Do your home country's social security years count in Spain?

Key rules

• Three routes: Foreign years count only through EU rules, a bilateral agreement or the Ibero-American convention.
• Limited benefits: Even on a valid route, foreign years count only for the benefits that route covers.
• No route: Without a route, only Spanish contributions count toward Spanish benefits.
• Pro-rata pensions: Each country pays its own share of the pension, based on the years paid there.

The short answer

Your home country's years count in Spain only if one of three routes applies to you: EU rules, a bilateral agreement between Spain and your country, or the Ibero-American convention. Each route covers only particular benefits. If none applies, only your Spanish contributions count.

Route 1: EU, EEA and Switzerland

If your years were in an EU, EEA or Swiss country, they can be added to your Spanish years. This covers the widest range of benefits:

• Retirement, survivor and invalidity pensions.
• Sickness and maternity benefits.
• Unemployment benefit.
• Benefits for accidents at work and occupational disease.
• Death grants, pre-retirement benefits and family benefits.

The usual condition is that you need the foreign years to reach a minimum qualifying period, and the periods must not overlap.

For pensions, Spain pays only its own share, in proportion to the years you paid in Spain. This applies when you reach Spain's minimum by adding foreign periods. Each country pays its own share.

For unemployment, your last period of insurance must normally have been in the country paying the benefit. Special non-contributory benefits are generally not paid across borders.

Route 2: A bilateral agreement

Spain has separate agreements with a number of non-EU countries. Their scope depends on the treaty, but most cover:

• Retirement, permanent disability and survivor pensions.

Many also cover sickness and maternity benefits. Some include family benefits. Unemployment benefit, assistance benefits and often sick pay are commonly left out.

The agreement with the US covers pensions and rules for posted workers, but not health care. The agreements with Chile, Argentina, Morocco and Ukraine are broader, and some include health care. Ask the INSS for the text of the agreement for your country.

Route 3: The Ibero-American convention

This covers long-term pensions only: retirement, disability and survivor pensions, plus permanent benefits for work accidents and occupational disease where national law provides them. Your contribution periods in each country are added together, and each country pays its share.

It does not cover health care, sick pay, unemployment, family benefits or assistance benefits. Special schemes for civil servants and the military are also excluded unless a country includes them. Each country lists the schemes it applies the convention to.

If none of these applies

Only Spanish contributions count. For a Spanish retirement pension you generally need 15 years of contributions, 2 of them within the last 15 years.

For sick pay due to common illness you need 180 days of contributions in the 5 years before the leave starts. Accidents and occupational disease need no qualifying period. For sick pay, EU rules add foreign periods to this count. A bilateral agreement may do so, depending on the treaty. Without either, only Spanish periods count.

What to do

1. Work out which route fits your country.
2. Request your contribution history from your home pension institution.
3. Ask the INSS how to have your foreign periods added. The documents list below shows what to bring.

Timeline and deadlines

• Claim sick pay after an accident or occupational disease: no qualifying period; available from the first day of cover

Documents Spain needs to count your foreign contribution years

Documents to request so Spain can count your foreign years

• Contribution history statement from your home pension institution, such as a Social Security statement in the US or a National Insurance record in the UK. Request it online or in writing before you move.

• Proof of insurance periods for pension aggregation, which is how the INSS adds your foreign years to your Spanish ones. Ask your home institution for the certificate that applies to your case.

• Certificate of coverage or portable document that applies to you, such as a Portable Document A1 (or the UK equivalent) if you were posted abroad by an employer.

• Records from any private or employer pension scheme you paid into abroad.

• If your periods are in the EU, EEA or Switzerland: your ID, residence details, work history, and your foreign insurance numbers and employer details. The Spanish and foreign institutions swap your case data electronically, so you usually file in the country where you live and it forwards your claim to the other countries. Paper portable documents may still be accepted in some transitional cases.

• If your periods are outside the EU: the contribution statement above is what you bring yourself, since there is no electronic exchange. Keep copies of everything you send.

• Translation: if the INSS asks for it, have your statements translated into Spanish. Ask the INSS office handling your case whether it needs a sworn translation.

• Legalisation: ask the INSS whether your non-EU statements need an apostille (an official stamp that proves the document is genuine) before you send them.

Frequently asked questions

Do foreign years count toward Ssick pay in Spain?

Foreign years can count toward sick pay for common illness only if they come from the EU, EEA or Switzerland, or from a bilateral agreement that covers it. Spain asks for 180 days of contributions in the 5 years before the sick leave starts.

Do I need a qualifying period for sick pay after an accident?

No, you need no qualifying period for sick pay after an accident, whether at work or not, or for an occupational disease. The 180-day requirement applies only to common illness, so foreign years do not matter in those cases.

Can I add foreign years to claim unemployment benefit in Spain?

Yes, foreign years can be added for unemployment benefit if they come from the EU, EEA or Switzerland, but your last period of insurance must normally be in Spain. Bilateral agreements often exclude unemployment, and the Ibero-American convention excludes it.

Does the Ibero-American convention cover health care?

No, the Ibero-American convention does not cover health care, temporary sick pay, unemployment or family benefits. It covers retirement, disability and survivor pensions, plus permanent work accident and occupational disease benefits. Each country pays its own share pro rata.

How many Spanish years do I need if my home country has no agreement?

Without an EU rule or an agreement, you generally need 15 years of Spanish contributions for the retirement pension, with 2 of them in the last 15 years. Foreign years add nothing toward that minimum.