Redemption of U.S. Savings Bonds
.S. Savings Bonds cannot be presented for immediate payment while the owner is abroad. The owner must execute a request for payment in the presence of a qualified witnessing official and then mail the bonds to an appropriate authority in the United States, as described below. A dollar check will then be mailed to the owner of the bonds.
Executing a Request for Payment at the Embassy
The request for payment on the reverse of each bond may be executed at the U.S. Embassy in the presence of a Consular Officer, by appointment only. Book your appointment now - You can only book on days shaded yellow. The Embassy is closed on all UK and U.S. public holidays.)
The owner of the bond must present a passport as evidence of identification. If the name on the bond is different from that on the passport, evidence of a name change must be presented. If the applicant is a woman whose name has changed through marriage, the marriage certificate must also be presented. Notarial services in connection with U.S. Savings Bonds are performed free of charge at the Embassy.
Executing a Request for Payment By Mail
If the applicant for payment can't come to the Embassy, he/she should execute FORM PD 1522, a special form of detached request for payments of bonds, in the presence of any solicitor or notary public. This form may be downloaded directly from the following link: FORM PD 1522
The FORM PD 1522 should then be mailed to the Legalization Section of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) for legalization in accordance with the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, October 15, 1981. There is a fee for this service. For recorded information, call 020-7008-1111 or visit the FCO Legalization Office website.
Sending the Bonds to the United States
After the applicant's signature has been witnessed, the bonds may be forwarded for payment to the United States by either of the methods below. Whichever method is used, it takes approximately three months after application for a dollar check to be received.
Send the signed and certified bonds to either of these addresses:
- Federal Reserve Bank of Pittsburgh
P.O. Box 867
Pittsburgh, PA 15230 - Bureau of the Public Debt
P.O. Box 7012
Parkersburg, WV 26106-7012
- Forward through the local branch of a British bank which will forward the bonds through its overseas branch to the correspondent bank in the United States for payment.
Tax Information
If the owner of the bonds is a U.S. citizen, he/she should prepare a signed statement to be sent to the United States with the bonds. This statement should give the owner's passport number, date and place of birth, country of residence, and the name and address of the authority to which taxes are paid.
If the owner of the bonds is a citizen of a country which has a tax treaty with the United States (Great Britain is such a country), he/she should complete IRS FORM W-8 to claim exemption from the U.S. tax on the interest of the bonds. It should be sent to the United States with the bonds. This form is available from the Embassy or can be directly downloaded by clicking on IRS FORM W-8. Copies of the form may also be used.
For further information about bonds in general, contact:
The Bureau of the Public Debt
Savings Bonds Operations Office
P.O. Box 1328
Parkersburg, WV 26106-1328