The Spanish welfare system, through Social Security, guarantees adequate protection against situations of risk, in both contributory and non-contributory benefits. Non-contributory benefits are those which are not conditional to a minimum quotation of your work towards the Social Security system. Therefore, those are universal benefits that are provided to anyone who fulfills their criteria, regardless of their contributions to the Spanish welfare system.
Non-contributory retirement pension (NRP)
The non-contributory retirement pension (from now on NRP) guarantees that people over 65 years of age with economic needs have access to a pension, even if they haven’t contributed or have contributed insufficiently to the Social Security system, to be entitled to a contributory pension. All non-Spanish residents, including UK nationals, are entitled to receive this pension as long as they fulfill the requirements listed below:
Being 65+ years of age
Residence: to reside legally in Spain, and having done so for at least 10 years, with at least 2 consecutive years of continuous residence prior to the date of application.
Lack of sufficient income, when the annual income is less than 5.639,20 euros. When living with family members (in case of legal union, relatives, or adoption up to second grade), the income should be limited to the quantities listed below.
1. If you live with your partner or parents up to second grade (parents, grandparents, grandchildren, brothers/sisters):
2. If between the relatives you live with there is one of your parents or children:
While receiving this pension, you will be able also to start a new job and receive simultaneously this pension during the next 4 years after starting your new job, if the total sum of your income is less than 12.418 euros per year. In case of surpassing that amount, the pension will be reduced to not surpass the amount of 12.418 euros.
The non-contributory retirement pension is incompatible with a non-contributory disability pension.
Required documents
To apply for the NRP you will have to provide the following documents:
Copy of your residency document/TIE (at least with 10 years of residency)
Certificación de Residente: proof of continued residency obtained from the police.
Legislation letter from the consulate or competent authority certifying that you are/aren’t receiving a pension, and if so, state the yearly amount and the number of payments you receive.
Completed general application form, where you will have to include the following information:
Economic information - you will have to inform of what is your current income, and if you are perceiving any other benefit. This expands to the people living with you.
Income from work or benefits: state the concept, source and yearly amount.
Income from assets: provide the value of the assets.
Banking details: as beneficiary of the pension you will need to be the holder of the account.
Documentation depending on your status:
If working: copy of the salary sheets of the current year and a declaration of the annual payments.
Self-employed: copies of the quarterly IRPF declarations from the current year.
Unemployed: copy emitted by the SEPE stating the monthly payment you are perceiving.
Documents regarding the people living with you:
Separated or divorced: certified copy of the sentence.
Pensioner from another country: document from the consulate or competent authority certifying that you are/aren’t receiving a pension, and if so, state the yearly amount and the number of payments you receive.
Employed // self-employed // unemployed: *see requisites above.
Application process
You can present the application and documents for the NRP online or in-person. You can present your documents to any of the following offices in your region:
Oficinas de Atención Ciudadana - OAC
Oficina de Asuntos Sociales y Familias
Oficinas de Atención Ciudadana del Departamento de Trabajo, Asuntos Sociales y Familias
Online application
If you wish to send your application online, keep in mind that the system will change depending on which region you live in. Find here the links to each online application system (some of them might require digital signature):