Question: I took retirement at age 66 and am currently 67. I retired to Colombia, where I married a Colombian national. She is 52, and has a daughter (adopted) that is nearly six years old. My ex-wife of 35 years is collecting Social Security and began at age 64. Please tell me if spousal benefits may be available for me or for my current wife. If I adopt my wife’s daughter, are there benefits available for her and what restrictions apply?
Answer: Because you are remarried, you cannot collect divorced spousal benefits on your ex-wife’s work record (even if you were married the required minimum of 10 years). Your new Colombian wife could become entitled to spousal and widow’s benefit (once you die) based on your work record, but she’d need to be at least age 62 to be eligible for a reduced spousal benefit, or 60 to collect a reduced widow’s benefit.
If you have been married to your new wife for at least a year and you adopt her daughter, they both could become entitled on your record immediately. However, unless they become U.S. citizens or meet one of the exceptions to Social Security’s alien non-payment provision, they would not receive any benefits.
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