I live in Italy for almost 15 years. I have worked for 11 years. Now because of the recession, I can hardly find job. I have tried to secure job but to no avail. Can I receive my 11 years pension contributions and leave for my country?


As I cannot secure job since almost three years now,I do not get any social salary. I sleep temporal places like charity houses. My wife and kids at suuffering in my country as I cannot send them money and I cannot go home without money too. I want to know if there is the possibility to collect my few years pension contributions and that is 11 years so that I can go home to settle with my family.

Hi and welcome to BE.

I've moved your thread to the Italy forum for you as I think that may be the best place for your question.

I'm not entirely sure I know what you are asking though. Are you asking if you can get your UK pension whilst living in Italy?

Hello and welcome to the forum.

1. You do not say what country you are from. Italy has conventions with Europe and some other countries.

2. You need to talk to somebody at INPS. I do not think they will give you a cheque or a pocket full of cash, but you might be able to claim something back from your own country.

3. Did you work for the last 2 years with a proper "in regola" contract? If yes, you could be entitled to unemployment.

I am a Ghanaian. I lost my last work in 2010 May. My last work was just part time for a year and a half and the rest years was full time. In 2010 March, the company was moved to a remote place and as result of not having car myself and lateness at work. I stopped the work to reduce the stress on the mind else something bad could have happened. I was not also paid any unemployement benefit till today. I have been to INPS as your question number 2 tells but no good answer was given. As your question number 3 states, of course, I have never worked irregularily in this country and I have my account extract from INPS with me right now.

As far as I know INPS no longer returns pension contributions. Unless things change, you should be entitled to a pension, albeit tiny, at 65. I'm sorry you situation is so difficult. It is a hard time for a lot of people.

I am afraid that if you gave your job up all by yourself and you were not sacked or fired, then you cannot claim unemployment benefit. See the link below.

Can you contact your Embassy and ask them about getting your pension contributions back?



http://www.inps.it/portale/default.aspx?itemdir=716

If a situation is very stressful, can I continue untill I am dead? In a political point of view, when a situation of this kind happens as great recession, the bill that says that is amended slight to solve situation. Ok, hear is the case I am not an Italian. During this great recession, many Italians has taken the advantage of their EU citizenship and are in some EU countries working. Hear is the case as non EU citizen, I cannot do that but we are both equal to pesion laws of the country. Could you please explain this?

I don't know what you want us to say to you.

Situations are tough and hard - both for EU citizens and non EU which includes America and Australia and Canada etc. They do not have any more rights here than you do.

I am not an Italian. Is Italy going to look after me in times of this great recession? Of course not. Italy is one of the worst countries that looks after its people. The politicians have spent too much time and money looking after themselves.

Many Italians might be in Europe because of their EU rights. Do you have a permesso do soggiorno? You could use that to go to another EU country too.

You have equal pension laws as you say - but whether Italy will give you a rebate now, or wait until you are of pension age is something you need to discover. In my opinion ...... Italy will never give you some money for your pension contributions that you can take back home. Harsh but true.

I'm sorry it's so hard but this is Italy. In all this time you must have realised that the politics and offices and papers and bureacracy is very tough and hard and particularly Italian.

oisonman: can you apply for Italian citizenship?

Im sorry to say that there are no rebates. When you have worked for 20 years you will get some sort of pension. If you work for 19, then nothing. If you cant bring contributions from another EU state then you will never end up with a decent pension. All countries are the same now - you pay now in the hope that the next generation will pay for you - they probably wont. And that doesnt help you at the moment.

Hi just to piggyback onto this thread. How many years do I have to work here to theoretically get some kind of Italian pension at retirement age? Is it 20 years as modicasa says? Does that mean that if I work here for 10 years and then move somewhere else outside the EU I'll get nada?

Correct on both counts.

I think it depends if there is a reciprocal agreement with the other country you move to. I have 25 years UK pension contribution and I will get zilch from the UK cause is below the 30 years minimum payments and with recent changes I wouldn't get anything till I am 67 anyway (this is the 2nd time I lose out to UK pension system the other was with my private pension scheme).

However in theory I can transfer my UK contribution back to the Italian system, this is something I need to look into at some point.

For a non-eu country you don't have to have a min of 20yrs if you move home, but I don't know how much pension you will get.

For the EU and Switzerland your pension payments aren't completely wasted. There is an agreement, but I can't for the life of me remember how it works. Unless things have changed very recently.

It's quite simple. Newcastle and INPS get together, total up your contributions to both systems, and decide who pays what. I get about 85% of my pension from INPS and the rest from Newcastle.
ciao for now,
'o nonno