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Can I Get Life Insurance if I’m Not a U.S. Citizen?

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By McKenzy Bowers | March 27, 2019

Is there life insurance for non-U.S. citizens? For the surprising answer, read on.

Here’s a question we’re asked every once in a while here at AccuQuote: “Can I get life insurance if I am not a U.S. citizen?”

The short answer is…yes. You may qualify for a life insurance policy here in the U.S., but only if you have a Green Card or carrier approved Visa.  Most carriers also require that you have been living in the United States for at least 2 years. If you have been in the U.S. for less than one year, carriers will classify you as a “Non-Resident,” even if you are in the process of applying for a visa.

A non-resident can potentially be approved for a “best class offer,” but the offer will come with certain stipulations attached. Here are a few pieces of information that you will have to provide when you’re applying for life insurance as a non-U.S. resident:

1) Date of birth
2) Country of origin
3) Length of current U.S. stay
4) Current U.S. state that you’re living in
5) Future travel plans in the next 12 months
6) Expiration date of current visa

In addition, some carriers also look at your economic ties to the U.S., such as a job, family, home, and land or business ownership.

When applying for coverage, in addition to presenting a copy of your green card or visa documents, you will most likely need to submit a W-8 or W-9 tax form (carriers will need this form to collect information about your country of origin and further information regarding your work history in the U.S.).

In short, if you are looking for life insurance and are not a U.S. citizen, you can get coverage, providing that you have the proper documentation. And you should shop around as insurance carriers underwriting guidelines vary.

In the meantime, take our coverage calculator for a spin and get clear on the amount of life insurance protection you need for your family.

Nifty Life Insurance Calculator

Our Life Insurance Calculator can help give you a rough idea of how much coverage you’ll need to make sure your family is financially protected when you die.

  • Annual income before tax: $

    Annual income is an important factor in determining your needs, but it’s not the only one. When you die, your life insurance is like your final paycheck.

  • % of income needed by dependents:  %

    Because you’ll be gone, presumably they won’t need as much as you’re currently earning.  Typically, 80% of your current income is a good place to start.

  • Your Age: years

    The younger you are, the more years of your income your family stands to lose when you die.

  • Number of years benefits are needed:  

    If you died tomorrow, how many years of income do you want to provide for your family?

  • Annual inflation rate (estimate):  %

    Because of inflation, in order to maintain your family’s current standard of living, you’ll need to plan for increases in their annual income to keep pace.  Historically, inflation has averaged between 2% and 4%.

  • Annual interest rate (estimate):  %

    This is an assumption as to how much you believe your spouse will be able to earn on the death benefit proceeds. We have found that most surviving spouses are usually very conservative in how they invest the death benefit. The most common thing we see is that the money gets deposited into a bank account. You know your spouse better than anyone. Pick a number that you feel your spouse will be able to comfortably earn on the proceeds.

  • Based on the information you provided, you need about

    of life insurance to replace your income for the next years.

So what’s next? Call us at 800-442-9899 and let’s chat about the types of coverage that may make the most sense for you.

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