I’m 50 and considering leaving the US permanently I do have dual citizenship and will be violating a Court Child Support order. In doing so I will be committing a Felony by owing more than $10,000 in Child Support, which in turn will have my US Passport and Drivers License suspended. My question is how would I be able to apply for Social Security Benefits at age 62 when I’m outside the US without any valid ID? I do understand that my Social Security Benefits can be Garnished. I am not willfully trying to flee the US because of Child Support but because of health and my spouses foreign opportunities.

Hi. If you're a U.S. citizen and if you have at least 40 quarters (QC) of Social Security coverage, then you could almost certainly be paid Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62 even if you're residing outside of the U.S. There are only a handful of countries where U.S. Social Security benefits can't be paid, such as Cuba and North Korea (https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10137.pdf).

However, as you mention, your benefits could be subject to a garnishment order for child support. And, Social Security benefits can't be paid to people who are incarcerated due to a felony conviction.

Instructions for applying for benefits while outside of the U.S. can be found on the following Social Security website: https://www.ssa.gov/foreign/foreign.htm. The type of documentation required by Social Security depends on the circumstances involved, but you wouldn't necessarily need a valid form of U.S. identification. I imagine that you would likely have some type of foreign ID to prove your identity.

Best, Jerry