hungary
- Brazil
- Uruguay
- Slovenia
- Iceland
- Romania
The most recent addition to the list is Romania, whose agreement with the United States entered into force on 1 September 2026, making it the 31st country to hold such an arrangement with the US.
Notably, no African country appears anywhere on the list. Nations such as Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa are not included, meaning that workers from these countries moving to the US, or Americans working in those countries, remain outside the scope of these bilateral social security protections.
The full list can be reviewed directly on the SSA's international agreements page.
In a similar report, Legit.ng published that the US published the list of five categories of workers that are eligible for employment-based Green Cards.
30-day visa-free: China mentions qualified countries
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that China published its list of 50 countries whose citizens can visit visa-free for up to 30 days.
The list covers travel for tourism, business, family visits, exchanges and transit—but no African country made the cut. Nigerians and other African travellers must still apply for a visa before travelling to China.