Taking your Spanish pension abroad

Key rules

• Base pension: Your contributory retirement pension can be paid abroad.
• Minimum top-up: The top-up to the minimum pension stops when you leave Spain.
• Proof of life: Return your certificate of life every time you are asked, or payments can be suspended.
• Tell the INSS: Report your move to the INSS so your payment is set up correctly.

Can you get your Spanish pension abroad?

Yes. A Spanish contributory retirement pension can be paid in any country. Within the EU/EEA, Switzerland and the UK, EU coordination rules guarantee payment. In the UK, this works under the post-Brexit agreement. Elsewhere, the pension is still paid abroad, and agreements with some countries coordinate how pensions work. Payment in some countries may be limited by local banking restrictions, so check your country with the INSS before you go.

What does not travel with you

The top-up to the minimum pension is only paid to people who live in Spain. When you move abroad, the top-up ends. Your base contributory pension carries on. Non-contributory benefits are not paid abroad either.

Tell the INSS that you are moving. Ask it at the same time about the exact timing of the change and any exemptions that might apply to you.

Proving you are alive

Once you live abroad, you must prove regularly that you are alive and still entitled to the pension. This is normally once a year.

• The INSS, or its payment agent, sends you a certificado de existencia (certificate of life).
• You complete it and have it signed and validated by a local authority in the country where you live.
• You then return it as instructed.
• If you have a digital certificate, you can send it electronically instead.
• In some countries, the registries exchange this information automatically, so you may have little to do.

If you do not return the certificate, the INSS can suspend your payments. Return it as soon as it arrives. How often it is needed and how you send it can vary by country, so confirm with the INSS which applies to you.

Practical steps before you leave

1. Tell the INSS your new address and the date you are leaving.
2. Decide which bank account will receive the pension, and confirm with the INSS that it can pay there.
3. Find out which local authority can validate your certificate of life.
4. Set up a digital certificate if you want to submit it online.

The documents list and the questions below cover the certificate and the countries in more detail.

Documents you need

• Certificate of life (certificado de existencia), sent to you by the INSS or its payment agent, normally once a year. Complete it, have a local authority sign and validate it, or submit it electronically, then return it so payments continue.

• A digital certificate, if you want to send the certificate of life electronically instead of through a local authority.

Frequently asked questions

Does the minimum top-up still get paid if I move abroad?

No, the top-up to the minimum pension is only paid to people who live in Spain. Your base contributory pension keeps being paid in your new country of residence. Tell the INSS, Spain's social security institute, about your move.

Which countries can my Spanish pension be paid in?

Your Spanish contributory retirement pension can be paid in any country. Inside the EU/EEA, Switzerland and the UK, EU coordination rules guarantee payment. Elsewhere it is still paid, and agreements with some countries coordinate pensions. Payment in some countries may face banking limits.

What happens if I do not return my certificate of life?

The INSS can suspend your payments if you do not return the certificate of life (certificado de existencia). It is normally sent once a year, and you return it signed and validated by a local authority or through electronic channels.