Hello,
I would like to understand my position regarding a future pension if I return to Spain, given that I have worked and paid social security contributions in several countries. In Spain, I contributed for approximately seven years; in Ireland, three years; and in the United Kingdom, two years. I have been working in the United States for three years, where there is no public pension scheme, so I have not paid contributions. My questions are: what happens to my contributions in Ireland and the United Kingdom if I retire in Spain? Will they count towards calculating my pension? Although I have not paid contributions in the United States, will the years I worked there count towards the total number of years worked if I retire in Spain?
Finally, is there any arrangement for expatriates that would allow us to pay voluntary social security contributions from abroad? Many thanks.
Contribution periods completed outside Spain are aggregated. In the case of Ireland and the United Kingdom, there is no problem because the two countries coordinate with one another. As regards paying social security contributions, this can be done under an agreement between you and the Social Security authorities.
There should be no problem, since the social security institutions of both countries coordinate with one another and the contribution periods are aggregated to calculate the retirement pension in Spain. This also applies to EU countries, as well as Switzerland and the countries of the European Economic Area (EEA): Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
Other countries with which Spain has signed a bilateral agreement are Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Cape Verde, Canada, Chile, Colombia, South Korea, Ecuador, the United States, the Philippines, Japan, Morocco, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Russia, Tunisia, Ukraine, Uruguay and Venezuela.
If the country where part of your working life was spent does not have an agreement with Spain, you should check whether those periods can be taken into account for your retirement pension.
As noted above, it is possible to receive a retirement pension even if you have paid contributions in different countries, provided those countries fall within the arrangements described. You should apply in the country where you reside or where you last worked. If you apply in Spain, the National Social Security Institute (INSS) will forward the application to the institutions in the countries where you say you worked; those institutions will also examine your entitlement to a pension.
For example, if you have paid contributions in Spain and France, the contribution periods in both countries are added together when calculating entitlement. When the pension is paid, each country pays a proportionate amount based on the period for which contributions were paid there.
To receive a retirement pension, returning emigrants must have paid contributions to the Spanish Social Security system for one year; that period is added to the other contribution periods completed abroad. The minimum contribution period required to qualify is 15 years, and Spain will pay only for the contributions made there. In other words, contribution bases in other countries will not be taken into account when calculating the amount of the pension.
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