Claiming your home-country state pension from Spain

Key rules

• Claim everywhere: Each country assesses and pays only its own share, so claim from every country where you paid in.
• Spanish account: UK, US, German and Dutch pension bodies can pay into a Spanish IBAN.
• Life certificate: If a body sends an annual life certificate, return it or payments may stop.
• Dutch AOW: Send your Dutch claim at least 3 months before AOW age.

The short version

Each country pays its own pension, so you claim from each country's pension body. You do not claim through Spain, except for EU pensions, where Spain's social security office can pass your claim on. Start about four months before your pension age and claim from every country where you paid in.

UK State Pension

Claim from the International Pension Centre, part of the Department for Work and Pensions. You can claim online on GOV.UK, by phone, or by post with the international claim form.

You can claim up to 4 months before State Pension age, including from abroad. If you are already in its records, the centre sends a claim pack around that time. If no pack arrives, claim anyway.

You give your National Insurance number, proof of identity and bank details. A Spanish IBAN is accepted. Payment is made every four weeks, or in some cases quarterly, into a Spanish or UK account.

US Social Security

Claim from the Social Security Administration. You can apply online, by phone on its international line, or by appointment with the Federal Benefits Unit at the US Embassy in Madrid. Confirm the embassy's current contact channel before you travel.

You can file up to 4 months before the date you want payments to start. Benefits can start from age 62, but at a reduced rate. You need your Social Security number, proof of birth and bank details. Payment is by direct deposit to a Spanish or US account.

German pension

Claim from the Deutsche Rentenversicherung, usually the national office or the regional office that holds your record. Apply by post or online with its old-age pension form. A Spanish social security office (INSS) can also take your application and forward it to Germany. Ask the Deutsche Rentenversicherung which route suits you, as forms vary.

If you also have Spanish contributions, one claim starts assessment in both countries. Expect it to ask for a German tax ID. Payment goes to a Spanish bank account, and you must return an annual life certificate.

Dutch AOW

Claim from the Sociale Verzekeringsbank. If you are registered with it as living abroad, it normally sends a form about 4 months before AOW age. Send your claim at least 3 months before you reach AOW age. You can also apply on its website. It will ask for your identity document, marriage details and bank details.

AOW builds up at 2% for each year you lived or were insured in the Netherlands between age 15 and AOW age. AOW age changes over time, so check your current age with the Sociale Verzekeringsbank.

Other EU countries, including France

If you were insured in several EU countries, you can file one claim with the Spanish INSS, which sends it to the other countries. You can also claim directly from each country's pension body. Each country pays its own share, and your periods are added together to decide whether you qualify. Ask which route is faster in your case.

For France, start with Info Retraite. Private-sector workers claim from Assurance retraite (CNAV). Complementary schemes such as Agirc-Arrco are usually included in one request on the official French portal.

Documents

Every body wants proof of identity, and most want a birth certificate and bank details with an IBAN. Lists differ, so ask each body for its own. The documents list below sets out the usual items. Proof that you live in Spain is usually your padrón registration.

How long it takes

Overseas claims usually take from several weeks to several months. Claims that involve several countries are slower, because each body assesses only its own share. Claim early, answer any request for proof straight away, and return each annual life certificate so payments carry on.

The planner and checklist below set out the order of steps. The contacts list gives each body's details.

Pension claim planner from a year before retirement age

Your pension claim, step by step

• Find out your pension age and which bodies will pay you: about a year before pension age

• Check your UK National Insurance record and fill any gaps with voluntary contributions. You need at least 10 years of UK contributions before going abroad to pay Class 3 from Spain, and Class 2 is cheaper if you qualify: a year before pension age, and within six years after the end of the tax year you want to fill

• Gather your passport or national ID, birth certificate, marriage certificate if a spouse's rights count, proof of residence in Spain such as your padrón certificate (the municipal register), bank details with your IBAN, and your insurance or tax number: 6 to 12 months before pension age

• Get any extra items a body asks for, such as a tax ID for the German pension: as soon as you have each body's list

• Send your claims to the other countries' pension bodies. Claims that involve several countries are slower, because each body assesses its own share: several months before pension age

• Wait for decisions and answer any request for more proof straight away: several weeks to several months after you claim

• Return each annual life certificate you receive, so payments carry on: each year, by the date on the form

Check processing times and the exact document list with each pension body, as they differ from one to another.

Documents you need

Documents to have ready

• Passport or national ID, to prove who you are. Every pension body asks for this.

• Birth certificate. The US Social Security Administration asks for proof of birth, and other bodies often do too.

• Marriage certificate, only if a spouse's rights count towards your pension. The Dutch SVB also asks for marriage details.

• Proof that you live in Spain, such as your padrón registration (empadronamiento, the town hall record of where you live) or your residency certificate.

• Bank account details with a Spanish IBAN. The UK, US, German and Dutch bodies can all pay into a Spanish account.

• Your National Insurance number for the UK, your Social Security number for the US, or the matching insurance or tax number for other countries.

• A tax ID, if the body asks for one. The German pension body, the Deutsche Rentenversicherung, does.

• The annual life certificate, if your pension body sends one. It proves you are alive and must be returned for payments to continue.

Checklist

Claim your pension step by step

• Claim your UK State Pension from the International Pension Centre online on GOV.UK, by phone or by post, up to 4 months before State Pension age.

• Watch for the UK claim pack, which the International Pension Centre sends about 4 months before State Pension age if you are in its records.

• Claim US Social Security retirement benefits from the Social Security Administration online, by phone on its international line, or by appointment at the US Embassy in Madrid, up to 4 months before you want payments to start.

• Apply to the Deutsche Rentenversicherung for a German pension by post or online with its old-age pension form. You can also ask a Spanish INSS office to forward your application.

• Send your Dutch AOW claim to the Sociale Verzekeringsbank at least 3 months before AOW age. Use the form it posts to you about 4 months before, or apply on its website.

• Ask each body for its own document list, then gather the documents it names.

• Give each body your Spanish IBAN so payments go straight into your Spanish account.

• Claim from every country where you have paid in, since each body assesses only its own share. Expect several weeks to several months, and longer when several countries are involved.

Pension authorities and claim contacts by country

Who pays your pension and how to reach them

• International Pension Centre (UK Department for Work and Pensions): Claim your UK State Pension online, by phone or by post. Use the same centre for questions once you live in Spain.

• US Social Security Administration: Claim your US Social Security retirement benefit online or by phone. You can also get help from the Federal Benefits Unit at the US Embassy in Madrid.

• Deutsche Rentenversicherung: Claim your German pension by post, online or by phone. Spain's social security office (INSS) can also forward your claim.

• Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB): Claim your Dutch state pension with the paper form by post or through your online account.

• Assurance retraite (CNAV) and your other French pension schemes: Start your French claim through the national retirement information portal, online or by post.

Quick answers on foreign pensions for residents in Spain

How do I tell my pension body that I now live in Spain?

Contact each pension body through its own channel, as there is no single office for all of them. The UK uses the International Pension Centre, the Dutch SVB has an online account, and US Social Security works through the embassy in Madrid. If you do not report, payments can stop, you may have to repay money, and your tax or healthcare status can go wrong.

How often do I need to send a life certificate?

Dutch, German, French and Swiss bodies commonly ask for a life certificate once a year, but it depends on the body. Some of them exchange data instead, so you send no form. UK State Pension checks come by letter at irregular intervals, and company pensions often ask every year.

What happens if my life certificate is late?

If your life certificate is late, the body normally suspends your pension until it arrives, and may later stop it. To recover, return the correctly signed certificate and ask for payments to restart. Most bodies then pay the arrears back to the suspension date, but some ask for extra proof after a long delay.

Does moving to another Spanish region affect my foreign pension?

No, moving to another Spanish region does not change your right to a foreign pension, because it is paid based on living in Spain. Tell the paying body your new address, update your padrón (municipal register) and, if you use one, your health registration. Income tax rules of the new region then apply to your pension.