Using EU contributions for paro, or taking your paro abroad

Terms used

• Paro — Paro is Spain's unemployment benefit, paid to people who lose a job after paying enough social security contributions.
• SEPE — The SEPE is Spain's public employment service, which pays and manages unemployment benefit.
• PD U1 — The PD U1 is a document certifying your insurance periods in another EU/EEA country, so they can count towards paro.
• PD U2 — The PD U2 is the document the SEPE issues to let you receive your paro while looking for work in another EU/EEA country.

Key rules

• Last job in Spain: Foreign periods count towards Spanish paro only if your most recent work was in Spain.
• Export period: You can export contributory paro for 3 to 6 months, and you lose the entitlement if you do not return in time.
• Before you leave: Be registered as a jobseeker in Spain for 4 weeks and get the PD U2 from the SEPE before you go.
• Register abroad: Register with the destination country's employment service within 7 days of leaving Spain.

Counting work from other EU countries

Work you did in other EU/EEA countries, Switzerland or the UK can be added to your Spanish work to reach the minimum needed for paro. This works only if your most recent work was in Spain. You normally need at least 1 month of work in Spain before the foreign periods can be added.

Each foreign period must be certified on a PD U1. This is a portable document issued by the employment or social security office of the country where you worked. Either you ask that office for the PD U1, or the SEPE requests it electronically. The SEPE decides whether to request it directly, so ask for the PD U1 yourself before you need it. That avoids delays.

Taking your paro abroad

If you receive contributory paro in Spain, you can take it to another EU/EEA country for a minimum of 3 months and a maximum of 6 months. The SEPE may extend the period up to 6 months for the entitlement you have left.

You must meet these conditions:

• Be registered as a jobseeker in Spain for at least 4 weeks before you leave. The SEPE can authorise an earlier departure.
• Tell the SEPE before you leave and ask to export your paro.
• Get the PD U2 document from the SEPE.
• Register with the employment service of the destination country and follow its checks.

The 7-day deadline

Register as a jobseeker in the destination country within 7 days of leaving Spain. If you register later, you may lose benefit for the days before you registered. The SEPE can accept a late registration in some cases, but do not count on it.

Coming back on time

Return to Spain before your export period ends. If you do not, you lose your entitlement. The timeline below shows the steps in order.

Living in one country and working in another

If you live in one country and worked in another, which country pays depends on your situation. If you are a frontier worker who returns home at least weekly and you are wholly unemployed, you claim from the country where you live. That country pays as if you had worked there, and the periods from the work country are added and reimbursed. If you are not a frontier worker, you can choose to stay available in the country where you worked and claim from it. If you are a frontier worker who is only partly unemployed, you claim from the country of your last job.

Timeline and deadlines

• Work in Spain before adding foreign periods: Before you claim: normally at least 1 month of work in Spain, with Spain as your last job

• Get the PD U1 for your periods in other EU/EEA states: When you claim paro: ask the foreign institution, or the SEPE may request it

• Be registered as a jobseeker in Spain: At least 4 weeks before you leave, unless the SEPE allows earlier

• Ask the SEPE to export your paro and get the PD U2: Before you leave Spain

• Register with the employment service of the destination state: Within 7 days of the day you left Spain

• Return to Spain: After at least 3 months and within 6 months at most, or you lose the entitlement

Frequently asked questions

Can I count work in another EU country towards Spanish paro?

Yes, Spain adds insurance periods from other EU/EEA states, Switzerland and the UK to your Spanish ones, but only if your last job was in Spain. You normally need at least 1 month of work in Spain first. The other country's institution certifies your periods on a document called PD U1.

Who gets the PD U1 document for my foreign work periods?

You can ask the employment or social security institution of the other country for the PD U1, or the SEPE may request it through the electronic exchange between EU states.

What happens if I register late in the new country while exporting my paro?

You may lose benefit for the days before you registered, because you must register as a jobseeker within 7 days of leaving Spain. The SEPE may accept an exception in some cases. If you do not return to Spain in time, you lose the rest of your entitlement.

Which country pays me if I worked in one EU country and live in another?

If you are wholly unemployed and a frontier worker who returns home at least weekly, you claim from your country of residence. Other workers living elsewhere can choose to stay available in the country where they worked and claim from it. If you are only partly unemployed, you claim from the last country where you worked.