Making use of for retirement overseas: know the principles

In the event you labored outdoors Portugal, it’s potential apply for retirement overseas and even accumulate with the pension you obtain in our nation. It’s best to, nonetheless, take note of elements comparable to completely different retirement ages and potential minimal low cost durations.

Having labored in a number of nations signifies that, while you cease working, you possibly can apply for retirement overseas.

That’s, even in case you have returned to Portugal, you’ll, in precept, be entitled to a pension for the time you deducted whereas working overseas. See the way it works.

Making use of for retirement overseas: what you need to know

If you wish to apply for retirement for the time you labored overseas, you possibly can apply within the nation the place you might be residing or within the nation the place you final labored.

In case you are residing in Portugal however have by no means made reductions right here, then you need to apply for a pension from the competent authority within the final nation the place you labored.

When making use of for retirement in a given nation, that nation is answerable for dealing with your request and for gathering data of contributions made in all nations the place you labored.

Agreements facilitate the change of knowledge

Portugal has connections, by way of Social Safety, with a number of different nations. Thus, requests made in our nation might be analyzed by overseas entities that confirm the potential proper to a pension.

Along with the Member States of the European Union, these connections additionally apply to the nations of the European Financial Space (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), in addition to Switzerland, Turkey and the UK.

Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Cape Verde, Canada, Province of
Quebec, Chile, El Salvador, Ecuador, USA, Philippines, India, Morocco, Mozambique, Moldova, Paraguay, Peru, United Kingdom (in relation to the islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Herm, Jethou and Man), Dominican Republic, Tunisia , Ukraine, Uruguay and Venezuela are different nations lined by agreements or conventions.

How does the method go?

If, for instance, you submitted your software in Portugal and labored in France and Germany, your retirement software might be despatched to the competent authorities in every of those nations.

Each will account for all durations of labor, verifying the suitable to the pension. The calculation is then made and the corresponding reform is assigned. Every nation pays autonomously, which implies you possibly can accumulate pensions from a number of nations.


See too
Retirement for many who discounted lower than 15 years: discover out if it’s potential

Precautions to take when making use of for retirement overseas

As the principles for granting pensions range in every nation, you need to take note of some particulars. For instance, in some nations beneficiaries obtain, even earlier than reaching the authorized retirement age, a type to assert the pension. Make sure that that is what occurs within the place the place you need to apply for the reform.

Subsequently, it will be important that, while you begin enthusiastic about retirement, you discover out in regards to the course of for acquiring a pension. As it’s needed to speak with overseas entities and in some nations the method can take a very long time, it’s handy to begin coping with the matter upfront.

What if the retirement age is completely different overseas?

When making use of for retirement overseas, you need to keep in mind that the retirement age is just not the identical in all nations. For instance, in a single nation you possibly can retire at 64 and in others at 67. On this case, and in case you have not but turned 67, you’ll solely obtain the pension from the primary nation and you’ll have to wait till you might be 67 to obtain your second pension.

Subsequently, it is very important know the right way to proceed and find out about potential penalties if you happen to advance to early retirement.

The paperwork wanted to use for retirement overseas additionally range from nation to nation, so earlier than making use of, you need to discover out what might be wanted.

It must also be taken into consideration that the suitable to retirement could rely upon a minimal interval of reductions. That is what in Portugal is named the assure interval and which, in our nation, corresponds to fifteen years of contributions.

the EU guidelines

When you have labored in European Union (EU) nations, the precept of aggregation of durations applies. That’s, the competent authority within the nation the place you made the appliance should consider all of the durations you labored in one other EU nation.

If, for instance, you labored 10 years in France and 10 years in Germany, every nation has to think about you eligible to obtain the pension, since, in complete, it provides as much as 20 years of reductions.

How is the pension quantity calculated?

Below these European mechanisms (and which solely apply to EU nations), every nation the place you labored should contemplate, with a purpose to award your pension, your age and the whole variety of years of reductions that you simply add up in all nations.

Within the calculation, all years of reductions are additionally thought of, however in view of the nationwide calculation components of every nation.

See how the accounts are made

Going again to the instance of somebody who labored 10 years in France and 10 years in Germany. The French State will contemplate you eligible for retirement (as a result of you could have deducted 20 years in complete) and calculate a retirement pension as if you happen to had labored the 20 years in France.

He’ll then regulate this worth to the variety of years he has really labored in French territory to succeed in the so-called proportional profit. To take action, multiply the theoretical quantity by 10 (years of efficient work in that nation) and divide the end result by 20, that are the years you could have reductions.

If a pension calculated for you for 20 years of labor in France was 1500€, however you had solely labored in French territory for 10 years, the State would multiply 1500 by 10 (15,000€) and divide by 20, leading to an quantity of 750 €.

The accounts can be the identical for the German state. In the long run, I’d obtain, month-to-month, the 2 reforms added, that’s 1500€.

However consideration…

The above calculations apply solely when you haven’t accomplished the years of efficient deductions in order that the regulation of that nation assigns it a reform.

If it occurs, for instance, that you’ve got cashed in a rustic lengthy sufficient to succeed in retirement eligibility, that nation is obliged to calculate the nationwide pension quantity first after which the proportional profit. In the long run, you might be assigned the upper worth of the 2 (which additionally accumulates with pensions from different nations, based on the final guidelines).

And the taxes?

Even if you happen to obtain pensions in numerous nations, it is very important know that you’ll at all times must make the reductions within the nation the place you at the moment are, as a result of it’s the nation that taxes your revenue.

In Portugal, revenue obtained overseas is asserted in Appendix J of the IRS.

In any case, you have to be conscious of double taxation agreements. It could occur that, in some nations, the tax system doesn’t forgive you the reductions and you find yourself deducting twice on the identical revenue: as soon as within the nation of origin and one other within the nation the place you might be.

Article initially revealed in August 2022. Final up to date in April 2023.