Does anyone have advice for filling out a FAFSA form from overseas? We were told by FAFSA to put in a US address (even though we haven’t lived in the US for 15 years) but now the form isn’t accepting my child’s high school as it isn’t in the US. We have written to FAFSA and called with no response. We are stuck and can’t continue with the form without filling out the high school. Has anyone else encountered this problem?
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@kelsmom probably has the answer…but I can’t imagine why you would make up a U.S. address for FAFSA when you are a citizen living abroad.
FAFSA should be able to accept a foreign address for the student. Federal Student Aid
As for the high school, select Foreign Country from the State/Province/Territory dropdown. This link has information for schools about foreign diplomas - schools may require additional information from you, so watch for requests (or contact them after you submit your FAFSA if you want to be proactive): School-Determined Requirements | 2024-2025 Federal Student Aid Handbook.
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FAFSA told us to use a US address even though we live abroad!
Technically, you should be able to use a foreign address. @Mwfan1921, are you aware of any issues with using foreign addresses this year? I have not seen any issue alerts about this, but I am no longer on the listservs, so I don’t always hear about issues.
I have not heard about any FAFSA foreign address issues.
OP, did you find the HS listed per kelsmom’s above post?
Any U.S. address would not be true. Fact is…you don’t live in the U.S. at all.
I’m hoping someone can clarify this. It was my understanding that all information on the FAFSA form needed to be accurate…and true.
What were you supposed to do? Make up some address in the U.S.?
Definitely not.
The link kelsmom posted above (Federal Student Aid) gives directions on how to enter a foreign address.
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The last three times we filled in fafsa, we used our foreign address. There must have been a misunderstanding, or that was untrained advice you received.
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As I indicated previously, FAFSA told me to put in a US address even though I told them we don’t live in the US!
@HerediaSD I understand. I’m glad the above posters clarified that you can and should use your actual address abroad.
The FAFSA reps don’t always give correct advice. If you can enter the foreign address, you should.
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good to know - How did you do it? I was able to put in the country but on the states it only offered US states as selections. And were you able to put in the foreign high school?
I believe there was some sort of fill in number when the school had none appointed…it was something like all zeros or all nines? I’m going to google this, because it’s been a while…
There are links from what I googled, but here’s a brief answer:
To fill in a foreign address on a FAFSA, enter the city in the “City” field, select “Foreign Country” in the “State” field, and type “00000” in the zip code field;then, choose the correct country from the dropdown menu when prompted.
Key points to remember:
- City and Country: Enter the city name in the city field and select the appropriate country from the dropdown menu.
- State as “Foreign Country”: When filling out the state section, choose “Foreign Country”.
- Zip Code: Always enter “00000” as the zip code for a foreign address.
thank you!
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